Why the Nashville bomber did it
We don't know for sure, but he may have been inspired by conspiracy theories about 5G technology.
Nashville is one of my favorite cities in the world. And on Christmas morning, it dodged a serious bullet. The bomber, Anthony Quinn Warner, was the only fatality when his motorhome, rigged with explosives, detonated on 2nd Avenue North.
Not surprisingly, people took time away from opening presents to speculate about who carried out the bombing and why. And by “speculate” I mean, “accuse the other team of doing it and say why it confirms all of my pre-existing political beliefs.” An anti-Trump Facebook group to which I belong was quick to blame the (hopefully) outgoing President, and someone even spread what purported to be a picture of the bomber wearing a Trump baseball cap. (When it was pointed out that it wasn’t him, the person who posted it did not delete the post.)
Investigators are now saying Warner, whose bomb went off near the AT&T building, may have been a 5G conspiracy theorist:
Law enforcement officials suspect that the man accused of detonating a bomb in downtown Nashville in the early morning hours of Christmas Day was more intent on causing destruction than fatalities, and are reportedly probing whether or not his "paranoia" over 5G technology could have contributed to the attack.
Investigators are conducting interviews and combing through evidence that could lead them to a motive in Friday morning’s explosion, which damaged dozens of buildings, injured three people and killed the suspect, Anthony Quinn Warner.
David Rausch, director of Tennessee’s Bureau of Investigation, told NBC’s "Today" show on Monday that officials might never get "a complete answer" as to why Warner, 63, detonated the explosive after announcing his alleged intention to do so over a recording that blared from his recreational vehicle.
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Meanwhile, a source told the Daily Mail early Monday that investigators are "waiting on the digital footprint that should finally provide us with some answers."
The source, who was identified in the report as being "close to the investigation," also said investigators have begun to suspect Warner’s motive could have been his concerns over 5G technology.
"The unofficial motive thus far is the suspect believed 5G was the root of all deaths in the region and he'd be hailed a hero," the source reportedly said.
Local news station WKRN reported that law enforcement is "looking seriously" at the possibility that Warner’s motive involved "paranoia over 5G technology."
Agents have not publicly confirmed any motive so far.
People in the United States, Europe and even here in Canada have been attacking 5G communication towers (or what they believe to be 5G communication towers) for several months now. Why do they say 5G is harmful? I’ll let these detailed scientific papers from the Instagram Journal of Medicine explain it:
(That last one featured the hashtags #chemtrail, #detoxyourself and, um, #bovinegrowthhormone.)
Some even connect 5G to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you really believe all of this, I guess it stands to reason that you’d take the next logical step and put peoples’ lives at risk - or even sacrifice yourself, Al-Qaida-style - to stop it.
Can this terror attack be blamed, even indirectly, on President Trump? He’s certainly encouraged and promoted conspiracy theories from the White House, and there’s a lot of overlap between the #5Gkills crowd and the #MAGA crowd.
And yet…he doesn’t appear to be paranoid about 5G. In fact, one of his whiny, unhinged tweets over the holiday argued that the defense bill he’s threatened to veto somehow makes it harder for America to implement 5G tech:
Was Warner a Trump supporter? We really don’t know. This isn’t a Cesar Sayoc situation, where he was driving around in a van plastered with pro-Trump memes.
You know my feelings about this President, but I’m not going to blame everything on him without some clear evidence that he influenced it. Conspiracy nuts were everywhere before he became President - heck, even before The Apprentice came on the air - and we’ll be stuck with them even after he’s gone in (as of this writing) 22 days, 10 hours, 14 minutes, 25 seconds.
Whether he believes his own conspiracy theories or not - and I’m not sure which is scarier - Trump has been shockingly irresponsible and reckless with his hysterical, self-serving falsehoods. But you don’t have to be a Trump supporter to do something like this.
For the record, here are all the tweets Trump has posted about a terror attack in a major American city:
2020 is mercifully almost over, but it had one more trick in store for me. On Boxing Day, my right eye decided to do this:
After an evening trip to the ER and a follow-up visit with an ophthalmologist, it was determined that I’d suffered a vitreous haemorrhage, in which blood vessels ruptured and spread blood throughout my right eye, partly blocking the retina and interfering with my vision. Merry Christmas to me!
I can still see fine with my left eye, but on the right my vision is kind of like someone spread jam on a camera lens.
A follow-up appointment next week will determine if this is likely to clear up on its own, or if day surgery will be needed. (Note: wait until after you’ve had surgery on your eye before looking at YouTube videos of the procedure, especially when needles are involved.)
When I close my good eye, it gives me a pretty good indication of what it’s like for people who are visually impaired. (Most people considered “blind” actually do have some vision, though greatly compromised, which is something to keep in mind when arguing that Stevie Wonder isn’t actually blind.) I know several people who’ve adapted remarkably well to serious vision problems, but I’d rather not go through it myself.
I should recover fully - and until then I can still work, read and even drive - but this has served as a good reminder that I’m not getting any younger. And I haven’t led the healthiest of lifestyles. (Diabetes, with which I haven’t been diagnosed, is commonly associated with this condition.)
Most of all, it’s reminded me just how precious your senses are, and that you shouldn’t take them for granted. There is not enough money in the world for which I’d sell my vision or my hearing. You never know when you could lose one or both, so make sure you’re not wasting them on visual or audio junk food.
Been through a retinal detachment and a half dozen eye surgeries/procedures. Found them all surprisingly non traumatic, but the videos aren’t for the faint of heart. Surprisingly good results. Hank God for good medical care and for giving us a spare, just in case.
Ow, I’m glad you got your eye checked immediately. You should not be too concerned about the needles etc. though. Eye surgery equipment is vastly smaller than it looks in those videos, and the surgeons who specialize in these fields are going to be highly skilled. The best thing you can do is to focus on your part, especially with any aftercare, and be (at least physically ;) relaxed and rested for surgery.
Proper self care takes on a new importance at our age as we’re setting up our health into coming decades which are the best in many ways, especially in terms of seeing kids blossom and grow into their future adult selves and knowing what and whom we really want to spend our time on in life. We know our priorities. It feels like growing up into a better version of oneself. It’s key to look after one’s physical health at this point - something I haven’t taken for granted as I was struck in the back 20 years ago and still have aftereffects. So I speak from experience in saying that by taking this seriously and learning more about how to take care of yourself, your long-term health will benefit from your increased awareness.
I feel for you, and right at Christmas too! Hopefully it will resolve itself, but if you need eye surgery, you should not be too concerned. These specialists really know what they’re doing and you’re undoubtedly in very skillful hands.
The Nashville bomber must have been a deeply unhappy person to end his life like that. Whatever his motives, one wonders how he reached that point. I’m grateful no one else lost their lives or suffered serious harm.
My next few days may be slightly unplanned as we had a death in the extended family yesterday. I’m concerned for the surviving person for whom this was unexpected. But I will be coming here to read and enjoy your thoughts, even if I may not have the time to write a thoughtful response.
Have a very happy New Year. I know you appreciate the things that truly matter in life more than most people. Hopefully all will go well for you and you will enter 2021 in good health and spirits. Mental hugs and thoughts are with you. :)