Suspect in officers' shooting(Pittsburgh) was into conspiracy theories

[RamboLiberal]

Source: Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Richard Andrew Poplawski was a young man convinced the nation was secretly controlled by a cabal that would eradicate freedom of speech, take away his guns and use the military to enslave the citizenry.

His online profile suggests someone at once lonely and seething. He wrote of burning the backs of both of his hands, the first time with a cigarette, the second time for symmetry. He subscribed to conspiracy theories and, by January 2007, was posting photographs of his tattoos on white supremacist Web site Stormfront. Among his ambitions: "to accumulate enough 'I punched that so hard' stories to match my old man."

-----

"He was really into politics and really into the First and Second amendment. One thing he feared was he feared the gun ban because he thought that was going to take away peoples' right to defend themselves. He never spoke of going out to murder or to kill," said Edward Perkovic, who described himself as Mr. Poplawski's lifelong best friend.

Mr. Poplawski's view of guns and personal freedom took a turn toward the fringes of American politics. With Mr. Perkovic, he appeared to share a belief that the government was controlled from unseen forces, that troops were being shipped home from the Mideast to police the citizenry here, and that Jews secretly ran the country.

-----

Believing most media were covering up important events, Mr. Poplawski turned to a far-right conspiracy Web site run by Alex Jones, a self-described documentarian with roots going back to the extremist militia movement of the early 1990s.

Read more: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/09095/960750-53.stm

---

Richard Poplawski's photo from mySpace.

[Bluebear]

1. "He was really into the Second Amendment"

:popcorn:

[ellie]

103. The other amendments,

not so much.

[bluestateguy]

2. We have our conspiracy nutjobs here on the Left too

but they don't run around killing people.

[Behind the Aegis]

6. Yet.

[Prometheus Bound]

33. That's a particularly nasty implication about (most of the) people here.

I can't believe someone would write that.

[Violet_Crumble]

90. Speaking from the perspective of someone who has no time for any LW conspiracy theory...

While I don't believe that most DUers are into conspiracy theories, I too find the implication that was made against DUers that do embrace conspiracy theories to be incredibly nasty and foul and something that shouldn't see the light of day at DU. Hell, if people think that sort of ugly stuff about other DUers, why the hell are they here in the first place?

[Behind the Aegis]

96. WOW! You strip straw from one, then create your own strawman.

Impressive! :applause:

[Violet_Crumble]

97. For someone who constantly goes on about strawmen, it's a shame you don't know what they are...

Yr post was repulsive...

[Behind the Aegis]

105. The only repulsive post here was yours.

It is repulsive to make up something about a DU'er by stating a position not taken, then attacking that position...oh wait, that is a strawman!

[Prometheus Bound]

104. I suspect that a very large percentage of DUers believed in a Bush/Blair conspiracy...

...to lie to the world to get support to attack Iraq.

That's just one example. I have seen huge lists from seemslikeadream here on DU of similar conspiracy theories that have been proved to be real conspiracies.

Yes, I agree, to imply that such people are nutjobs who might run around killing people is really, truly fucked up and you have to wonder....

[Behind the Aegis]

95. Quite a strawman you created, but at least you have one fan.

[Fumesucker]

17. Are you implying that anyone who doesn't buy the government line on anything

Is a "conspiracy nutjob"?

Are you sure that there were weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before the invasion, or was there a high level conspiracy in government to tout the existence of such things in the absence of evidence for them?

The problem with labeling people who do not always believe what the government tell us as "conspiracy nutjobs" is that government has so often proven itself untrustworthy.

[cabluedem]

21. Yeah the 1995 Murray building bombing by gun nuts was a "conspiracy" too.n/t

[Ian David]

23. Not all conspiracy theories are created equal. n/t

[LeftishBrit]

28. Good way of putting it!

Do I think that individual governments or other groups sometimes conspire to do something shady or worse? Of course. Do I think that there is some small 'global elite' that is controlling everything secretly? No.

I think that it also goes beyond conspiracy-theories as such. There are some extreme right-libertarians, who think that all government is intrinsically evil; some paranoid xenophobes who think that all international alliances are sinister. There has sometimes been a tendency for some left-wingers to accept the views of 'government is evil' types, because they were correctly accusing the *Bush* government of being evil; or to accept the 'all international contacts are dangerous' types because they were rightly opposed to the war in Iraq. For me, the danger lies not so much in the conspiracy theories as such, but in their role as traps to get some left-wingers to accept and collaborate with aspects of far-right thinking.

