The San Jose railyard mass murder…
…seems to have been a classic case of workplace rage by an angry and threatening loner who had been reocognized to be a powder keg for a long, long time.
Very sad. RIP to all the victims.
The New Neo
A blog about political change, among other things
The San Jose shooting reminded me right away of Gabriel Wortman, the spree killer who impersonated an RCMP officer during his rampage in Nova Scotia last year. A number of people who lived near him or otherwise knew him described him as a human time bomb:
“Residents [of Portapique] were suspicious that Wortman was stockpiling gasoline and propane tanks, and they reported hearing him brag about having lime and muriatic acid to dispose of bodies. Neighbours also said that Wortman struggled with alcohol use and his business was negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced all non-essential denturist services in Nova Scotia to close. According to his spouse, Wortman, who took her across Nova Scotia in the hours before the attacks, had been ‘consumed’ by the pandemic for weeks and believed he was going to die. He was also fearful that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would begin controlling money, which prompted him to make hefty bank withdrawals.”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2020_Nova_Scotia_attacks
IIRC, the fire services in San Jose responded to a suspicious fire at Cassidy’s house shortly after the first shots were reported at the rail yard. Supposedly the fire fighters found a gas can and hundreds of rounds of ammo inside. These short-fuse guys all seem to follow the same script, don’t they?
Neo: Sorry, but link doesn’t work (not for me anyway).
This is a northern phenomenon. In Southern Europe and Latin America, this is rare to non-existent. People harboring those types of feelings are not “left alone”. People are not shy about imposing themselves into the private lives of people who are exhibiting anti-social tendencies and behaviors.
Don’t misunderstand me… I am not claiming any overall cultural superiority for the southern cultures. Clearly, they have plenty of their own vices and liabilities. But, in this arena, they have something the northerners should learn from.
Blonde Blue-Eyed Nordic Ice-man Solitary Beast Kills Crowds of You because he doesn’t fit.
Down around the Mediterranean, the Village Kills You because You Don’t fit.
Thalatta (geddit, geddit?) FTW. Mimesis to the rescue. Social hygiene with minimal/optimal amount of bloodshed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FNmsgBhPVrI
The Widow Knows.
Things blur now, of course, because we don’t live in villages anymore.
California Railyard and Cassidy –> Can’t help thinking of Mad Neal Cassady who was more into shooting up indiscriminate orifices. And Heroin. Simpler, Happier Times.
The link is not working for me either.
Sounds like the Feds had this guy but didn’t say or do anything since he wasn’t focused on any of the Masters of the Universe. Odd, the Feds used to be concerned about protecting Americans. I guess we are not on the same team any longer. Good to know.
Link fixed.
“The Widow Knows.” – Zaphod
She does indeed.
One of the college plays AesopSpouse and I were in together was the musical “Zorba.”
There are good things and bad things about Village Life, depending on your personal POV.
“People are not shy about imposing themselves into the private lives of people who are exhibiting anti-social tendencies and behaviors.” – Roy
The problem in America (and much of the world) is that there are very radically different views of what is “private” and what is “anti-social” — resulting in the Rise of the Cancel Culture Vampires, who are not at all shy about imposing themselves into other people’s lives.