The sad reality is that for months the public has been told lies about what motivated Omar Mateen. Mentally unwell he may have been, but he saw himself with clarity as an ISIS fighter in America. Being not right in the head does not prevent you from being a jihadist – in fact, as any seasoned counterterrorism professional will tell you, a high percentage of self-styled jihadists in the West clearly have something very wrong with them. They are angry, unbalanced, and most often socially isolated. In jihadism, usually learned online, they find justification for their violent fantasies.
This realization ought to give fresh perspective whenever a Muslim goes on a killing spree in America. The media and our government want the public to avoid making obvious connections, and these willful misdirections, which have become Federal policy under President Obama, merit skepticism and more.
Donald Trump has put the issue of Muslim immigration on the table, albeit in his usual somewhat confusing fashion. Nevertheless, this is a debate Americans must have, and it must be pursued honestly, without euphemisms or evasions. Jihadism is not going away.
“The media and our government want the public to avoid making obvious connections,”
The MSM, and social media have been helping ISIS with publicity. From beheadings, to burning people alive, to slavery, and so on. And, ISIS are very savvy marketers. It has created a climate where those who are, one way or another, emotionally and/or mentally unhinged jump on the ISIS bandwagon, and the rest live in fear and paranoia. In modern history, not even the Mafia has had this advantage and luxury.