[pattmarty]

38. In sort of a satirical response to your first paragraph.....................

..........."except for the banks and insurance companies".

[Fumesucker]

42. I'm not sure that your statement is so satirical.. n/t

[LeftishBrit]

51. I think the banks and insurance companies control too much..

but I wouldn't say they did so *secretly*! The banks have been given far too much respect by many governments; the idea has been that the banking industry is the greatest and should be trusted to run itself; all businesses should be run like banks; and all public services like businesses and therefore like banks. Grrrrrr. But hardly a well-kept secret. As for the insurance companies, it's somewhat similar, but I wouldn't in fact say that they did have quite as much power outside as within America (where they have too much control of health-care for example).

At any rate, I'm not lumping all 'conspiracy theories' together. The 'conspiracy theories' that worry me are those that whip up xenophobia, or that encourage solidarity between left and right in 'defense of our freedoms' against government.

There is an anti-establishment Right, which always feeds on hard economic times; and the Left should not make any alliances with them, just because they are anti-establishment. And IMO they do use conspiracy theories to get the left on their side (ironically, I suppose this could be called a conspiracy theory itself!)

I don't think that we should just trust whatever governments say and do - far from it; but I think we should keep well away from the right-wing anti-government types: Alex Jones, the people on WhatReally(Never)Happened, and others of their ilk.

[pattmarty]

58. NOT secretly, but without any transparency at all. AND this.................

.............has been going on for centuries, ever since modern banking arrived on the scene.

[notadmblnd]

89. Conspiracies don't have to be secret either

A criminal conspiracy exists when two or more people agree to commit almost any unlawful act, then take some action toward its completion. The action taken need not itself be a crime, but it must indicate that those involved in the conspiracy knew of the plan and intended to break the law. One person may be charged with and convicted of both conspiracy and the underlying crime based on the same circumstances.

For example, Andy, Dan, and Alice plan a bank robbery. They 1) visit the bank first to assess security, 2) pool their money and buy a gun together, and 3) write a demand letter. All three can be charged with conspiracy to commit robbery, regardless of whether the robbery itself is actually attempted or completed.
http://criminal.findlaw.com/crimes/a-z/conspiracy.html

CONSPIRACY - 18 U.S.C. 371 makes it a separate Federal crime or offense for anyone to conspire or agree with someone else to do something which, if actually carried out, would amount to another Federal crime or offense. So, under this law, a 'conspiracy' is an agreement or a kind of 'partnership' in criminal purposes in which each member becomes the agent or partner of every other member.

In order to establish a conspiracy offense it is not necessary for the Government to prove that all of the people named in the indictment were members of the scheme; or that those who were members had entered into any formal type of agreement; or that the members had planned together all of the details of the scheme or the 'overt acts' that the indictment charges would be carried out in an effort to commit the intended crime.

Also, because the essence of a conspiracy offense is the making of the agreement itself (followed by the commission of any overt act), it is not necessary for the Government to prove that the conspirators actually succeeded in accomplishing their unlawful plan.

What the evidence in the case must show beyond a reasonable doubt is:

First: That two or more persons, in some way or manner, came to a mutual understanding to try to accomplish a common and unlawful plan, as charged in the indictment;

Second: That the person willfully became a member of such conspiracy;

Third: That one of the conspirators during the existence of the conspiracy knowingly committed at least one of the methods (or 'overt acts') described in the indictment; and

Fourth: That such 'overt act' was knowingly committed at or about the time alleged in an effort to carry out or accomplish some object of the conspiracy.

An 'overt act' is any transaction or event, even one which may be entirely innocent when considered alone, but which is knowingly committed by a conspirator in an effort to accomplish some object of the conspiracy.

A person may become a member of a conspiracy without knowing all of the details of the unlawful scheme, and without knowing who all of the other members are. So, if a person has an understanding of the unlawful nature of a plan and knowingly and willfully joins in that plan on one occasion, that is sufficient to convict him for conspiracy even though he did not participate before, and even though he played only a minor part.
http://www.lectlaw.com/def/c103.htm

[Fumesucker]

43. And of course, you know which ones are more equal than others, eh?

I've lived long enough now to see things I never would have believed possible when I was younger.

I'm not as quick to denounce things as impossible as I once was.

