Austin bombing suspect dead, apparently tracked down by surveillance state

Thomas Lifson  "A 24-year-old "white male" suspect in the bombing spree afflicting Austin, Texas is dead after blowing himself up in his car while being fired upon by police.  Information is still very fragmentary, but according to reports on Fox News this morning, police were led to him through the blanket surveillance capabilities that have come characterize American society in the wake of the "war on terror."

"Specifically (and keep in mind that early information in huge media events often is subject to change), the suspect was photographed dropping off two packages at a FedEx office in Austin.  (Update: photos.)

. . . "But if you think you are not subject to constant surveillance and keep a cell phone with you, the police can find out where you've been and where you are now, in the land of the free and the home of the brave.

"The demise of the presumptive perp in Austin is an upside of this situation.  The downside has yet to be fully plumbed here, but in China, it is clear that it is a foundational element of twenty-first-century tyranny.

"Prepare yourself for further information on the suspect's motivation.  Leftists are hoping he is some sort of rightist or racist, giving them moral bragging rights.  Conservatives are hoping he is a leftist for similar reasons.  If the leftist hopes are realized, expect a huge wave of accusation leveled at everyone to the right of Lindsey Graham dominating the mainstream media.  If he was a lefty, expect the mainstream media to change the subject.

"Meanwhile, people in central Texas have to still worry about other packages that may be somewhere in the delivery systems of any provider of such services."

The Confederate Mind

Victor Davis Hanson

Progressives such as Elizabeth Warren resurrect the race-based thinking of the antebellum South: ‘One drop’ and you’re a bona fide minority.

. . . "Does she have an idea of the absurdity of current progressive race obsessions and their creepy pedigrees? In wartime Western Europe, one of the justifications for making Jews wear yellow stars was that it was otherwise impossible to determine whether they were Jews at all, which of course made the entire Nazi edifice of supposed overt racial inferiority a nightmarish joke.

"The Fascist and anti-Semitic French novelist Lucien Rebatet explained why the stars were needed for hard-to-identify Jewish citizens: “The yellow star rectifies this strange situation in which one human group that is radically opposed to the people of white blood, and which for eternity is unassimilable to this blood, cannot be identified at first glance.”

"What is the moral of this sad reversion to the failed racist systems of the past? Warren is harkening back to the old South’s “one drop rule” of “invisible blackness.” Supposedly any proof of sub-Saharan ancestry, even one drop of “black blood,” made one black and therefore subject to second-class citizenship." . . .

Now the new cultural divide is not North vs. South, but the blue-state coasts versus the red-state interior. The map has changed, but the new mindset of the chauvinist, mutatis mutandis, is eerily the same. In blue-state doctrine, a sinking middle class in the interior deserves to fail. But an upscale hip and cool professional elite is properly thriving on the East and West Coasts as never before — itself often supported by legions of poorly paid and mostly minority gardeners, housekeepers, and nannies who free up their supposed betters to pursue higher things without tending to the drudgery of diapers, cooking, and mowing.

. . .
Related:  Two people charged with defrauding minority set-aside program in Chicago  "When governments play favorites on the basis of race in awarding contracts, the real scandal isn't people who illegally pretend to be of the favored race or gender or ethnicity, but the discrimination practiced by the government.  That is my takeaway from this story by Samantha Bonkamp of the Chicago Tribune. " 

Austin Bomber(Mark Anthony Conditt) Bombs Himself

Still searching for writings or statements he might have made indicating his intentions. TD

Update from the Austin Statesman:  Authorities: Bombing suspect was Pflugerville resident Mark A. Conditt  . . . "He and his father, Pat Conditt, purchased a Pflugerville property last year that is now valued at about $69,000. The neighbor said Mark Conditt had been living in that house, which he built with his father’s help.

"They are not sure how the bombing suspect spent the past 24 hours and cautioned Austinites to remain vigilant in case the bomber sent more bombs that have not yet been found.Police said Wednesday morning that they believe one person created all of the explosive devices used in the recent bombings himself."   "This is a developing story; check back for updates."

Austin Bombing Suspect Blew Himself Up After Police Chase
Get the latest here, not from Geraldo.

. . . "Manley said they still do not have a motive and there may be bombs out there:"
. . . 

"The man terrorized Austin for the entire month. Anthony Stephan House, 39, died, after he picked up a package on his front porch on March 2. Draylen Mason, 17, died on March 12 when he picked up a package on his porch. That explosion injured his mother. Only hours later, another explosion happened and injured Esperanza Morena Herrera, 75.

"At first the police thought the suspect based his attacks on race. However, on Sunday, an explosion caused by a trip wire injured two white men as they rode on their bikes." . . .

