Looks like the bomber did in fact blow himself up. It will be pretty ironic if it turns out that it's some MAGA fuck that effectively became a suicide bomber.

Confirmed: it was a 24 year old white male. Who is surprised?

@malice 24 white male confirms it was a maga person?

@BethJ I really need to explain the separations between those paragraphs?

@malice @BethJ MAGA or not MAGA bombing and terrorizing a city WHATEVER your motivation and then making yourself essentially into a suicide bomber MAKES ONE A TERRORIST.

@Klaatu_Veratta_Nectarine @malice he was absolutely a terrorist. Not sure what his political affiliation has to do with it. All “MAGA fucks” aren’t terrorists with bad intentions. Some are good honest people who think it’s awful regardless of politics.

@BethJ I'm kinda speechless, but wanted to say I'm with Beth on this one. @malice @Klaatu_Veratta_Nectarine

@Katepillar @malice @BethJ Speechless about how horrified I am of my neighbors? Or how the assumption is out there that the perp is a Trump supporter. I am trying to bridge the gap.

@Klaatu_Veratta_Nectarine @BethJ @malice Yes and yes. I'm sorry your neighbors suck, and this terrorist sucks. I really don't do well with generalities, and "this guy is horrible" and maybe he belives "this" so all those other people must be just as horrible as he is. Whatever his motivations were, he had this evil to do this inside himself. I don't see any MAGA ppl saying "go out an terrorize and kill people."

@Katepillar @malice @BethJ This is why the whole Cambridge Analytica thing bothers me... I was around when Norm Olson radicalized Timothy McVeigh. So this is a sore spot for me...

@Klaatu_Veratta_Nectarine I have been following this thread with interest. An observation on my own MAGA family members. They grew more angry, bitter, and rigid as they were led to more information on their social media feeds. I believe that the manipulation of fears and outrage by CA has tipped good people to feel justified. It was reinforced. For some who were violent or truly unstable already, I believe this effect contributed to their willingness to act out now. @BethJ @malice @Katepillar

@Jules @Katepillar @malice @Klaatu_Veratta_Nectarine my only issue is this: who is calling who a “fuck”? I’m over here saying we are more than our politics and yet it’s angry MAGA people? It may be so in your family, however, in mine the trump haters are constantly raging about him. So it goes both ways. I think it’s all the above. We have an anger issue with all politics.

@BethJ @Klaatu_Veratta_Nectarine @malice @Katepillar @Jules

Beth, you are staying on point, well done. This wasn't about the bomber being a MAGA supporter.

This thread shows clearly what the CamAnalytica said (parapharased), facts don't matter - elections are won on emotion. We all need to stick to the facts. Democracy is not about emotion - it is a system of government.

@Anemone @Jules @Katepillar @malice @BethJ I agree with you up to the point about religion. Religion and the separation of religion vs. state in the constitution seems to have been forgotten in my state and recently in the federal government.

@Klaatu_Veratta_Nectarine
I never discuss religion and politics in the same conversation. The thread was about the bomber being identified as a MAGA supporter.

@BethJ @malice @Katepillar @Jules

@Anemone @Jules @Katepillar @malice @BethJ While I completely understand in this particular time and place they are not easily separated.

@Klaatu_Veratta_Nectarine @BethJ @malice @Katepillar @Jules

Yes they are. Try it.

@Anemone @Jules @Katepillar @malice @BethJ Ok. And I have to extrapolize to my state. Explain why the GOP in my state spent millions to go to the Supreme Court of the US to ban same sex marriage. When the people advocating for it were belonging to churches that recognize it. Give me one valid reason that is not religious why two consenting adults can not be joined in marriage and realize the full benefits of that arrangement from the state, adoption, estate, will, heirs, custody rights.

@Klaatu_Veratta_Nectarine @BethJ @malice @Jules @Anemone Now we got the GOP, all the gay people and some religions.

I love Jesus. I think gay people should be allowed to marry.

I'm bowing out.