[pattmarty]

44. I'm 60 and I agree completely.

[Ian David]

67. That leads to logical fallacies.

People who have been exposed to actual conspiracies turning out to be true are more likely to incorrectly believe that false conspiracies are also true.

That trap is just part of human nature.

If you've been fooled once, you don't want to be fooled again.

So the human tendency is to lean more strongly toward accepting evidence of a conspiracy where none exists.

[Fumesucker]

70. And the reverse is also true..

If you have not been exposed to actual conspiracies turning out to be true then you will tend to dismiss them out of hand, even when the evidence is good.

There are a lot of ways to go wrong with logic, the list of fallacies is surprisingly long.

[smoogatz]

53. The fact that the government does periodically engage

in criminal conspiracies against its own population doesn't mean that every conspiracy theory is true, though, or that some of the people who promote such theories aren't self-serving, or cranks, or both.

[proud2BlibKansan]

45. But they advocate gun ownership

There have been several threads in the last 24 hours alone. It's sad to me that DUers don't get it; more guns just means more incidents like this one yesterday.

[krispos42]

64. 2 questions

What percentage of privately-owned guns would have to be removed from circulation in order to reduce these incidents?

How much of an impact will reducing these incidents of mass murder affect the overall homicide rate?

[proud2BlibKansan]

75. Answers

1. Only the ones in the hands of the crazies. I don't know what percentage that is. But I can't imagine any gun rights advocate wanting people like this lunatic in Pittsburgh to own guns.

2. We won't know until we take their guns away. If the kid in Pittsburgh hadn't owned guns, 3 cops would be alive today. If the kid at VA Tech hadn't owned guns, 27(?) people would be alive today.

[Believing Is Art]

81. 33, if you include the shooter n/t

[krispos42]

88. Good thoughts, but hard to follow up on

Some crazies we can prevent from buying guns. Some people, we don't know they are crazy until it's too late. How to tell?

I don't have many solutions. I have an idea for keeping private citizens from selling firearms to other private citizens if that person isn't allowed. It's pretty simple, too, although naturally it would require 50-state cooperation.

:shrug:

[TorchTheWitch]

100. The people that know them always know

When ever one of these mass murders happen there are always at least a few people who knew they were violent nutters and were not surprised by what they did. That's a huge part of the problem. The people that know them know they'd be capable of doing such a thing but they never say that to anyone who might be able to do something until after the fact. Considering this guy's violent and crazy history, I have no idea why he was allowed to be a gun owner in the first place.

If we're going to allow the general citizenry to own firearms than we have the responsibility as a society to make sure that those who want to own them be responsible and properly educated. That means teaching people what responsible ownership and use IS. Same thing with driving cars... we don't properly teach people the importance of driving responsibly. We make the cars safer, but we don't do shit to make people responsible safe drivers.

[JeanGrey]

98. And who decides who "we" take guns from?

[TorchTheWitch]

99. It's not the guns that are the problem

It's the batshit crazy nutballs that are allowed to own them. It is far too easy for whackjobs to acquire guns by legal or illegal means.

However, anyone that goes on a killing spree doesn't always do it with guns. Timothy McVeigh is a good example. So is Priscilla Joyce Ford.* It's the violent crazies that are the problem, not the guns. Even with not a single gun in the entire country one of these violent fruitcakes will find a way to mass murder people. However, since most mass murderers use guns as their weapon of choice, clearly there needs to be a better system to keep violent whackjobs from getting them particularly seeing as so many mass murderers who use guns as their weapon of choice do the deed on the spur of the moment where those that use other means tend to plan ahead... the shooters in these instances might not do the deed if they didn't have the guns, where the ones who need to plan ahead will probably do it somehow regardless.



* In 1980, Priscilla Joyce Ford deliberately drove her car down several busy sidewalks in Reno killing 5 and injuring 24 people. She told police that she was tired of life and intentionally planned to kill as many people with her car as she could as a way to get attention.

[Mojorabbit]

3. He looks so young and vulnerable in that pic. nt

[Tarheel_Dem]

4. What a shameful waste. He's such a cute kid. The only good thing to

possibly come from this, is that the government will monitor these hate sites, and talk radio much more closely. There's hardly a day that goes by that we don't hear of one of these horrible mass killings.

