A far-right extremist allegedly plotted to blow up Amazon data centers • Hacker News Board

Re: A far-right extremist allegedly plotted to blow up Amazon data centers

#31

Post by aww_dang » Sat, Apr 10, 2021, 11:09 AM UTC

hntroll666 wrote: post #21

The FBI specializes in this kind of operation, providing encouragement, support, and money to unhappy young men who would most likely never get around to actually doing anything were it not for the FBI's involvement, always in such a way that it somehow doesn't quite legally qualify as entrapment, despite looking like entrapment to any normal person. The FBI are corrupt enforcers for the left now. A dozen agents will…

There is an issue with this, but I am not convinced it is as explicitly partisan as you suggest. I do agree that the definition of political extremist has broadened significantly after this recent election.

Here's an example of similar activity with the "Occupy Wallstreet" people. The maladjusted Muslim youth angle is also well known.

https://www.rollingstone.com/politics/politics-news/how-fbi-...

https://theintercept.com/2015/03/16/howthefbicreatedaterrori...

https://mises.org/power-market/libertarian-terrorists

>"Former CIA director John Brennan recently singled out libertarians as among the people the government should go after. This is not the first time libertarians have been smeared. In 2009, a federally funded fusion center identified people who supported my presidential campaign, my Campaign for Liberty, or certain Libertarian and Constitution Parties’ candidates as potentially violent extremists."

Re: A far-right extremist allegedly plotted to blow up Amazon data centers

#32

Post by dempseye » Sat, Apr 10, 2021, 11:12 AM UTC

supernova87a wrote: post #16

I wonder, does such a person share a lot of characteristics of his mental state with someone who on the other side of the political spectrum, breaks into factory chicken farms to free birds, or who torches an entire dealership of SUVs to save the planet? Is there not something a little bit fascinating in realizing that regardless of the particular political belief driving them to do something, there must be something…

"this is so right that I am justified in destroying property, people to get it done"

I do not think that this is necessarily a sign of something "haywire in the mind". The powerful use this logic all the time, and yet it is not a mainstream view that ordering an air strike, for instance, is clearly a sign of mental illness.

Perhaps it should be.

Re: A far-right extremist allegedly plotted to blow up Amazon data centers

#33

Post by mcphage » Sat, Apr 10, 2021, 11:14 AM UTC

startup_boner wrote: post #18

I sincerely hope this does not come across as provocative in the worst possible way, but what exactly defines this guy as Far-Right? I understand we're not given full context in this short article and that label is likely all too accurate, but it feels out of place as the rest of the writeup goes on to just describe him as a run-of-the-mill nutcase obsessed with the "big tech" boogeyman.

Well, according to the article he was active on Parler and MyMilitia.com, and was at the protests in Washington on Jan 6th, and complained that the insurrectionists didn’t go far enough. I’m not sure what else you’re looking for, exactly.

Re: A far-right extremist allegedly plotted to blow up Amazon data centers

#34

Post by _Microft » Sat, Apr 10, 2021, 11:15 AM UTC

supernova87a wrote: post #16

I wonder, does such a person share a lot of characteristics of his mental state with someone who on the other side of the political spectrum, breaks into factory chicken farms to free birds, or who torches an entire dealership of SUVs to save the planet? Is there not something a little bit fascinating in realizing that regardless of the particular political belief driving them to do something, there must be something…

> I wonder, does such a person share a lot of characteristics of his mental state with someone who on the other side of the political spectrum

This sounds like the "horseshoe theory":

"In political science and popular discourse, the horseshoe theory asserts that the far-left and the far-right, rather than being at opposite and opposing ends of a linear political continuum, closely resemble one another, analogous to the way that the opposite ends of a horseshoe are close together."

It's no surprise that "[t]he horseshoe theory has been criticized by those from both ends of the political spectrum who oppose being grouped with those they consider to be their polar opposites [...]" by the way ;)

See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horseshoe_theory for the full article.

Re: A far-right extremist allegedly plotted to blow up Amazon data centers

#35

Post by Quanttek » Sat, Apr 10, 2021, 11:16 AM UTC

sucking4SaaS wrote: post #23

Quanttek wrote: post #19

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It wouldn't be post about far-right extremist attacks without someone in the comments trying to "whataboutism" it about leftists.

Or someone else making snarky comments like this in response. Let's not pretend that the problem of people being brainwashed into extreme beliefs and even acting on them inside the various echo chambers of the internet is limited to any particular demographic. It's one of the elephants in this increasingly digital room of ours that achingly needs addressing.

