An Analysis of the San Bernardino Massacre

Both shooters were apparently of Pakistani ethnicity, although Syed was born in America, and his wife lived recently in Saudi Arabia.  And he had travelled there and to Pakistan. He is described by others as a “devout Muslim.”  What kind of religiosity can justify this?  A perverted one. 

It was an Islamic Bonnie & Clyde – his wife fully participating in the shooting, armed as he was w. an assault rifle & handgun, and she shooting out the back of their rented van at police in pursuit.  They had dropped their 6 month old baby girl off with relatives before the attack.  Their hatred clearly was greater than any love they had for their baby.  Just months before they’d put up items on a baby registry.  He enjoyed all that this country had to offer – educated, a stable job of several years, a fine home in a middle-class neighborhood.  But he chose rather to buy into the jihadi rhetoric and examples. 

No, this was not just some workplace vendetta or spontaneous, hot-blooded, moment of anger triggered by a colleague.  There was far too much calculated planning and preparation, clearly with a much broader scope.  It may or may not be that his attack was initially planned to begin with colleagues, or perhaps a last-minute change of plans or diversion, but clearly they were ready and pursuing more.  Most of the 6100 rounds of ammunition were found in their car and home were in their home (only 1600 in the car), where they were headed after the initial attack, to use.  And only 3 bombs at the initial site, but 12 more in their home where they were headed after the initial attack.  There were only 75 people at the work training & holiday party that day where the 14 were killed, and some 20 others severely wounded.  They only fired 75 shots there.

Other advance preparations that clearly show this was not some spontaneous “gone postal” event:

·         He had clearly enlisted and trained his co-conspirator wife (or she radicalized him).  How many “workplace violence” attacks have ever involved also the spouse?

·         Had built at least 15 bombs in their garage, which was basically a bomb factory (their neighbor had noticed them working late at night in their garage, seen many packages delivered there, and numerous Middle-Eastern men coming & going)

·         Had acquired assault rifles & handguns and several thousand rounds of ammunition

·         Rented SUV w. tinted windows several days before

·         Took 6 month old daughter to a relative, saying they were going to the dentist

·         Had tactical assault clothing to hold many ammo clips, etc.

·         Had GoPro cameras

·         Had smashed their digital media to cover up

They clearly may have gotten aid in their preparations – we’ll see where the trails lead, as to how “lone” these wolves were.  ISIS is not claiming credit for directing the attack, but clearly their attacks elsewhere can at least inspire such attacks.

Comparisons with other attacks may be illustrative.  Clearly this guy was much more sane than the Colorado Planned Parenthood shooter.  He had a stable job, marriage & child, home, etc.  And clearly very calculating and careful to cover his true feelings, preparations, etc.  He has much more in common w. Maj. Hassan of the Fort Hood shooting, who also shot some of his colleagues, but then proceeded to go to random people in the area.  Hassan was more vocal about his thinking to colleagues prior to the shooting, and yelled “allah akbar” during the spree.  They haven’t said they’ve yet found clear evidence of Syed's radicalization, though he may well have destroyed evidence as indicated, and these guys are getting more and more sly and secretive, with encryption, etc. to remain below the radar until they can carry out their attacks.  The administration was bent on calling Hassan’s attack “workplace violence,” though I believe that has changed, and victims given purple hearts.  Even if there was a component of workplace violence here, clearly it went well beyond that and well into the realm of terrorism – it can be some of both.  The only difference being that most jihadis choose to target random victims – soft targets.  They always scope out their venues for target softness and planning, including get-away, and Syed was well familiar w. the venue he attacked to make him confident that at least the initial part of his plan would be successful. 

A recent poll of American Muslims showed that 8% thought suicide bombing and terrorism are justified, and 15% support extremist/radical Islamic ideology.  Supposedly Muslims are about 1% of our population, or about 3 million, so that 8% of them would be about 240,000.  If true, we already have a problem.  We’ve seen how much death and mayhem just a few can cause (9/11 – confirmation now that many Muslim Americans were celebrating it, Ft. Hood, Boston, San Bernardino, etc.).  And if we can’t get on top of it (the FBI etc. are not able to adequately track even the 900 or so known suspects in all 50 states, let alone many unknown, and the refugees they want to bring in), we have few other options. 

Either just keep mopping up the blood and burying the dead, or start deporting suspicious Muslims (social media or mosque indications of radicalization, age/sex demographic, etc.), or sending them to detention camps for the duration of the war on terror – as Roosevelt did w. ALL Japanese during WWII.  Although there was as far as I know no incidence of Japanese undertaking sabotage, etc. – let alone 8%.  Here we have actual mass killings -- repeated.  And we certainly are no less at war than we were with the Japanese, whether or not our supposed commander-in-chief wishes to acknowledge or engage.  And with their pursuit of weapons of mass destruction, our death counts may grow intolerably. 

We arrested and shot 5^th column and spies in WWII – we need to be no less aggressive here.  Before it’s too late.  But a parallel effort needs to be made to devastate the ISIS “homeland” and remove their “caliphate” which is a source of recruitment, inspiration, direction and infiltration.  And to shut down radical/seditious mosques and madrases, or at least incarcerate their seditious imams.  And shut down their online sedition.  And just maybe, the moderate Muslims had better start being more afraid of the American public and possible response (or mass internment or deportation), than of the jihadis, and start speaking and acting more forcefully against them.  Rather than continue to enjoy all the comforts of America with none of the responsibilities of maintaining those comforts.

And enough with parading out the relatives and neighbors who are always completely shocked that the guy could ever do such a thing.  They never see it coming.  So if those closest to them can’t see it, how much harder is it for our government – especially when they’re handicapped with the new restrictions on surveillance? 

And as far as the inevitable gun issue the Left raises in the wake of San Bernardino, unless the government can provide more protection than they are (and the police were nearby and there en masse in 4 minutes – only to find 14 dead bodies already, and the perpetrators fled), then the only alternative our citizens have is to be better armed themselves.  And California has some of the strictest gun laws in the nation – which did nothing to stop these terrorists.  Or their bombs.  Nor do Chicago’s strict gun laws stop the carnage there.  No, we need to address the root causes, not the tools.  Just more shallow thinking on the Left.