The Jawa Report   "He's dead Jim!

The 24-year-old man who terrified residents of Austin, Texas, with a three-week bombing campaign that killed two people blew himself up on the side of a highway north of the city as police closed in on him early Wednesday, police officials said.
Police had tracked the suspect to a hotel near Austin, the state’s capital city, and were following his vehicle when he pulled to the side of the road and detonated a device, killing himself, Austin Police Chief Brian Manley told reporters near the scene.
“The suspect is deceased and has significant injuries from a blast that occurred from detonating a bomb inside his vehicle,” Manley told reporters. He said the suspect was white but declined to give his name.

"Some problems end up solving themselves."

Bomber has been identified as Mark Anthony Conditt.

Neighbors expressed shock that Conditt, who was homeschooled, was the bomber.
“I know this is a cliché but I just can’t imagine that,” one neighbor, whose children grew up playing with Conditt, told the Austin Statesman.
The local newspaper also reported that Conditt had received a degree from Austin Community College’s Northridge Campus. He had worked at Crux Semiconductor and as a computer repair technician.

Hills new fall protection.

Jeff Dawald at Expose Liberal Media Bias

‘That’s Not Going To Happen’ — Hillary Clinton Gets Triggered When Asked About Ivanka Trump Becoming First Female President . . . "“Apparently Ivanka Trump wants to be the first female President of the United States,” Dutch interviewer Eva Jinek said.

“"That’s not going to happen,” Clinton replied.

"When asked why Clinton thought it could never happen, she said that, “we don’t want any more inexperienced Trumps in the White House.”

“ 'I think that normally I would like to believe what you’re saying,” Jinek said, “but I’ve also learned after these elections that things that we don’t except to happen sometimes do happen.”

"Clinton said, “Well, that’s true, but you know, fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me. And I think the American people have seen for themselves what happens when a reality TV candidate wins, and I really believe there’s an enormous amount of pent-up energy to take the country back, away from the Trump administration.' ” . . .

LATEST: Hero Deputy Blaine Gaskill Took Out School Shooter

Blue Lives Matter  "St. Mary’s County, MD – The 17-year-old gunman* is dead, and two other students are wounded, after an early morning shooting at a St. Mary’s County high school.

One hopes the officer someday
 coming to our rescue will have that
same look on his face.

"Authorities have said that the school resource officer on duty at Great Mills High School engaged the shooter and stopped the threat, preventing additional loss of life.

“ 'School Resource Officer Deputy First Class Blaine Gaskill immediately responded and engaged the shooter,” St. Mary’s County Sheriff Tim Cameron said at a press conference on Tuesday afternoon.

“ 'He fired at the shooter and, almost simultaneously, the shooter fired,” Sheriff Cameron said.

"The sheriff identified the gunman* as a student named [name deleted out of spite], and said that he had opened fire with a Glock semi-automatic handgun just before 8 a.m. in Hallway F at the high school.

"Police said that [he] shot a 16-year-old female student and a 14-year-old male student before Deputy Gaskill fired the shot that stopped his rampage.

“ 'It sure sounds like this is exactly the way it should have been handled by a very good SRO who is also a SWAT team officer… while it’s tragic, he may have saved some other people’s lives,” Maryland Governor Larry Hogan said at the press conference.

"The sheriff said that only seconds – “less than a minute” – elapsed between the time when the first shot rang out, and when Deputy Gaskin eliminated the threat to other students in the hallway." . . .

Sure, you can see the kid's name at the link; it just won't come from me. Just be advised that the kid was white, so that should be the end of things. TD

* Referred to by radio host Rick Roberts as "gunkid".

Deputy Blaine Gaskill: 5 Fast Facts You Need to Know

Illegal immigrants, who dodged California ICE raid after Dem mayor's tip-off, re-arrested for new crimes

Fox News  "Three illegal immigrants, who avoided capture after Oakland Mayor Libby Schaaf blew the whistle on a raid by federal immigration authorities last month, have since been re-arrested for new crimes including robbery and spousal abuse, ICE officials said.

"Schaaf tweeted out a warning ahead of the raid in northern California last month, infuriating Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials and the Trump administration. 

“ 'How dare you!” Attorney General Jeff Sessions said in California this month, addressing Schaaf. “How dare you needlessly endanger the lives of our law enforcement officers to promote a radical, open borders agenda.”

"ICE officials eventually caught 232 illegal immigrants, many of them criminals, in the four-day sweep but said that hundreds more escaped because of Schaaf’s warning.But on Tuesday, officials said that at least three of those who were targeted in the raid, but were not apprehended, had since been arrested for additional crimes. 