The problem is that far-right extremism is by far the biggest violent threat, a multiple of Islamist extremism or far-left extremism. This applies not only to the US but most of Europe as well.

Feel free to check out any of the pieces below

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2020/10/27/in-ameri...

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/24/us/domestic-terrorist-gro...

https://cco.ndu.edu/PRISM/PRISM-Volume-6-no-2/Article/839011...

https://www.europol.europa.eu/activities-services/main-repor... (p. 11)

Re: A far-right extremist allegedly plotted to blow up Amazon data centers

#36

Post by aww_dang » Sat, Apr 10, 2021, 11:16 AM UTC

waihtis wrote: post #26

supernova87a wrote: post #16

I wonder, does such a person share a lot of characteristics of his mental state with someone who on the other side of the political spectrum, breaks into factory chicken farms to free birds, or who torches an entire dealership of SUVs to save the planet? Is there not something a little bit fascinating in realizing that regardless of the particular political belief driving them to do something, there must be something…

I don't think it would be a hugely wrong to say both ends of the spectrum think they're "outside" of the normal world. Their world has different rules and morals and thus they would be executing along those. In their world, you're the one who needs to ask if you're crazy agreeing living your life while agreeing to conditions X,Y, and Z. [amrchair psychology disclosure]

The willingness to use violence against people or property seems like it would be a further leap. Operating outside of the mainstream ideologies isn't necessarily a slippery slope. Reasonable people should be able to disagree without using violence.

Re: A far-right extremist allegedly plotted to blow up Amazon data centers

#37

Post by mcphage » Sat, Apr 10, 2021, 11:17 AM UTC

supernova87a wrote: post #16

I wonder, does such a person share a lot of characteristics of his mental state with someone who on the other side of the political spectrum, breaks into factory chicken farms to free birds, or who torches an entire dealership of SUVs to save the planet? Is there not something a little bit fascinating in realizing that regardless of the particular political belief driving them to do something, there must be something…

> there must be something that goes haywire in the mind to think that "this is so right that I am justified in destroying property, people to get it done"

I’m not sure that this guy is mentally unstable, simply because he made a very bad decision.

Re: A far-right extremist allegedly plotted to blow up Amazon data centers

#38

Post by imgabe » Sat, Apr 10, 2021, 11:17 AM UTC

dempseye wrote: post #32

supernova87a wrote: post #16

I wonder, does such a person share a lot of characteristics of his mental state with someone who on the other side of the political spectrum, breaks into factory chicken farms to free birds, or who torches an entire dealership of SUVs to save the planet? Is there not something a little bit fascinating in realizing that regardless of the particular political belief driving them to do something, there must be something…

"this is so right that I am justified in destroying property, people to get it done" I do not think that this is necessarily a sign of something "haywire in the mind". The powerful use this logic all the time, and yet it is not a mainstream view that ordering an air strike, for instance, is clearly a sign of mental illness. Perhaps it should be.

It’s only wrong if you fail. If you succeed you were a “revolutionary”.

Re: A far-right extremist allegedly plotted to blow up Amazon data centers

#39

Post by fredgrott » Sat, Apr 10, 2021, 11:18 AM UTC

supernova87a wrote: post #16

I wonder, does such a person share a lot of characteristics of his mental state with someone who on the other side of the political spectrum, breaks into factory chicken farms to free birds, or who torches an entire dealership of SUVs to save the planet? Is there not something a little bit fascinating in realizing that regardless of the particular political belief driving them to do something, there must be something…

from someone who has had the opportunity to talk to such people, they share: 1. lack of ability to separate fact from fiction in information they consume. 2. lack a desire to build, create, or problem solve in general. 3. Parent and society issues in that they carry open emotional wounds in general mental terms.

Also note, that extreme-ism in dogma whether it's religion or political philosophy seems to attract such damaged people.

Mt own HO is that we suffer in certain parts of the world from more of this due to lack of real mental health infrastructure to alleviate such things.

Re: A far-right extremist allegedly plotted to blow up Amazon data centers

#40

Post by roflc0ptic » Sat, Apr 10, 2021, 11:19 AM UTC

startup_boner wrote: post #18

I sincerely hope this does not come across as provocative in the worst possible way, but what exactly defines this guy as Far-Right? I understand we're not given full context in this short article and that label is likely all too accurate, but it feels out of place as the rest of the writeup goes on to just describe him as a run-of-the-mill nutcase obsessed with the "big tech" boogeyman.

He was posting on MyMilitia.com about blowing up Amazon data centers to retaliate for "disrespect" shown to his tribe. Left wing extremists don't post on MyMilitia.com. They post on derrickjensen.org or whatever.