[RamboLiberal]

10. Not so cute in this photo with this tattoo that reminds me of Nazis

http://www.pittsburghlive.com:8000/photos/2009-04-04/spaceguy-b.jpg

[mix]

11. An American psycho n/t

[Tarheel_Dem]

12. Well, that's true. I still think it's a waste of life. Apparently, he had some

mental health issues, which is pretty typical of conspiracy theorists (imho).

[mwb970]

26. Mental health issues are common among the remaining republican supporters.

As moderates and thinking people flee the rotting shell of the republican party, the sad specimens that remain are truly the dregs of America. Angry, violent, right-wing males driven by lies and false accusations are the biggest threat the country faces right now IMHO.

Did anyone happen to catch Geraldo on Fox Noise last night? (I know, I know.) He and his guests spent several segments gushing over how wonderful the Obamas were in Europe. (that's why I kept watching.) Then they did a segment on the rash of right-wing mass murders we have seen lately. Geraldo expressed outrage and distress, but without any sign of realizing the role his own network plays in fomenting rage and violence among its mentally unstable viewers.

[Tarheel_Dem]

66. I admire you folks that have the stomach for Fox. I quickly gave up on them...

in the Clinton years, after they so mercilessly attacked the president and his family. I can't believe that Fox is still on the air. Thankfully, MSNBC is making steady gains in the ratings, and providing an alternative to FNC & CNN.

[geomon666]

14. That's because it is a white supremacist symbol. n/t

[Optical.Catalyst]

18. Like the Iron Eagle

<>

[atreides1]

39. Did Nazis have Tattoos?

And here I use to think that it was a personal choice to have one.

I don't see the obvious swastika or SS runes, where do you get the connection between Nazis and tattoos?

Or are you referring to a personal experience?

[happyslug]

49. Except for the SS (and that was blood type only) no tatoos that I know of

The Nazis did also tatooed people in the death Camps:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_camp_ID_number
http://www.articleclick.com/Article/Nazi-Imposed-Forearm-Tattoos/929485

[RamboLiberal]

77. The connection is these neo-nazis who are heavily in to tattoos like this

BTW this punk wanted to get runes tattooed on his calfs.

[Blue_Tires]

69. Travis Bickle without the intelligence and cheery outlook

[curiousdemo]

13. The Government can start by monitoring....

Rush Limbaugh, Glenn Beck, Hannity, Bill O'Reilly, and Fox News.

[Butch350]

31. I bet Hitler, Jeffrey Dahmer , Ted Bundy...etc were cute kids too.

[The Wizard]

40. This kid looks cute

[mix]

5. Expect questions in the Right-wing Media like:

"Was Poplawski driven to violence by Big Government?"

"How did the left's obsession with gun control create a killer?"

Many of the media accounts of this incident that I've read seem to give a little too much credence to his politics.

[RamboLiberal]

8. One local Pittsburgh wingnut on KDKA radio which is mostly RW

said he was going to ask a guest tonight from Brady campaign if they felt responsible because they make people fear they will lose their guns. I didn't listen to him since I was out of the car before that. The jerk's name is Dmitri and he also works for Scaife's rag of a paper.

[mix]

9. that is reprehensible beyond words n/t

[barbtries]

27. i expected that spin.

but of course.

[summer borealis]

30. Dmitri Vaseline is a shitstain

expect the rest of the Pittsburgh RW psychos (Jim Quinn, etc.) to keep that ball rolling.
Truth it, the "take your guns" meme is spread by the NRA to gain sheep for their political cause.

[TorchTheWitch]

101. And leave out the fact that he was a nutcase

And a hateful neo-Nazi violent nutcase as well.

Even on my local news all they're saying about him is that he was politically active and was afraid that we were headed for an economic meltdown and that police wouldn't be able to keep control. I noticed they didn't make the connection that shooting a bunch of cops to death for no reason would hardly help the police keep control. Even though his buddy Eddie was all over the cameras spewing the Zionist government craziness, not a one of them picked up on it.

I also noticed that his buddy Eddie doesn't seem the least bit upset about his buddy getting shot, that his buddy killed and injured several officers for no reason and that he'll be spending the rest of his life in jail. WTF? He's been busy getting his 15 minutes to spout his whackjob rehtoric and hovering on his myspace page cleaning it up and waiting for all his new found fame accolades. Eddie is looking like just as big of a nutter as his buddy. I swear the kid is ENJOYING this.

