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Friends say Minnesota shooting suspect was deeply religious and conservative (apnews.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/politics@lemmy.world
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The man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House held deeply religious and politically conservative views, telling a congregation in Africa two years ago that the U.S. was in a “bad place” where most churches didn’t oppose abortion.

Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was at the center of a massive multistate manhunt on Sunday, a day after authorities say he impersonated a police officer and gunned down former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home outside Minneapolis. Democratic Gov. Tim Walz described the shooting as “a politically motivated assassination.”

Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, were shot earlier by the same gunman at their home nearby but survived.

Friends and former colleagues interviewed by The Associated Press described Boelter as a devout Christian who attended an evangelical church and went to campaign rallies for Donald Trump. Records show Boelter registered to vote as a Republican while living in Oklahoma in 2004 before moving to Minnesota where voters don’t list party affiliation.

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[–] 96 points 1 year ago

MURDERING people is how you KNOW he's Pro Life!

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    [–] 66 points 1 year ago (13 children)

    Why's he a shooting suspect and not a domestic terrorist?

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    [–] 66 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    Religious people are all mentally ill.

    This is what happens when they are armed.

    Religious people are dangerous and are all ticking time bombs ready to “punish” people who aren’t afflicted with the identical mental illness.

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  • [–] 18 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    They are not mentally unwell, they are criminally undereducated or even miseducated. To not have a mandatory national school curriculum, hell even a state curriculum should be a way bigger talking point. It would be too, but you know, education...

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  • [–] 17 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Criminally undereducated to the point of mental illness I say.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago

    The Venn Diagram is basically a circle. I'd say all of these wanna be badass guys worship the same underlying psychological flaw. Comes in a lot of different flavors but there's usually some serious psychosis going on with the "lone" wolf gunmen.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Religious people are all mentally ill.

    I wouldn't say they are for all religions...

    But definitely the "true believers" of the Abrahamic religions, like if you read any of those texts and are 100% onboard its all real. Abraham was a schizophrenic who heard voices that told him to kill his son, had textbook visual and auditory hallucinations and obviously delusions of grandeur. It's so fundamental it's present in all the big branches, schizophrenic symptoms are viewed as a legitimate communication with God that are often commands that must be followed no matter what.

    So some well adjusted people see it as "just a story" but if you sit thru that indoctrination your whole life and start hearing voices, there's a good chance you see the voices as religious instructions.

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  • [–] 21 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    It’s not just a story.

    American women have fewer rights than their mothers.

    This has never happened in America before.

    This is the rest of us held hostag by mentally ill, violent people.

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  • [–] 17 points 1 year ago* (6 children)

    This has never happened in America before.

    Yes it has...

    If you think this is the first time a movement of Christians has stripped rights away thru a political movement, it makes me think you're not aware of how long this fight has been going on.

    Like, from the first colonies, expansion into new colonies, the revolution, the civil war...

    At almost every major turning point of our country's history, fighting off Christian extremists has been one of the few constants. They spent a couple decades working behind the scenes with both parties, but just because it was less visible for a while doesn't mean it stopped and especially doesn't erase our past.

    Like...

    You're not wrong that it's bad now, and I'm glad you realize that.

    But people need to understand history to understand how to fight today.

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    [–] 50 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    "Thou shalt not kill."

    "...well... I mean, if they're a Democrat of course it's ok to kill them."

    Yes I am so religious... Riggggght.

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  • [–] 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    It's amazing how many people use their religion to justify murder. I remember this guy killed his wife because he wanted to be married to someone else, and he was so Catholic he just couldn't get a divorce. So he killed her. Now what's strange is, if you ask most Catholics they'll tell you murder is ALSO a horrible sin. Like. Go to hell sin. 100% going to hell. Where as divorce is... frowned upon? But it's not as bad as murder.

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    The real answer to your unstated question is that they can (hopefully) get away with the murder and not be discovered. It would be nearly impossible to divorce without the entire community knowing.

    Most christians (conveniently) forget the little jesus parable about comparing the priest publicly donating and praying in the street to the woman quietly putting a much smaller amount in the donation coffers. To the modern christian, being a part of the 'in-group' by publicly making everything about their religion IS the way they engage with their religion. If they were to be rejected by the 'religious community' ONLY THEN would they care.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    Christians got cucked by maga. Republicans got cucked by maga. The marines got cucked by maga. All of them either are too cowardly to do anything about it or too stupid to know they got cucked.

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  • [–] 4 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    I love that cucking is becoming a known word; it is rather fun to piss off maga-types with it but... I don't think you're using it quiiiite in the correct context. Every place you used it just now could be replaced with 'hoodwinked and sucked in' and be much more accurate.

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  • [–] 3 points 1 year ago* (1 child)

    Literally, sure. But metaphorically, what they love and espouse has been taken over by another male.

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  • [–] 2 points 1 year ago

    Here's an example. Trump made the GOP his own, fucked it, and together they brought American fascism to life.

    Raping Lady Liberty isn't a physical or literal act, but it is still a crime. Which do you suppose is bleeding more: her soul or her torn vagina?

    On a side note, a severe lack of critical thinking in America is why we're in this mess.

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    • [–] 44 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    The USA is splitting. It is not about Republicans and Democrats anymore, nor is it really about Conservatives vs Liberals.

    It is about the Faith-based community, versus the Reality-based one.

    Personally I want to be on the side that has science and vaccines and no Invisible Friend in the Sky.

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  • [–] 28 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    It's the ruling wealthy class vs the rest of us. Everything else the elite making up scary stories to distract us from them stealing from us.

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    • [–] 24 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    This is the type of person that conservative culture produces.

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    • [–] 23 points 1 year ago

    Surprising absolutely no one

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    [–] 8 points 1 year ago

    I religious conservative goes on a shooting spree? Shocked! Shocked I say!

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    [–] 8 points 1 year ago

    Regressive, No need for so many words. Regressive sums up that type quite well.

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    [–] 6 points 1 year ago

    Yet the right-wing are spewing how Boelter is a Marxist. Fucking red baiting bullshit. 🙄🙄🙄

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    [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    I am very smerprised. Is anyone else smerprised?

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    [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    Yet another death cultist goes on killing spree

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    [–] 4 points 1 year ago

    Better start investigating crazy conservative nut jobs?

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    [–] 1 point 1 year ago

    Makes sense. Conservative shot democrats when they sided with conservatives.

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