The Other McCain

"One should either write ruthlessly what one believes to be the truth, or else shut up." — Arthur Koestler

Was James Wesley Howell Planning a Terrorist Attack on L.A. Gay Pride Parade?

Posted on | June 12, 2016 | 23 Comments

 

In the aftermath of the massacre in Orlando, there has been widespread interest in an arrest today in Santa Monica, California:

An Indiana man armed with assault rifles and explosive chemicals told authorities in Southern California he wanted to harm a gay pride event in the area, police confirmed Sunday.
James Wesley Howell, 20, was arrested when Santa Monica police discovered three assault rifles, high capacity magazines and ammunition in his car, according to a news release from the Santa Monica Police Department. Investigators also recovered a five-gallon bucket “with chemicals capable of forming an improvised explosive device,” police said.
Authorities encountered Howell while responding to a call about “suspicious circumstances” in Santa Monica shortly before 5 a.m. Police said Howell was reportedly knocking on a resident’s door and window. Howell’s vehicle was registered in Indiana.
Santa Monica police Chief Jacqueline Seabrooks tweeted that Howell told officers after he arrested that he wanted to harm the gay pride event in West Hollywood that was taking place about seven miles away later Sunday.

OK, so he’s not named “Omar,” but the part of this story I don’t understand is, why would a guy from Indiana drive all the way to California to attack gay people? Is there a shortage of homosexuals in Indiana? Or was there something in particular about this West Hollywood event that would inspire James Wesley Howell to target it? Like, maybe the celebrities? If he was planning to do the “disgruntled-loser-goes-out-in-a-blaze of glory” massacre/suicide thing, did Howell hope that killing a famous gay person would ensure his posthumous notoriety? Was there a specific gay celebrity he had in mind? Because otherwise he could have just killed gay people closer to home at the Indianapolis Pride celebration.

Trying to understand the motives of homicidal maniacs is always difficult. Did I mention Howell was known to be dangerously crazy?

Around 11:17 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15, Charlestown Police Department officers were dispatched to Winthrop Drive to investigate a report of James W. Howell, 19, pointing a gun at his neighbors, according to a police report. . . .
One of the neighbors who reportedly had the gun pointed at him told officers he, his wife and several other neighbors and friends had been sitting on the porch having beers and discussing his cat being poisoned several months ago. At that point, a woman who lives at Howell’s residence with her husband, who was on the porch, came around from the back of the house yelling that they were talking about her and calling her names. An argument ensued between the woman and the complainant, and Howell went into his residence and returned with a gun, witnesses said. . . .
“James is going to get someone hurt,” one witness said. “He needs to stop pointing guns at people.”

OK, who poisoned the neighbor’s cat? Do you think this sudden escalation might indicate a likely suspect? A local psychopath? The kind of kook who would drive all the way to L.A. looking to kill some gay people?

Meanwhile, in Florida:

A former Fort Pierce police officer who once worked with 29-year-old Omar Mateen, the assailant in an Orlando nightclub shooting that left at least 50 dead, said he was “unhinged and unstable.”
Daniel Gilroy said he worked the 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. shift with G4S Security at the south gate at PGA Village for several months in 2014-15. Mateen took over from him for a 3 to 11 p.m. shift.
Gilroy, a former Fort Pierce police officer, said Mateen frequently made homophobic and racial comments. Gilroy said he complained to his employer several times but it did nothing because he was Muslim. Gilroy quit after he said Mateen began stalking him via multiple text messages — 20 or 30 a day. He also sent Gilroy 13 to 15 phone messages a day, he said.
“I quit because everything he said was toxic,” Gilroy said Sunday, “and the company wouldn’t do anything. This guy was unhinged and unstable. He talked of killing people.”
Gilroy said this shooting didn’t come as a surprise to him.

Said it before, I’ll say it again: Crazy people are dangerous.

As a society, we have become far too tolerant of kooks. We used to lock up kooks in the lunatic asylum. There were limits to how much craziness you could exhibit without getting hauled away to the funny farm, and so people tried to act normal. Weirdos weren’t flaking out in public all the time, so that if somebody did act out, people would notice, and say something about it. Well, now we are so concerned not to stigmatize mental illness that genuinely strange behavior is now considered normal, and kooks like James Wesley Howell and Omar Mateen run rampant.

But the big story here is that James Wesley Howell has proven that you don’t have to be a Muslim to be a dangerous kook. There’s still enough old-fashioned American psychopaths around to worry about.

 

Category: Crime, Gays, Terrorism

Comments

23 Responses to “Was James Wesley Howell Planning a Terrorist Attack on L.A. Gay Pride Parade?”

  1. Gospace
    June 12th, 2016 @ 9:19 pm

    The initial statements by police that he was planning violence at the gay pride parade have been walked back. He was planning on being there. But beyond that- who knows? He is also reportedly a bisexual who has nothing against gays and lesbians according to friends and family. Thus initial reports he was planning violence there did come as a shock to them. Wrong place wrong time to be caught with a trunk full of guns and explosives. Can’t wait until we really find out why he had them, if we ever do.

