Aaron Bushnell had to be suffering from mental issues. At least, that is the first reaction. The soldier went to the Israeli Embassy in Washington, D.C., and lit himself on fire to protest Israel’s actions in Gaza. He died from his injuries. The left is celebrating him as brave.
I read the story early this morning but could not really comment on it in the right way until now. First, young people today do NOT think like adults in adult ways like we did 40 years ago. I don't think this person could have gotten into the USMC and should not have been in the AF.
I read some of the other comments now and I fully agree that this should NOT be compared to the Babbit case. She was unarmed and with police right there that could have stopped her but they were letting it all happen. She was not armed and yet shot by a Police officer that had NO right to shot her as she was NOT making any threat to anyone at that time.
I am sorry for the young kids parents and family members, but he took his life and now the AF needs to come forward with how he acted on base and with his life there while on active duty. He needed real help with counseling that the AF should have seen, and may have, and have records of his time with someone doing that for him.
I guess all we need now are for leftist philanthropies to start paying the families of their martyrs a stipend a la the Palestinian Authority to move to the next step. Either that or offer to pay their student loan debt.
Bushnell committed suicide. Always sad and always mental illness, whatever the cause. Babbit was wrong to be there but she was the victim of a 'bad shoot' by an apparently less-than-stellar police officer. Not a worthy comparison, imho.
Please, everyone, do not rule out evil spiritual influence. (I won't use the "d" word lest I be judged by some as a crazy super-bible-toting loonie.) I know from family experience that dementia that is caused by physical health issues exists in the physical realm, as well as many other terrible physical maladys. Again, there are PHYSICAL reasons for many mental health and emotional problems we see in society. But it is vapid, and to some degree careless, for us to imagine that evil spirits fled the scene -- and therefore no longer influence human thoughts and actions -- shortly after the books of Matthew (see 17:15-18, for example) Mark, Luke, John and Acts. Nor does it only exist in third-world countries. Evil exists around the globe, and more than just as a concept or ideology.
Not sure comparing this lunatic to Babbitt is fair any way you look at it. I doubt she went to the Capitol that day thinking she’d end up in the building. Also, as far as I’m aware, shooting unarmed person is verboten. Particularly by an “officer” with a shady record at best.
Now do Damian Monroe Williams, Henry Keith Watson, Antoine Eugene Miller, and Gary Anthony Williams. It's not their fault they dragged Reginald Denny out of his truck and beat him within an inch of his life, they just got caught up in the riot. Yep, the LA Four are the victims.
While Jan 6 was not an insurrection and is over hyped and over prosecuted by the Left, it is indefensible how it went down. The Left is using it for their narrative and Babbitt was aiding and abetting a mob that was trespassing and doing damage.
She was trying to unlock the door that stood between the Congressmen and the mob. So, yes, she metaphorically was attempting to drag someone out and beat them.
You really should watch all the video. There were literally two cops standing behind her not stopping her from climbing through a window that was already broken.
She was climbing through shattered glass. There was law enforcement behind her. Law enforcement was willingly allowing protestors to roam other parts of the building. Wake up. She was murdered in cold blood.
I agree--the officers behind her could have easily detained her. He did not have to shoot an unarmed woman to subdue her. If it had been an unarmed woman of color shot by a white officer, BLM/Antifa would have burned DC to the ground overnight along with dozens of major cities across America. Comparing Ashley Babbitt to Bushnell doesn't make sense to me.
Any excuse to Never Trump. It really is comical at this point. My favorite is the “end of Democracy”. He didn’t end it last time. Why would he now? Simpletons. A case can be made that the Dems are actually ending it. The litany of how is too exhaustive to list here, but here are a couple - trying to remove a preferred candidate from state ballots, not enforcing immigration law…I could go on.
Good analysis, though you pass over an important point about Ashli Babbitt. It’s far from clear that she went to the Capitol that day with the deliberate intent to cause chaos and disruption. It seems more likely that she was foolish and carried away by the mob mindset. Perhaps not, but I think she lacked the commitment to an evil cause that this young man clearly demonstrated.
Aaron "Tiki" Bushnell. RIP. But let's be honest. I'd consider lighting mysellf on fire if someone had my wife & children at gun point and their only chance of survival was me doing so. Or some other fanciful, made up Steven King inspired prediciment. Short of that? NFW!
To make a hero of someone who was so obviously mentally gone is almost comical. That he was in the armed forces and no one noticed his insanity is alarming to the nth degree! .
The military is in a sorry state. Recruitment has tanked. Kids are being raised to hate their country and then expected to enlist and potentially die for America. My son was in the UNG Cadet Corps last year and left to pursue another path. I come from a proud military family, and I can't say I'm sad he made that choice. From trans ideology to weakened standards, our military is not the hardened fighting force it once was. And the way our foreign policy is going, it won't surprise me if we end up with US troops on the ground in Ukraine, Israel, Iran, China, or all of the above. Bushnell's story was a stark reminder to pray for our troops and our leaders.