[Downwinder]

7. Sounds like a hatchet job on conspiracy theorists.

How come they don't attack law enforcement conspiracy theorists. Like conspiracy to riot for organizing and providing food, lodging, and medical services for protesters?

[rcrush]

15. What? You mean you dont always believe the official story?

What are you some kind of terrorist?

[Downwinder]

16. Just a nuclear survivor.

[eowyn_of_rohan]

36. My first thought as well -nt

[Optical.Catalyst]

19. I bet he had an AM radio tuned to Rush Limbaugh

He probably had a brand new copy of Mark Levin's book under his pillow too.

[cabluedem]

20. I hope Ryder and Penske are not renting out trucks to guys like this. n/t

[trapper914]

22. This is why RW radio and t.v. is troublesome

There are just enough unbalanced folks in their audience that don't understand that the Levins, Savages, and Limbaughs of the world are just entertainers. These asshats call for jihad at every turn, and they have armed and dangerous nutjobs in the audience who are ready to answer that call.

[SpiralHawk]

24. RW radio is all about fear and hate

They live in fear. They project hate.

About as low as a tortured soul can go.

[certainot]

57. i'd say limbaugh, hannity, and sons not entertainers, as you suggest in the rest

of your message-

that's what the local station owners and managers and local sponsors tell me when i call up to complain when i happen to hear limbaugh or one of the others says something like 'obama's head needs to roll' (sept 10, 2008)- they're entertainers

from their 1000 station strong monopoly they often determine what is and what isn't acceptable in the rest of the media. they do the groundwork for all the propaganda and spin the GOP does- they are the foundation of the GOP. they all get the same talking points in the morning and we wouldn't be in this mess if that wasn't their main mission- to sell GOP bushit and attack everything liberal 24/7/365.

[Vinca]

25. This ignorant guy is the result of the wingnut segment of the far right

getting those barely sane into gun-hoarding/survivalist mode. Limbaugh and the rest of them have blood on their hands.

[antimatter98]

29. I wonder if he listened to Alex Jones also. n/t

[pjt7]

32. I believe 9.11 is as phony as a ponzi scheme

But I don't belong to a white supremacy group, or believe ultra conservatism is the answer.

America is in a very dark place right now, you have ton's of folks like this that know our core is fraudulent.

There under-standable rage or fight against this, usually never goes into a just direction.

[acsmith]

37. Here is the story from Alex Jones' quarter

http://www.prisonplanet.com/fake-liberal-gun-grabbers-seize-on-pittsburgh-shootings.html

[proud2BlibKansan]

46. Alex Jones is a nut but he doesn't advocate violence.

[RamboLiberal]

78. Story say he was in to Alex Jones n/t

[Butch350]

34. Govn't taking the guns away?

Well...when you go and do shit like he just did - it makes you wonder if guns should be taken out of the hands of
some people. It kind of reinforces the point of gun control. "I'm scared the governments gonna take my gun away - so I think
I'll go out and kill of bunch of people"! DOH!

There's been a rash of violent shootings in the news here lately - it's getting kind of scary. Is this gonna be a, "Year of Hell"?

*** Quote from another blog, ***

Has anyone paid any attention to the rash of shootings lately?

Seriously, doesn't it seem so strange that this stuff happens as if on cue?

I wish someone did a time line of the shootings over the past 20 years and how they increase whenever it is politically desirable for them to do so.

Is it so far fetched to think this crap is planned or orchestrated?

[Tarc]

35. And there's a few thousand more just like him at the Free Republic

Alex Jones, Stormfront, FReeperland, all different cards in the same deck.

Round em all up before the next freeptard goes on a shooting spree.

[smoogatz]

48. Exactly.

This kind of paranoia is all over Freeptardland. I can't advocate rounding them all up, but I hope the government's paying attention to the very real potential for a hell of a lot more of this kind of thing in the next few years. Time to stop arming crazy people.

[pjt7]

50. .

"Round em all up before the next freeptard goes on a shooting spree."

That's insane talk.

[Tarc]

56. Son, spend some time over in freeperland, then get back to me

This is PRECISELY this shit that goes on in discussions over there daily. They and their kind are in hysterics and stocking up on guns and ammo in fear of an Obama administration gutting the 2nd amendment.

I've always been in favor of gun ownership personally, but the bulk of conservatism has descended into absolute batshit crazy territory over the last few months. Guns should not be i nthe hands of the deranged.

