Shooting rampage, mental illness, medication, marijuana, and 9/11Truth: Pentagon Shooter the perfect tool for Mainstream Media

The pieces to the puzzle of what drove 36-year-old John Patrick Bedell, left, to launch an attack on one of the most heavily guarded buildings in the United States are quickly being assembled, as a history of mental unwellness comes to light. The image of a ’lone gunman’ with manic depression and bipolar disorder seems at odds with the disarming manner in which he presented himself to the Officers at the Pentagon, wearing a jacket, dress shirt and pants, "seeming like any other end-of-the-day commuter."

With quick searches, investigators were able to reveal that not only was he suffering from mental illness, he had posted ’rants’ on his video blog, was a 9/11 Truther that insisted elements of the U.S. government orchestrated 9/11, was a casual drug user, and a right-wing anti-government "Libertarian".

From this disturbed act came the wedge needed by the mainstream media to paint the 9/11 Truth movement, dissidents, or supporters of unsavoury political affiliations or fringe movements as mentally unsound, crazed, and dangerous - for here was the proof that such extreme beliefs could lead to violent outcomes.

And while these groups move quickly to distance themselves from Bedell’s actions and motives, the media are using this man to demonstrate the dangers associated with ’fringe’ politics and ideas.

Although these men are seen as ’lone gunman’ a pattern is emerging as this assault comes four months after the deadly attack on the Army’s Fort Hood in Texas, and last month’s storming of an Internal Revenue Service building in Austin, Texas by a disaffected man with a plane.

As much as these are said to be isolated incidents, with unemployment, poverty, and rising discontentment of the population with the actions of the old and new government, these yet may be the beginnings of things to come.

What is interesting is how the U.S. government decides on which attacks qualify as terrorism, such as the events of September 11, 2001, and the Oklahoma City Bombing, and which it decides are NOT terrorism; the recent events by supposed right-wing politically-minded and alleged islamic-sympathizing soldiers.

Do such things only qualify as terrorism when it suits their purpose?

ter·ror·ism   [ter-uh-riz-uhm]
–noun
1. the use of violence and threats to intimidate or coerce, esp. for political purposes.
2. the state of fear and submission produced by terrorism or terrorization.
3. a terroristic method of governing or of resisting a government.