I suggest you watch a video of flight deck action on an active USN aircraft carrier launching jets and see if it affects your opinion of our young men and women who serve. https://youtu.be/itxCibqCUZw?si=qtnSc3SfO4VukdZv
My brother serves, for crying out loud! My opinion of almost everyone in the military is quite high. That doesn't change the recruitment deficit, the fact that we lost tons of soldiers because of the Covid shot mandate, and the fact that we're letting mentally ill people serve. Good grief.
It's almost a perfect storm, EB. Sadly, it will likely take another 9/11 event to bring out volunteers.
National Review had an article a few weeks back which laid the blame on recruiting standards now that health records are computerized and recruit's "issues" captured as all are online in some form or the other. I pushed back a bit. I think what you state is also having a meaningful impact. the PC BS and the failures of this admin to deal decisively with our enemies using the lives of our military as expendable cushions to aggression instead of stomping the baddies good and hard. Who in their right miind wants to be part of that?
September 11 definitely brought out volunteers, but the lengthy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which we abandoned, haven't helped. My brother and sister-in-law sacrificed crucial years with their young children for multiple Afghanistan deployments, only to see us turn the country back over to the Taliban. I think wiser foreign policy (better diplomacy, bolstered military, fewer wars) will aid in recruitment, as will leaders who promote a love for the US. Trump and Kennedy are the only two candidates who bring both of these to the table.
Right! The people who think AMERICA WILL ALWAYS BE are fools. Each generation must leave her better than the last. We also must stop using our military as a doormat...as expendable..to be sacrificed. That we put our finest in harms way and then tie their hands as they are attacked is the definition of stupidity.
The parallels between the Jan 6 protestors and the Hamas wing of the Democratic party is spot on. We should not just question Bushnell's actions and those who celebrate him as a hero but the people who filled their heads with such lies to begin with. Futile in their thinking is a good description.
I'm not commenting on someone stupid enough to set themselves on fire supporting evil. However I don't condone what happened on January 6th, but am pretty sure that we will never know the truth about what happened that day.
Well, seems to me that sane people neither support Hamas and like groups nor set themselves on fire, so calling him mentally ill seems fairly reasonable. However, going off the rails and comparing it to Ashli Babbit is enough to make my brain short circuit. I fail to comprehend the obsession to find something to criticize from the conservative side in order to be critical of the rabid left.
I read the story early this morning but could not really comment on it in the right way until now. First, young people today do NOT think like adults in adult ways like we did 40 years ago. I don't think this person could have gotten into the USMC and should not have been in the AF.
I read some of the other comments now and I fully agree that this should NOT be compared to the Babbit case. She was unarmed and with police right there that could have stopped her but they were letting it all happen. She was not armed and yet shot by a Police officer that had NO right to shot her as she was NOT making any threat to anyone at that time.
I am sorry for the young kids parents and family members, but he took his life and now the AF needs to come forward with how he acted on base and with his life there while on active duty. He needed real help with counseling that the AF should have seen, and may have, and have records of his time with someone doing that for him.
I guess all we need now are for leftist philanthropies to start paying the families of their martyrs a stipend a la the Palestinian Authority to move to the next step. Either that or offer to pay their student loan debt.
If you’re at all familiar with a burn ward, like at Grady, you’ll know this young man mercifully didn’t linger for days.
I think you are comparing apples and oranges when you say Bushnell’s action is similar to Babbit’s action.
Bushnell committed suicide. Always sad and always mental illness, whatever the cause. Babbit was wrong to be there but she was the victim of a 'bad shoot' by an apparently less-than-stellar police officer. Not a worthy comparison, imho.
You've nailed it again. As Pope John Paul II put it, it's the Culture of Life vs. the Culture of Death. Thank you for your insights, brother.
Word
Please, everyone, do not rule out evil spiritual influence. (I won't use the "d" word lest I be judged by some as a crazy super-bible-toting loonie.) I know from family experience that dementia that is caused by physical health issues exists in the physical realm, as well as many other terrible physical maladys. Again, there are PHYSICAL reasons for many mental health and emotional problems we see in society. But it is vapid, and to some degree careless, for us to imagine that evil spirits fled the scene -- and therefore no longer influence human thoughts and actions -- shortly after the books of Matthew (see 17:15-18, for example) Mark, Luke, John and Acts. Nor does it only exist in third-world countries. Evil exists around the globe, and more than just as a concept or ideology.
Not sure comparing this lunatic to Babbitt is fair any way you look at it. I doubt she went to the Capitol that day thinking she’d end up in the building. Also, as far as I’m aware, shooting unarmed person is verboten. Particularly by an “officer” with a shady record at best.
Really?
Now do Damian Monroe Williams, Henry Keith Watson, Antoine Eugene Miller, and Gary Anthony Williams. It's not their fault they dragged Reginald Denny out of his truck and beat him within an inch of his life, they just got caught up in the riot. Yep, the LA Four are the victims.
While Jan 6 was not an insurrection and is over hyped and over prosecuted by the Left, it is indefensible how it went down. The Left is using it for their narrative and Babbitt was aiding and abetting a mob that was trespassing and doing damage.
