Times Square Bomb: The Right’s Nuttiest Theory

By on May 5, 2010 in News 12

Was the recent incident in Times Square an attempt to demonize the labor and environmental movements?  Mother Jones reports:

from T.L. Miles at Wikimedia Commons

Photo: T.L. Miles (CC)

This much we know: A US citizen born in Pakistan has been arrested for allegedly parking a Nissan Pathfinder in Times Square Saturday night, loaded with fertilizer that doesn’t combust, a kid’s alarm clock that likely didn’t tick, several gallons of gas, some propane tanks, and a few M80 firecrackers.

Attorney General Eric Holder has released a statement saying Shahzad was “taken into custody at JFK Airport in New York as he attempted to board a flight to Dubai.” There’s a lot we have yet to learn about what this news means, but it probably rules out one favorite conservative theory about the attempted bombing — that left-wing protesters took advantage of May Day (aka International Workers’ Day) to make a big bang in New York’s neon-soaked seat of capitalism.

Even before the bomb was found, a blogger at Andrew Breitbart’s Big Journalism blog unleashed a post titled: “Note To New York Times, MSNBC, WaPo and CNN: May Day Is Here and So Are the Actual Violent Protesters.” (Your money quote: “Leftist May Day protesters are so cowardly, many of them wear masks during their rampages. Look for them in Los Angeles, as well as other major cities in America and Europe.”) Another reminded his choir that environmentalists, not Tea Partiers, are the truly violent types.

Soon enough, blogger Steve Cooper, who calls himself the Conservative Monster, explicated the Times Square lefty theory:

Yesterday was May 1st, known as May Day to left wing communists that march around the world. Was this another case of left wing terrorism that the media is hiding? The media loves to blame the Tea parties for anything that they can, but is this incident related to the Coffee Parties? The Coffee Parties are the communist, left wing version of the Tea Party movement, but nobody is blaming their activism…

So, we have the suspicious explosion of an oil rig in the gulf that happened the day before Lenin’s birthday (Earth Day) and now we have an attempted attack on May Day, another day celebrated by left wing communists. Meanwhile, we are constantly being told that RIGHT WING extremism is a terrorist threat?

[Read more at Mother Jones]

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  • Word Eater

    Damn left-wing terrorists taking work from God-fearing, right-wing terrorists. They… they took our jobs! When a patriot can't blow up an SUV in Times Square because some illegal immigrant, limp wristed, pablum puking, “progressive” snuck in first, what is the United States of America coming to?

  • oman28

    What about the muslim terrorists?
    This whole thing could have been avoided if a blanket ban on women wearing veils had been implemented.

    • UNSANE

      lol, yeah im very surprised they didnt instantly start bombing the muslim countries. (with no evidence again)

  • 5by5

    Breibart's about as big of a douche as the Wall St guy who sent that arrogant email.

    “Islamofascism” is all about the rightwing. It's religious CONSERVATISM. People so conservative, they want to conserve their right to beat their wives and live in the 11th century.

  • 5by5

    Breibart's about as big of a douche as the Wall St guy who sent that arrogant email.

    “Islamofascism” is all about the rightwing. It's religious CONSERVATISM. People so conservative, they want to conserve their right to beat their wives and live in the 11th century.

  • GoodDoktorBad

    I'm so sick of this left- right paridigm of idiosy. As if there is some line graph in which all people fall to the right or the left of the “middle”. The middle of what? Where? Who or what actually defines the field of view?
    I'd say that nutty, vilolent people are in a class by themselves, more or less. I personally don't care about the political leaning of the guys who are about to shoot me. They are (dare I use the word) terrorists…

    Also the question of why we arbitrarily self identify with a certain side -left or right, is a question I've always been obsessed with. I believe it has a lot to do with what I'll coyly term “the zombie principal”. Most of our “side taking” affiliations that leave us on the graph to the right or left, Rep. or Dem., Deist or athiest, etc.
    are things we were taught by our parents, teachers and clergy to value. How much we actually identify with those values is usually greatly overshadowed by the value we place on group identity labels. In other words, we may not actually believe or practice the values supposedly honored by whatever group we “belong” to. In a sense, there are no “pure” members of any group. Groups are composed of individuals -many individuals usually, each with their own unique view…

    The concept that there can be only 2 sides, options or modes of thought is obviously absurd. It becomes increasingly absurd once you realize that niether side has much of clue, at least not within themselves.

    • oman28

      I too have pondered this “line” of indeterminate length that has a left and right and therefore a middle. Where is the middle ? What is the middle? It's all very zen.
      This kind of article highlights the absudity of it all.

      I class far lefts and far rights as the same thing – extremists. But they are only extreme based on my personal concept of where and what the middle is.

      Both religion and democracy use the left right paradigm as a means of control by galvanising the masses into polar opposites and then directing the conflict. Free thought is discouraged as those close to the “middle” can easily be labled left or right which then makes them extremists.

      I like the mental picture of the people watching a puppet show. The two puppets, a donkey and an elephant are attached to to separate arms but these arms are attached to the one entity – the puppet master. But he has to remain hidden, otherwise it would spoil the show.

    • dumbsaint

      Damn straight.
      This bullshit is making everyone stupider. You can't debate people on the basis of personal beliefs and values anymore. Everyone is pigeonholed and ridiculous assumptions are made.

      It's a little sad when I see posters on this site who's input I used to enjoy reading disappear after what seemed to be a big left/right/pinko/redneck style argument. Maybe I imagined it.

      • GoodDoktorBad

        Which “big left/right/pinko/redneck style argument” are you refering to? There are so many. I seem to attract them. I guess taking a wild swing at insanity pisses some people off.

        You didn't imagine it, sometimes my mind gets blown and I need a break from the soap box. Rest assured I will continue to post even if I attract A-holes. After all, I've been known to shat out a few stinkers myself.
        …and thanks for your support!! LOL

        • dumbsaint

          Sean and I haven't seen Poly around in a while, he seemed to have people accusing him of being both a useless liberal and/or conservative, poor guy. I think it was about gun control, but it could have been any number.

  • SMonarch

    this is just a way to start another conflict and to get the masses minds off of that oil spill which is really bad news in a terrible way. its funny how when one huge incident happens a smaller one follows that is bound to collect the most attention

    • UNSANE

      yeah, and most people just cant handle it mentally so….. they either block it out of their minds or are just plain confused. peaceful bliss, ahhhh that would be nice…… i wanna go back to sleep (mentally).