[pjt7]

59. Don't call me Son

that makes you sound like a prick from the get-go.

& you are right that there is a lot of un-hinged folks over there.

However, "Rounding them up" is not the answer.

[llmart]

92. Maybe using the term "rounding them up".....

the poster meant something akin to "keeping an eye on them". When idiot Bush was in office and the Repukes were in power the government spent a whole lot of time and energy and money "keeping and eye on" (surveillance) people posting on DU or at protests. They had "watch lists" if you recall. Why couldn't they have watch lists for the deranged, rightwing gun nuts?

[Tarc]

94. I'll call you whatever I damn well please, boy

If you're going to sound like a weak-kneed coward, yes.

I stand by what I said, and still support it.

[Doctor_J]

85. More insane than letting them go on killing?

Our response to their killing sprees is to write letters to their sponsors. :crazy:. We're going to have to be a little more assertive than that or they really WILL win. Buy a gun. We will all be needing them soon.

[santamargarita]

41. So, he's a product of right-wing radio and Fox News...

and Alex Jones

[ohio2007]

47. is there a 911 tape reporting the "domestic dispute" ? I would like to here WHY the police showed up

in the 1st place.

Is the audio available on the web yet ?
any link

[bronxiteforever]

52. Poplawski had been out all night drinking, got home about 6:30 a.m. and began arguing with his

mother, Margaret, who called police, authorities said.

Holly Zielinski, 31, a family friend, said the argument started when Poplawski's mom complained that his dog had urinated and defecated on the floor.

The 911 call indicated that there were no weapons at the scene, Harper said. Officers responded to the home at least two or three times in the past, he said.

Margaret Poplawski, who called police to report the argument, was "holed up" in the basement during the standoff, Deputy Chief Paul Donaldson said.

By Chris Togneri, Michael Hasch & Jill King Greenwood
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, April 5, 2009

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_619326.html

[smoogatz]

55. So she lied to the 911 dispatcher.

Nice. Three cops dead because the guy didn't walk his dog.

[ohio2007]

61. Officers responded to the home at least two or three times in the past

We can always blame the cops for not looking up the history of the previous reasons for responding to this address.

:sarcasm:

[smoogatz]

74. The mother clearly lied when she said there were no weapons present.

What, she didn't know her kid was armed to the teeth?

[ohio2007]

60. His friends do look like junkies or wanna B gangsta's ( video link )

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=4eb_1238940754

I could be wrong though

;)

[bronxiteforever]

54. Final roll call for fallen Pittsburgh police officers

By Jeremy Boren
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Sunday, April 5, 2009

Hundreds of grief-stricken city and suburban police officers huddled around a lone Pittsburgh police cruiser in front of the Zone 5 police station late Saturday to honor their three fallen comrades.Bagpipers played "Going Home" near a black wreath hanging on the home station of slain police officers Stephen J. Mayhle, Eric G. Kelly and Paul J. Sciullo III. A uniformed color guard posted city, state and American flags near larger ones already flying at half-staff against a chilly, starry sky.

"Base to 35-27 ... base to 35-27 ... base to 35-27, Officer Eric G. Kelly, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, badge Number 3674."

"Base to 35-20 ... base to 35-20 ... base to 35-20, Officer Paul Sciullo III, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, badge Number 4179."

"Base to 35-24 ... base to 35-24 ... base to 35-24 Officer Stephen Mayhle, Pittsburgh Bureau of Police, badge Number 4137."

Police Chief Nate Harper picked up the cruiser's radio transceiver each time and replied to the dispatcher that each man had died in the line of duty.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_619340.html

[d_b]

62. Alex Jones ftw

These silly suburban commandos need a job. A job and a girlfriend.

[livetohike]

63. Jim Quinn needs to be called out on this one. I'll be listening to

Lynn for sure on Monday for her take.

[spinbaby]

76. Is Lynn on again?

Where? When?

[RamboLiberal]

79. Lynn is on WAMO 860AM 5PM to 7PM M-F n/t

For those outside of Pittsburgh, Lynn Cullen is our "lone liberal" as she calls herself local radio talk host whose previous station curiously decided to go to all money talk just as the election was heating up end of August.

[spinbaby]

102. Oh cool.

It's good to have her back. She's on in drive time, too. I'll be sure to listen to her on the way home.

