Most people have an overly simplistic view of the world. Young people in particular do, particularly in regards to matters like crime and punishment. Witness the various descriptions of what the anti-drug side of the argument said should be done (or they would like to do) to drug dealers.
Right now, real world events give a wonderful example of how hideously complex the real world is and why simplistic thinking gets you nowhere.
If the D.C.-area sniper never gets caught, he or she can never be made to pay for the deaths caused. Right now, there's nothing in the physical evidence that provides a link to the sniper's identity, and each passing day makes it less likely of turning up new evidence at each site.
The sniper hasn't attacked for four days. If the sniper simply stops the attacks completely, then he or she will have gotten cleanly away, barring anything monumentally stupid like telling someone or bragging in a bar. So far, this doesn't seem like the sort of individual who would do this, so I think we can rule that out as the remotest of remote possibilities.
On the other hand, if the sniper keeps killing, each killing adds another data point for things like geographical profiling, and increases the chance that the sniper will slip up, have a run of bad luck, or a potential witness will have a run of good luck, and the sniper will be caught.
So, what do we, as justice-loving individuals root for during this lull in attacks? Do we hope this means the terror is over, even though it means a murderer got away cleanly, or do we hope he or she strikes again so that law enforcement has a better chance of bringing the murderer to justice?
ID:274928
 Oct 18 2002, 7:16 am
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Lesbian Assassin wrote:
So, what do we, as justice-loving individuals root for during this lull in attacks? Do we hope this means the terror is over, even though it means a murderer got away cleanly, or do we hope he or she strikes again so that law enforcement has a better chance of bringing the murderer to justice? I choose to be relieved of the mental responsibility with the knowledge that, as a rule, serial killers can't stop, and as a rule, they get more brazen over time, making it very likely they get caught. I believe some few have stopped...then of course you don't know if it's because they died (there's speculation that the anthrax guy may have anthraxed himself for example) or got smart, or got arrested for something else. I haven't followed this story very closely, but the nature of the killings tells me this guy gets way too much out of the publicity/terror, and it won't stop. Alistair Cook thought it could be someone connected to terrorism...if so, then, as an organizational thing, it could stop since it's not driven by insanity...well at least not the same type of insanity. | |
Following sniper reports closely, since they are in my backyard. The most recent was only about three miles from my house, and just one block from my co-worker's house. The first 6 were all within a couple of miles of a house I used to own in Forest Glen MD.
Personally, I hope he strikes again, but misses his target, providing us with the clues to snare him. How's that for hedging my hopes? | |
So, what do we, as justice-loving individuals root for during this lull in attacks? Do we hope this means the terror is over, even though it means a murderer got away cleanly, or do we hope he or she strikes again so that law enforcement has a better chance of bringing the murderer to justice? I call "false dilemma" on you! Nyah, nyah. :) | |
im guessing that snipey is no longer in the white van, dumped it somewhere.. i think snipey is in a pickup now. Also I dont believe these are just random snipings I believe they are connected, old associates possibly. If anyone you know is close or attached to the victims I suggest you get them the hell out of there and get them to the safety of the police their lives may be in danger.
In fact, they are probably at the end of the scope at this moment. Also Snipey seems to have an affinity to keep away from things, it may be that snipey doesnt like blood or is squeemish. The level of care involved in Snipeys actions may also tie them to a previous military role, or possibly even remains in that kind of job.. maybe even police. Also I picture snipey pulling the trigger, turning around, squating and biting nails. | |
Dareb wrote:
im guessing that snipey is no longer in the white van, dumped it somewhere.. i think snipey is in a pickup now. Also I dont believe these are just random snipings I believe they are connected, old associates possibly. If anyone you know is close or attached to the victims I suggest you get them the hell out of there and get them to the safety of the police their lives may be in danger. There's apparently zero evidence that the victims have any connection whatsoever; among 11 people, something would have turned up by now. What seems to be the case is simply that the sniper is targeting locations in advance, and waiting for someone to show up. His MO seems to be that he wants to kill somebody, so he goes places people are likely to show up and hold still for long enough to draw a bead on them. Also Snipey seems to have an affinity to keep away from things, it may be that snipey doesnt like blood or is squeemish. The level of care involved in Snipeys actions may also tie them to a previous military role, or possibly even remains in that kind of job.. maybe even police. Likely he just doesn't want to get caught. Any criminal with even half a brain knows not to go poking around the remains of someone they just killed unless they have no other choice. This guy shoots from a distance, so he has no reason to go near the victims. If he was squeamish, he wouldn't be killing people, and if he didn't like the sight of blood, he wouldn't be killing people with bullets. I wouldn't say he necessarily revels in blood, either, at the opposite end of things; he seems to be in it only for the kill. Also I picture snipey pulling the trigger, turning around, squating and biting nails. That's a comforting image, at least. I'd prefer to picture this guy biting his nails on the inside of a jail cell, though. Lummox JR | |
Nice theories, except they conflict with everything that we know about the sniper. The white van, for instance, was a fabrication of a "witness" who recanted under close examination.