  2. CrustyB
    June 12th, 2016 @ 9:29 pm

    Say what you will about him but he was great as Frodo in the “Rings” trilogy.

  3. robertstacymccain
    June 12th, 2016 @ 9:32 pm

    I know, right?

  4. Joe Joe
    June 12th, 2016 @ 10:07 pm

    It’s being walked back because there is proof he had a boyfriend and because he pointed a gun at that boyfriend last October:

    http://www.weaselzippers.us/276821-breaking-man-with-explosives-and-long-rifle-arrested-in-la-said-he-was-going-to-gay-pride-festival/

  5. Jeanette Victoria ?????????
    June 12th, 2016 @ 10:08 pm

    FYI The top six American male serial killers were all gay

  6. Joe Joe
    June 12th, 2016 @ 10:08 pm

    Re: The serial killer thing (repost)
    RE: Sarah Silverman’s nonsense on serial killers:

    5 Myths about Serial Killers and Why They Persist
    http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/5-myths-about-serial-killers-and-why-they-persist-excerpt/

    Myth #2: All Serial Killers Are Caucasian.

    Reality: Contrary to popular mythology, not all serial killers are white. Serial killers span all racial and ethnic groups in the U.S. The racial diversity of serial killers generally mirrors that of the overall U.S. population. There are well documented cases of African-American, Latino and Asian-American serial killers. African-Americans comprise the largest racial minority group among serial killers, representing approximately 20 percent of the total. Significantly, however, only white, and normally male, serial killers such as Ted Bundy become popular culture icons.

  7. Jeanette Victoria ?????????
    June 12th, 2016 @ 10:11 pm

    According to the Serial Killer Database maintained by Radford University, 52% of U.S. serial killers are white, and 92% are male.

    However, in a dated study conducted in 2003, 69% of serial killers were either self-described homosexuals or engaged in homosexual behavior “immediately, prior to, during or after committing their murders.”

    In verifying and updating this number, a random sampling of 59 U.S. serial killers after 1960 was collected and studied. Of those 59 convicted murderers, 39 were found to be gay, 66%.

    http://www.libertynewsnow.com/gay-communitys-serial-killer-problem/article657

  8. Joe Joe
    June 12th, 2016 @ 10:16 pm

    That means 48% are non-white, and this in a nation where whites are still the majority. Blacks (12% of the population) are overrepresented as serial killers (20%).

  9. CrustyB
    June 12th, 2016 @ 10:20 pm

    I think Sarah Silverman was ***-drunk on Kanye when Aaron Alexis shot 12 people at the Washington Navy Yard.

  10. Jeanette Victoria ?????????
    June 12th, 2016 @ 10:21 pm

    That should NOT be a surprise

  11. Joe Joe
    June 12th, 2016 @ 10:21 pm

    She was certainly not paying attention.

  12. Joe Joe
    June 12th, 2016 @ 10:26 pm

    It is to Sarah Silverman.

  13. Eastwood Ravine
    June 12th, 2016 @ 11:12 pm

    I was going to make the same comment. Looks like Frodo didn’t destroy the One Ring soon enough.

  14. concern00
    June 13th, 2016 @ 12:19 am

    Not all Muslims affiliate with ISIS, but all Muslims are Muslims. And that’s enough right there.

  15. java
    June 13th, 2016 @ 2:12 am

    turns out he couldnt have been an homophobe since he was gay himself but watch out for the spin like they did with Matthew Shepard who was killed by his gay lover over drug deals. They will always find an angle to portray themselves as victims.
    PS: they will surely demand more police during their ghey pride parades, at taxpayers dollars.

  16. Dana
    June 13th, 2016 @ 5:16 am

    Our esteemed host quoted:

    Gilroy, a former Fort Pierce police officer, said Mateen frequently made homophobic and racial comments. Gilroy said he complained to his employer several times but it did nothing because he was Muslim. Gilroy quit after he said Mateen began stalking him via multiple text messages — 20 or 30 a day.

    ROTFLMAO! If this statement is true, G4S Security allowed a hostile work environment to persist because the bosses were afraid to discharge a Muslim. The culture clash of disparate victim groups, indeed!

  17. Guest
    June 13th, 2016 @ 8:53 am

    I read that this guy didn’t mention the gay pride parade. It was made up out of whole cloth by the cops.

  18. Gospace
    June 13th, 2016 @ 12:52 pm

    Wouldn’t be a big surprise.

  19. DeadMessenger
    June 13th, 2016 @ 10:33 pm

    Pretty much all truthful statements are a surprise to Sarah Silverman.

  20. DeadMessenger
    June 13th, 2016 @ 10:36 pm

    Would’ve been all kindsa special if Gilroy had been a trannie.

  21. Joe Joe
    June 14th, 2016 @ 1:53 am

    True.

  22. lifethroughthescope
    June 17th, 2016 @ 1:36 am

    http://www.godlikeproductions.com/external?http%3A%2F%2Fgetoffthebs.com%2Ffive-suspects-involved-in-planned-attacks%2F

  23. lifethroughthescope
    June 17th, 2016 @ 1:36 am

    hmm http://getoffthebs.com/five-suspects-involved-in-planned-attacks/