BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Gunmen in Baghdad killed a judge working for the Iraqi special tribunal set up to try Saddam Hussein and his top lieutenants, a setback in efforts to close the chapter on decades of oppression.
CHICAGO - The husband and elderly mother of a federal judge were shot in the head in the basement of the family home, and authorities hope a broken window will produce fingerprints to identify a suspect, sources told The Associated Press.
No shortage of insanity here. It seems while we often like to think this sort of barbaric behavior is limited to the odd little bunch of crazy men, along comes our own little fringe group of home grown terrorists.
Albeit it is far from certain, that the murder of a Federal Judge’s husband and mother are tied to white supremacist, Matthew Hale. It is looking more and more to be connected. Hale is awaiting sentencing for attempting to hire a hit man to kill the same judge a few years back. Hale, apparently not the brightest bulb in the light section at Home Depot, fell for the old FBI dude posing as a hit man.
Not watching enough of “America’s Most Wanted”, I guess.
Back in 1995, I was working on a Task Force in Anaheim, when the bombing of the Federal Building in Oklahoma City took place. It was pretty crazy and scary. One of the Leads of our group informed us that he did not want us to go through with our plan to have lunch at a Middle Eastern restaurant down the street. It was clear to him who was to blame.
You want some ketchup with that egg on your face, Willy?
We wish these folks didn’t exist, but hey, what’s the old line “When Pigs Fly”. It is easier to just say that it doesn’t happen here, but very sadly it does. It is always scary when we see how desperate some folks can become. Whether it is the Michigan Militia or the Aryan Nation, there are some groups within our own borders that have no issue with the approach taken by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and his band of merry men in Iraq. If there is a disagreement with the local laws, let’s just kill them.
What I find the most disturbing is the constant reference to God as justification. Man, talk about ‘taking God’s name in vain.’ When I was 17, there was a huge furor about accepting any member who was not white into our church. I was, at the time, a member of a Dutch Reform Church.
One of the churches in Timothy Illinois had allowed a black couple to attend a service. Well, to say it did not sit well with the ‘church fathers’ would be a gross understatement. I heard more hatred and bile from the Elders and members of our church; it forever changed my perspective on the term “Christian”.
My most vivid memory was of a group of Dutch Farmers explaining to me that it all came down to the story of Noah in the Bible. Ham, the youngest son, was to be cursed forever and all his children would be slaves. Ham and his son, Canaan, in my learned Farmers’ opinions, were of course sent to Africa and that is why we should not let Blacks ever be part of our church.
Can you imagine an entire community of Dutch folks trying to keep everyone out and feeling superior to everyone else…wait a minute, where do I live again?
I guess my point is that no one country or culture has the corner on the market of crazy people. It just seems scarier when they might live next door.
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