[primavera]

65. Yet another example of someone who should never have been allowed to own a gun - n/t

[slackmaster]

68. Because of his dishonorable discharge from the Marine Corps, he was not legally allowed to own one

See Section 922 (d) (6) at http://www4.law.cornell.edu/uscode/html/uscode18/usc_sec_18_00000922----000-.html

[primavera]

73. Yet somehow he managed to get one nevertheless

If I may ask, what's your theory on how people obtain guns illegally? I mean, I hear all the time from gun advocates that the problem is in enforcing the existing laws, not in the strictness of the laws themselves. But what does that actually mean? Does that mean that I can go into my local gun store, tell them I'm mentally ill or have a criminal record or whatever, and they'll give me a gun anyway? Does it mean that I'm lying to the gun dealer and there's either no mechanism in place or the gun dealer simply isn't availing himself of an existing mechanism to ascertain the truth of my statements? Or are people who shouldn't be able to get guns getting them through some loophole available through gun shows or the internet, or are they getting them out of the back of somebody's truck in a dark alley somewhere? In other words, what's missing on the enforcement side that's allowing all of these people whom we all agree shouldn't be allowed to obtain guns to obtain them nevertheless?

[slackmaster]

86. The problem is that there is no easy way for someone selling a used gun to verify the eligibility

of the buyer.

The National Instant Check System (NICS) by law can be used only by licensed gun dealers.

Hold that thought. I have to do some critical work now.

[llmart]

93. Someone else with a clear record.....

can buy a gun and sell it to someone else.

[RamboLiberal]

108. I'm not so sure he had a dishonorable discharge

Some ex-Marines on other boards say that since he was in boot camp and not considered a Marine yet he would've gotten another kind of discharge. Also they say you have to commit a crime and go before a military court to get a dishonorable.

Hope the local news gets the story on this.

[Doctor_J]

71. Quite a whitewash by the PPG. What he was "into" was the GOP daily talking points

more will be turning up. Please be ready.

[RamboLiberal]

80. I'm glad the Pittsburgh Police SWAT team showed restraint

so we can hear the whole story behind this nutjob. I hope he goes for a jury trial. Hope Pittsburgh media does its friggin' job on this one. BTW, heard today one of the first SWAT guys in the door to take this guy in to custody was African-American. This asswipe had the audicity to say get this "N" out of my house!

Apparently his mother has mental health issues. But she supposedly was calling the cops "pigs" as they were taking her dear son from the house.

[RamboLiberal]

87. I think they did some good reporting for less than 24 hours

and Dennis Roddy is one of the better journalists.

[Turborama]

72. "Fight over urinating dog got police to Pa. ambush"

(04-05) 12:00 PDT Pittsburgh (AP) --

A 911 call that brought two police officers to a home where they were ambushed, and where a third was also later killed during a four-hour siege, was precipitated by a fight between the gunman and his mother over a dog urinating in the house.

The Saturday argument between Margaret and Richard Poplawski escalated to the point that she threatened to kick him out and she called police to do it, according to a 12-page criminal complaint and affidavit filed late Saturday.

When officers Paul Sciullo III and Stephen Mayhle arrived, Margaret Poplawski opened the door and told them to come in and take her 23-year-old son, apparently unaware he was standing behind her with a rifle, the affidavit said. Hearing gunshots, she spun around to see her son with the gun and ran to the basement.

"What the hell have you done?" she shouted.

The mother told police her son had been stockpiling guns and ammunition "because he believed that as a result of economic collapse, the police were no longer able to protect society," the affidavit said.

Full story: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2009/04/04/national/a062341D13.DTL

[pinniped]

82. Has Freepubic claimed this Tim McVeigh wannabe as one of their own yet?

?

[Barack_America]

107. No, but they are claiming that this is Obama's fault, no the gunman.

Series.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2222471/posts

Though it's unclear whether it's Obama's fault for being a black man (which scares the whites) or just for being a Democrat.

:shrug:

[RamboLiberal]

83. They just showed the SWAT vehicle and the damage done by gunfire

Rounds hit the bulletproof class on driver and passenger sides and if they had penetrated would've been head shots to two more officers. He also managed to shoot the gun portals, metal damage at the ports, even a partial round entered the gun ports.

Also before the SWAT vehicle was onsite, officers put bulletproof vests over a police van to get in to try to rescue their fellow officers.

Also:

Margaret Poplawski told police her son had started stockpiling weapons after leaving the Marines during basic training, which he attributed to a fight with a drill instructor.

