I had an evil thought about the Boston Marathon bombing today while driving between jobs. My gut tells me the bomber or bombers is most likely some kind of conservative extremist like McVeigh or Rudolph, but it's way too early for conclusions and while my gut is really good about such things, it is not perfect. Most believe the bombing was motivated by politics and that's likely, but it occurred to the bomber might have a different motive. Fun.
Was Adam Lanza motivated by politics? How about Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold? Or James Holmes?. In none of these cases can the shooters motives be ascribed to anything political. They didn't kill to make a point, they killed because it made them feel good and important to pump bullet after bullet into the moist flesh of innocents. They decided to turn their lives into a real single person shooter.
The problem with the Doom approach is that no matter how many NRA-protected thirty round magazines you have sooner or later you're down to your last few bullets. And while the screams, pleading and blood and shattered brains on the floor have made you harder then teak the fact is Mr. Shooter is about to be face an inevitable choice, "Do I check out or don't I?" It's been a great ride, but the mass shooter's moment is a short one.
Lamza, Klebold and Harris made the popular choice to spend their last moment turning their brains into high-velocity goo. Holmes decided to maim one more human being before being taken into custody. Each choice has its pluses ore minuses. The advantage to blowing your brains out is simple; nobody can hurt you any more. Provided there's no afterlife, that is. Still suicide leaves killers dead and unable to read about themselves in the paper. Holmes got to enjoy the screaming and pleading a bit longer before the cops took him away. Plus he's alive and presumably capable of appreciating the fame his crimes brought him. Granted he'll never be free again and will almost certainly receive a state-sanctioned expiration date to contemplate at his leisure, but it was fun while it lasted. Which was not long. Shooters get one metaphorical shot then it's over.
But what if the bomber or bombers are out for their own thrill kills? They make the bombs, set the timers then leave them where juicy, innocent flesh can be expected. Then the bomber goes home where he's already set his DVR to Fox and TV to CNN to settle down and watch. The 24-hour news cycle goes better ith a slice of pizza in one hand and a can of Bud Light in the other. Bombers get to watch people run and the shattered, bleeding bodies of their victims carried away from the comfort of their own living room. True, it's not quite so up-close and personal as Sandy Hook or Columbine, but bombers get to watch it all as free men! No certain execution date. No inability to meet girls beyond whatever mental illness gives you. and maybe not that. Certainly Ted Bundy had no trouble getting girls! And they face very little chance of sharing the prison yard with a bunch of muscle-bound ass-rapers with Batman tattoos on their chest. And if the FBI can't find them quickly they might get to massacre again, and again. Papa Johns might make a killing!
Of course sooner or later our bomber will get caught. When killing gets you off it's sorta hard to stop. But he can use the media and may enjoy a decent chance of telling when the cops are getting close. Maybe enough time to turn that crib into a little bunker, with improvised claymore mines and lots of firepower. Mr. Bomber gets to exercise his Second Amendment rights defending himself against the government. Might get to watch it all happen on TV in between volleys.
Really, the video game shooter model of thrill killer is so 2012.