"One was a Mexican national arrested for robbery and gun crimes, who was released back into the community for a prior offense despite an ICE detainer request in November." . . .

The Paradox of Dogma: How the Left Is Crippling Itself

 " . . . should one of these conservative students . . . seek to formally protest my liberal lies, the university would have my back. The same cannot be said of liberal students. All it takes is one slip . . . and that’s it, your classroom is triggering, you are insensitive, kids are bringing mattresses to your office hours and there’s a twitter petition out demanding you chop off your hand in repentance.

The Federalist

Alice Eve

"If you try to shut down public debate, is this a way of ensuring that you win—or an admission that you have already lost?

"The question seems relevant today, because the most remarkable characteristic of our current national debate is that one side wants desperately to stamp it out whenever it occurs.

"Recently, for example, a gay New York businessman had the temerity to sponsor a “fireside chat” with Republican presidential candidate and arch-conservative Ted Cruz. He was, of course, required to repent the error, calling it “a terrible mistake” to actually talk to a politician who disagrees with him about gay marriage. We can assume that no gay businessman or activist will repeat that error any time soon, which is the whole point.

"More recently, the actress Alice Eve got into trouble for stating the obvious fact that Bruce Jenner is not a woman. She, too, was forced to recant, concluding: “I felt confused and now I feel enlightened and like I know what education I need to move forward.”

"What gives this a creepy totalitarian feel is the way she found it necessary, not only to change her views, but to express gratitude for her re-education." . . .

Hat tip to Darrell Blaser

School Shooting At Maryland High School; Shooter Fatally Shot By Armed School Resource Officer

Daily Wire  "Sheriff Tim Cameron has confirmed that the student shooter was fatally shot by the trained school resource officer, according to The Associated Press." . . .  How about not publishing the name of the shooter, Rush asked.

When youth opine, they can often be as glib and shallow as we were in our day. Some of my opinions from high school are still embarrassing to me, but mostly self-righteous. If these kids continue to be celebrities their pompousity will last into their old age.

WATCH: Anti-Gun Parkland Students Give Most Insane, Embarrassing Interview Ever 

 "On Monday, Twitter hosted left-wing activists from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School for a talk about their "Never Again" movement where they answered questions that were submitted to them using the hashtag #AskMSDStudents.

"During the embarrassing interview, some of the students made wildly inaccurate statements that the moderator did not stop to challenge in what amounted to a circus show. 

Here are some of the highlights:

"David Hogg says white privilege is one of the biggest obstacles he's faced in his anti-gun agenda, and says media wouldn't cover the incident the same way in a black community "no matter how well those people spoke."

"Cameron Kasky says mass shootings like Parkland "happen every day."

(Topics of the video excerpts are here with the video links.)

. . . Hogg says it's "disgusting" that more minorities and women are not in government because "It creates this system where we have one line of thinking where it's a lot of rich white men like myself that are in politics."

 . . . Hogg says the NRA is making America a dictatorship: "These lobbyist groups like the NRA, they can buy our politicians but they can't buy our voices as American citizens and we need to realize that because when we don't, we don't have a democracy, we have a dictatorship."

 Hogg says it's not a "Democrat" or "Republican" issue as he downplays the importance of how the local police, FBI, and school officials failed, and claims Marco Rubio is responsible for all of them.

Hogg launches into a bizarre attack against Dana Loesch. He also claims that he is not trying to take anyone's guns as he asserts that people only have the right to own handguns and pistols.

McCabe gets fired for lying, and the press thinks the problem is Trump?

www.terrellaftermath.

Jack Hellner  . . . "It is a truly great day for America when bureaucrats and other powerful people finally are held to account for wrongdoing.  It is a very slow start.

Many people at the IRS, including Lois Lerner, should have been fired for violating people's constitutional rights, destroying documents, and lying about the whole thing.  Instead, she was getting bonuses and a huge pension.  Yet somehow the problem is Trump?

"Many people at the Veterans Administration cooked the books about veterans on waiting lists.  People died, and few if any were punished.  Many got bonuses for "good" results, and the problem is Trump?  

"Hillary Clinton and many others surrounding her continually violated security laws, destroyed documents, destroyed devices, and were protected by Obama and many at the FBI and Justice Department from prosecution, and the problem is that Trump celebrates when someone is held to account?" . . .

The Reckoning of the FBI Has Begun

"Friday's firing of FBI Deputy Director Andrew McCabe by Attorney General Jeff Sessions, based on a report from the Office of Professional Responsibility, is only the beginning of what is likely to be the most explosive series of revelations in American history.