She didn’t drag anyone from a car. She was not doing anything close to that. Cops shouldn’t shoot unarmed people. Period.
She was trying to unlock the door that stood between the Congressmen and the mob. So, yes, she metaphorically was attempting to drag someone out and beat them.
You really should watch all the video. There were literally two cops standing behind her not stopping her from climbing through a window that was already broken.
She was climbing through shattered glass. There was law enforcement behind her. Law enforcement was willingly allowing protestors to roam other parts of the building. Wake up. She was murdered in cold blood.
I agree--the officers behind her could have easily detained her. He did not have to shoot an unarmed woman to subdue her. If it had been an unarmed woman of color shot by a white officer, BLM/Antifa would have burned DC to the ground overnight along with dozens of major cities across America. Comparing Ashley Babbitt to Bushnell doesn't make sense to me.
Any excuse to Never Trump. It really is comical at this point. My favorite is the “end of Democracy”. He didn’t end it last time. Why would he now? Simpletons. A case can be made that the Dems are actually ending it. The litany of how is too exhaustive to list here, but here are a couple - trying to remove a preferred candidate from state ballots, not enforcing immigration law…I could go on.
And how did this delusional, dangerous fool end up wearing a US military uniform?
Good analysis, though you pass over an important point about Ashli Babbitt. It’s far from clear that she went to the Capitol that day with the deliberate intent to cause chaos and disruption. It seems more likely that she was foolish and carried away by the mob mindset. Perhaps not, but I think she lacked the commitment to an evil cause that this young man clearly demonstrated.
Aaron "Tiki" Bushnell. RIP. But let's be honest. I'd consider lighting mysellf on fire if someone had my wife & children at gun point and their only chance of survival was me doing so. Or some other fanciful, made up Steven King inspired prediciment. Short of that? NFW!
To make a hero of someone who was so obviously mentally gone is almost comical. That he was in the armed forces and no one noticed his insanity is alarming to the nth degree! .
The military is in a sorry state. Recruitment has tanked. Kids are being raised to hate their country and then expected to enlist and potentially die for America. My son was in the UNG Cadet Corps last year and left to pursue another path. I come from a proud military family, and I can't say I'm sad he made that choice. From trans ideology to weakened standards, our military is not the hardened fighting force it once was. And the way our foreign policy is going, it won't surprise me if we end up with US troops on the ground in Ukraine, Israel, Iran, China, or all of the above. Bushnell's story was a stark reminder to pray for our troops and our leaders.
I suggest you watch a video of flight deck action on an active USN aircraft carrier launching jets and see if it affects your opinion of our young men and women who serve. https://youtu.be/itxCibqCUZw?si=qtnSc3SfO4VukdZv
My brother serves, for crying out loud! My opinion of almost everyone in the military is quite high. That doesn't change the recruitment deficit, the fact that we lost tons of soldiers because of the Covid shot mandate, and the fact that we're letting mentally ill people serve. Good grief.
Good grief indeed.
It's almost a perfect storm, EB. Sadly, it will likely take another 9/11 event to bring out volunteers.
National Review had an article a few weeks back which laid the blame on recruiting standards now that health records are computerized and recruit's "issues" captured as all are online in some form or the other. I pushed back a bit. I think what you state is also having a meaningful impact. the PC BS and the failures of this admin to deal decisively with our enemies using the lives of our military as expendable cushions to aggression instead of stomping the baddies good and hard. Who in their right miind wants to be part of that?
September 11 definitely brought out volunteers, but the lengthy wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, which we abandoned, haven't helped. My brother and sister-in-law sacrificed crucial years with their young children for multiple Afghanistan deployments, only to see us turn the country back over to the Taliban. I think wiser foreign policy (better diplomacy, bolstered military, fewer wars) will aid in recruitment, as will leaders who promote a love for the US. Trump and Kennedy are the only two candidates who bring both of these to the table.
Right! The people who think AMERICA WILL ALWAYS BE are fools. Each generation must leave her better than the last. We also must stop using our military as a doormat...as expendable..to be sacrificed. That we put our finest in harms way and then tie their hands as they are attacked is the definition of stupidity.
Amen to that.
The parallels between the Jan 6 protestors and the Hamas wing of the Democratic party is spot on. We should not just question Bushnell's actions and those who celebrate him as a hero but the people who filled their heads with such lies to begin with. Futile in their thinking is a good description.
I invite Cornel West and anyone else that feels Bushnell did the right thing to emulate him at your earliest convenience....
Oh NONONO, Jim. Too much lucre to be made sticking around ...
I'm not commenting on someone stupid enough to set themselves on fire supporting evil. However I don't condone what happened on January 6th, but am pretty sure that we will never know the truth about what happened that day.
Well, seems to me that sane people neither support Hamas and like groups nor set themselves on fire, so calling him mentally ill seems fairly reasonable. However, going off the rails and comparing it to Ashli Babbit is enough to make my brain short circuit. I fail to comprehend the obsession to find something to criticize from the conservative side in order to be critical of the rabid left.