He bought and sold weapons online and gathered ammunition "because he believed that as a result of economic collapse, the police were no longer able to protect society," police wrote that his mother told them.

"Mrs. Poplawski reported that her son only liked police when they were not curtailing his constitutional rights, which he was determined to protect," the affidavit states.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/breaking/s_619348.html

[RamboLiberal]

84. Friends describe accused shooter as angry man

Snippets:

He slept with a gun under his pillow in a basement room filled with firearms and ammunition, convinced that Jews controlled the media and President Obama was scheming to take away his arsenal, friends and relatives said Saturday.

Perkovic said Poplawski usually was affable and kind, but grew angry recently over fears Obama would outlaw guns. He said Poplawski owned a bullet-proof vest, an AK-47 assault rifle and at least seven other weapons, but obtained the firearms legally.

He said Poplawski feared America was "going to see the end of our times." Poplawski had little interest in clubs or sports in high school, but was a diehard Penguins fan, Perkovic said.

Another Stanton Heights friend, Aaron Bire, 22, said Poplawski "talked about Zionists controlling the media and thought Obama had good press because of his race."

Friends and relatives said Poplawski slept with a gun under his pillow. His great-aunt, Marianne Klimczyk of Natrona Heights, suspected he went to bed wearing body armor in case intruders broke in. Others believed he might have been surprised by the police and didn't realize he was shooting at officers.

http://www.pittsburghlive.com:8000/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_619323.html

[pinniped]

91. Well, this explains why he allegedly stood over the fallen cops and shot....

them in the head a more times.

Others believed he might have been surprised by the police and didn't realize he was shooting at officers.

[Barack_America]

106. I hear many of those conspiracies on DU frequently.

Particularly the "cabal run government"--got that one in response to a post just last week.

The "troops being deployed domestically" thing was quite big around here several months ago as well.

[RamboLiberal]

109. Grandmother Of Slaying Suspect Says He’s Troubled By Economy

Poplawski’s grandmother, Katherine Scott, told Channel 11 that her grandson felt the United States was on its way to civil unrest.

“He believes civil unrest is coming with the high inflation that’s coming,” Scott said.

She said Poplawski had strong political and social views and often spoke of being prepared for a repeat of the Great Depression.

“He stockpiled food can goods, like spam, tuna, green beans, carrots,” said Scott.

"What set him off I don't know. The only thing I can think of is his mother called the police to have him removed for four or five days till she got through her hardships," Scott said.

http://www.wpxi.com/news/19109062/detail.html

-----

"If people are going to bombard your house, how else are you going to protect yourself?" she said. "The reason he went out and bought that AK-47 is because he knew (President Barack) Obama was going to ban those."

Poplawski bought the gun with a credit card, according to Scott, who said he was upset by a letter last week telling him that the interest rate on the card was going up from 9 percent to 30 percent.

Last month, he wrote that the country's economic collapse "is likely engineered by the elite Jewish powers that be in order to make for a power and asset grab." He also expressed "little doubt there is Zionist occupation."

"He believed government is government, but there's somebody up there higher for the government, which are a lot of Jewish people that have money, which want to strip people of everything they had in the good old American life," Scott said.

http://www.thepittsburghchannel.com/news/19109577/detail.html

[RamboLiberal]

110. Surprise, Suprise - he's a Glenn Beck fan

Poplawski bought into the SHTF/TEOTWAKI conspiracy theories hook, line and sinker, even posting a link to Stormfront of a YouTube video featuring talk show host Glenn Beck talking about FEMA camps with Congressman Ron Paul. When the city of Pittsburgh got a Homeland Security grant to add surveillance cameras to protect downtown bridges, Poplawski told Stormfronters that it was "ramping up the police state." He said, too, that he gave warnings to grocery store customers he encountered (but only if they were white) to stock up on canned goods and other long-lasting foods.

http://www.adl.org/learn/extremism_in_the_news/White_Supremacy/poplawski+report.htm?LEARN_Cat=Extremism&LEARN_SubCat=Extremism_in_the_News

And thread on Glenn Beck whining the liberals are blaming him for the cop killer. http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=389x5403394

[acsmith]

111. Looks like the Alex Jones link was eventually retracted.

http://www.prisonplanet.com/poplawski-smear-debunked-cop-killer-held-opposing-views-to-infowars.html

Teaches you all for jumping to conclusions.