"Forget Watergate. It will be the distant past once the inspector general's reports—there apparently will be more than one—start to come out. This will be the "Gate of Gates."

"From the FBI and across the intelligence agencies an astonishing number of people are going to find themselves accused, one can safely predict at this point, of some atrocious behavior in a free republic. And it will not just be the small change of Peter Strzok (the dimwitted director of counter-intelligence) and his gal pal Lisa Page. It will include—on one level or another—James Comey, Loretta Lynch, John Brennan, James Clapper, Susan Rice and, almost inevitably, Barack Obama, not to mention others known and unknown." . . .

Marxism For Our Times; The progressive agenda does not help the "have nots."

Weekly Standard

Marx's memorial in Moscow. Creative commons

. . . "Younger and Portney observe similar bahavior elsewhere, and illuminate this in part by taking the Communist Manifesto and replacing the word "communism" with activism and "bourgeois" and "proletarian" with "haves" and "have nots," which generates a surprisingly trenchant message." . . .

. . . 

Ethan Epstein sagely pointed out in these pages that Hillary Clinton's opining that the fact that the GDP in the states where she won in the 2016 election amounted to fully two-thirds of the country's total is somehow important would, in fact, be so only if we were to implicitly weight the importance of citizens by their income, a grotesque perspective but one that increasingly seems to comport with a progressive upper-class perspective that our net worth is somehow representative of someone’s individual worth.

"Achieving economic equality—or even something tantamount to an equality of opportunity—may represent the progressive cri de coeur, but many liberals seem fine with concomitantly pursuing various other social goals that come at the expense of the great unwashed and undermine that very goal."

Ike Brannon is a nonresident fellow at the Cato Institute.

Kissinger Endorses Trump’s Meeting with Kim Jong-un

National Review

"Henry Kissinger has endorsed President Trump’s planned meeting with North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, saying he thinks Trump’s unique style was instrumental in facilitating it.

“ 'The president has his own original style, and it’s unlikely to be changed at this stage of his life,” the former secretary of state told the New York Times. “But it also is conducive to bringing forward opportunities like this Korean conversation. It is not what we traditionalists would have recommended in the first place. . . . But I have to say, when I have thought it through, and how it could play out, it could restore a political initiative to us, and could compel a conversation with countries [who may not otherwise want one].”

"The legendary foreign-policy adviser received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for negotiating a ceasefire in Vietnam. Between 1969 and 1977, Kissinger was instrumental in ending the Vietnam War, opening communication and diplomatic relations with China for the first time since 1949, and easing the pressure of the Cold War." . . .

MAIREAD MCARDLE — Mairead McArdle is a news writer for National Review Online and a graduate of Thomas Aquinas College.

God’s Will as Something to Laugh About

Stephanie Ruhle of MSNBC had this to say the following day: “If you noticed when Larry Kudlow spoke on CNBC yesterday, he ended by saying, ‘However things work out, it will be God’s will.’” After laughing out loud, she added: “That’s an interesting way to talk about being the national economic adviser to the president, God’s will?”

National Review

"President Trump’s decision to appoint Larry Kudlow director of the National Economic Council was a big deal for free-market conservatives. The administration is not just picking up a competent policy wonk with significant experience and instincts in macroeconomics, but also adding a five-star talent in messaging and communications. As the vast majority of Americans are free-market-leaning, one could argue that the battle of public presentation is the need of the hour (versus, say, the Sandinista wing of the Democratic party, as manifested by Bernie Sanders, Elizabeth Warren, Bill de Blasio, and Kamala Harris). Coherent articulation of a market-driven prosperity message has been Kudlow’s bread and butter for most of his adult life. President Trump needs him. America will benefit.
. . . 
"There is no reason to overthink what a struggling anchor has to say about the high-profile Larry Kudlow. Humanistic elitism is not new, and if anything, the Joy Behars (though she at least can’t be accused of uttering her bigoted ignorance for clickbait) and Stephanie Ruhles of the world can be congratulated for occasional bouts of accidental transparency. Ruhle’s mockery of Christian faith is one step in the march the secularists intend for American life, a godless and faithless (and I assure you, hopeless) one. It does not stem from a desire for humanistic rationalism, one in which people would make better career and family decisions because they reject seeking God’s will. Rather, her comment was an attempt to sway the national conversation by mockery. If you can’t beat ’em, make fun of ’em." . . .

DAVID L. BAHNSEN — David L. Bahnsen is the founder and chief investment officer of the bicoastal Bahnsen Group wealth-management firm, a trustee at the National Review Institute, and the author of the new book Crisis of Responsibility: Our Cultural Addiction to Blame and How You Can Cure It.