What Are They Thinking?

On first glance, the British riots don't make sense. The Norwegian camper murders is another example of irrational behavior at first glance, but both are pretty human actions.

Did the Columbine killers get up in the stands during football practice and blast away at the athletes that relentlessly bullied them? Hell no, they went to the library and killed the quiet kids who were able to read.

Did the Oklahoma federal building bombers attack the ATF or FBI because of anti-government rage about Waco? Hell no, they blew up some low level cubicle drudges.

Did the Americans of African descent attack the homes of the brutal police or burn the court of justice that could dismiss a crime caught on film as inadequate proof? Hell no, they attacked stores and beat up working stiffs.

Did the Islamic fundamentalist attack the military bases in Saudi Arabia for invasion of their holy land? Hell no, they attacked office buildings (well, the Pentagon makes a little sense) and we retaliated by attacking one war torn country and one country decimated by sanctions.

Did the Germans eliminate their military machine after World War I bankrupted them? Hell no, they built cohesion by torturing gypsies, political dissenters, and unpopular religions.

Did America attack Russia because Communism was so evil that loyalty to the state could warp family values so that children reported on their parents? Hell no, we attacked Korea and established the House Committee on UnAmerican Activities.

When Reagan was in trouble for selling drugs and guns to fund a private war, he ordered an attack on Grenada.

When Clinton was in trouble for his wayward asparagus, he ordered an attack on a medicine manufacturer.

When America's delusional economy met reality, did we impound the property of the tricksters that created the financial fraud instruments and make the populace who bounces from one bubble to the next pay their debts? Hell no, the unions and the national pension plan for working people must go and poor people cause all our problems. Middle America is so white that kids stare at brown complected people. They think all non whites spend their time shooting heroin and squirting out welfare babies. Greg Palast called America an "Armed Madhouse" but all the gun-toting fearful fanatics should worry about the people who have more. Bad things trickle down, good ones seem to percolate up and only rarely.

According to Christian lore, humans lost paradise by disobedience and can be saved by persecution and death of an innocent. Religion finally makes sense to me - it fits with blind obedience and bullying and is human from kids at school to Karl Rasputin Rove's strategies.

Temple Grandlin is right. Humans just don't make sense.