This person is a control freak... his or her hands clearly don't shake, so I think we can rule out squeamishness or nailbiting. Like all serial killers, this one believes himself or herself to be invulnerable, but in this case, the feeling of power clearly comes from a sense of intellectual superiority. It isn't physical ability or physical power over the victims... it's careful planning and patience that's being exercised. The sniper isn't staking out persons, the sniper is staking out locations. If he or she did target specific individuals, there would be a lot more clues and a lot more risk to the sniper, as the sniper would not have the freedom to move freely in search of targets. This is someone who believes that he or she has found a perfect formula for that most difficult of human achievements, getting away with murder. It probably started out as a random thought, then an experiment ("Can I really do it?"), and now it's turned into a game. If the killer is driven by rage, it's not the type of rage we normally think of. This is cold, dispassionate rage. I don't think the killer is angry. The things at the other end of the scope aren't invidivual people, they're insects, animals. They have no faces to the sniper. They're simply prey. They're not even worthy of the killer's contempt, which is reserved for the police. | |
he should reserve it for people like me. People like me would tear him apart while keeping them alive just so they can feel the pain they have spent onto the world.
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Lesbian Assassin wrote:
So, what do we, as justice-loving individuals root for during this lull in attacks? Do we hope this means the terror is over, even though it means a murderer got away cleanly, or do we hope he or she strikes again so that law enforcement has a better chance of bringing the murderer to justice? Boiling it down to two options in itself is, of course, overly simplistic, but that's what hypothetical situations are all about. I'd have to go with the former option. Z | |
Skysaw wrote:
Following sniper reports closely, since they are in my backyard. The most recent was only about three miles from my house, and just one block from my co-worker's house. The first 6 were all within a couple of miles of a house I used to own in Forest Glen MD. That sucks. I don't know how I'd deal with living in the area. Perhaps the guy is a watcher of quality TV...the show Homicide did a story about exactly this a few years back. | |
Maybe the sniper will strike again, but this time his/her victim may be a dangerous fugitive evading the law himself. Then, maybe the sniper will be caught. How's that for wishful thinking?
-- Joe _____________________ USELESS SIGNATURE "I have seen ten roses bleed, seen new petals fall. I have felt my soul tear. I have felt nothing at all" | |
I feel that we have not real way of telling what he is feeling, what his motivation is, or why he is attacking who he is. So, we should not say that he is doing it for a reason, or that he is doing it for no reason. We should not say that he thinks everyone is less than him, we should also not say he thinks he is less than us.Specalation only leads to worry, why not let it be settled when the killer is cought and we have a psy profile. Untill then, truely we have no idea for his reasoning or were his cross hairs lie.
PS. He/Him can be replaced with She/Her, but im assuming the killer is a male, as to usale, but he/she could just as well be a she. | |
He struck again, so there goes your "If he stops now, he gets away free" idea, a 38 year old man was the victom, its all over the news right now.
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No, it doesn't. The theory of what would've happened had he stopped cannot in any way, shape, or form be proven or disproven, since he didn't stop.. Anyways, since our wishes have no effect, the question is hypothetical and so it remains valid.
To put it more into focus, imagine that this latest shooting should provide a crucial clue to his identity. If the victim dies (he's in the hospital now), will it have been better that the sniper killed this guy and thus got caught, or if he had stopped killing and faded into the background? | |
so how bout dem raiders?
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So, what do we, as justice-loving individuals root for during this lull in attacks? Do we hope this means the terror is over, even though it means a murderer got away cleanly, or do we hope he or she strikes again so that law enforcement has a better chance of bringing the murderer to justice? I don't know about anything else, but as a justice-loving individual, I root for a notification that I've been accepted into the star wars galaxies beta. | |
Lesbian Assassin wrote:
So, what do we, as justice-loving individuals root for during this lull in attacks? "Justice" has recently gone on my list along with "for the children" as a phrase that I distrust in the extreme. Well, to be more precise, it's like Penn says about things like Social Science: "If the word 'science' has a modifier, it's not real science." Thus I speak of "social justice"... | |
Lummox JR