[JustaCowgirl]

It's sure as heck true that having suicidal tendencies and being depressed (if he was) doesn't rule out by any means that he was attempting to take some others with him.

That's why Boren's running around spouting off about how depressed this kid was and how this was 'just a suicide' was such an obvious smokescreen. I can't get over how utterly ludicrous that was, and how clearly it displays his enormous arrogance for him to think that people are going to believe that he could possibly know this kid's mindset and intentions.

I'd suppose that it's reasonable to assume that the psychology of most suicide bombers is off-center, and that many or most are people whose mindset makes them prone to commit suicide anyway. As you say, happy, well-adjusted people probably aren't willing to make that sacrifice, regardless of how radical their worldview is.

[timpad]

about how depressed this kid was and how this was 'just a suicide' was such an obvious smokescreen.

Yep. Kinda like dismissing the impact of a bullet because the bullet is made of dull ol' lead instead of nice shiny stainless steel. There's a hole either way.

Has anyone asked Boren why a depressed "just-a-suicide" would go to the trouble of constructing a bomb to off himself with, rather that just swallow pills or turn on the gas?

I'd be interested in seeing the resulting facial expression when he heard the question. Undoubtedly, he'd say something along the lines of "it's impossible to determine the thinking of someone in this situation." Hilarity would then ensue once he's reminded he's been confidently doing precisely that since about two hours after the bomb went off.

Something just doesn't pass the sniff test here.

[hummingbird]

I can't get over how utterly ludicrous that was, and how clearly it displays his enormous arrogance for him to think that people are going to believe that he could possibly know this kid's mindset and intentions.

Boren's statements were so transparent...it would be like saying, in the immediate aftermath, that a person who goes to work and shoots fellow employees and then himself was just depressed. Then, you find out he had just lost his job or had "had it up to here" with his coworkers taunting him about something or he didn't get a promotion, etc. Not an exact analogy, but there is always more to this type of public "suicide" than appears on the surface.

Suicide isn't always an easy call, and in this situation, Boren made way too early of a call which makes you wonder all the more what is going on. He hasn't calmed people by his remarks and it looks like he may have to eat a lot of them.