My first thought exactly. I suppose that just shows that I'm and sociopathic criminal just waiting for the opportunity to snap...and take out my frustrations on rural mailboxes? What a weird world we live in.
A long time ago, I toyed with the idea of going to law school, and while considering my next move, I interned at the Hennepin County Public Defender's office right after graduating from college (it's always good to intern after you've earned your degree. You don't make any money AND you don't earn any credits). The interns interviewed the clients, witnesses, victims, etc., and prepared reports, timelines etc. for the PD's to use at trial. Of course, the vast majority of cases pleaded out and never got that far, bu it was incredibly eye opening. Two things that I learned-
1.) If you find yourself in the middle of a gang shooting make sure you are the target, because the odds are the only people who will be hit are innocent bystanders.
2.) None of the clients I interviewed ever thought they would be caught. Every one of them was certain that they were smarter than the police, sherriff, BCA, and the County Attorney combined (OK, to be fair, I doubt any of them actually knew than Minnesota has a BCA...). I found this attitude amazing. How arrogant do you have to be to have that sort of worldview? And how naive? Even if you were smarter than each and every individual in law enforcement, at what point do they start to out think you just by sheer force of numbers? I think that attitude is common among criminals though. On the other hand, I'm absolutely certain that I'm going to be audited, pulled over for speeding, fined for watering my lawn on an even day or whatever. Somehow, I got the sense of guilt drilled into me early on, and it never, ever goes away.
You know, there was a more pertinent point when I started writing that seems to have escaped me at the moment...
2.) None of the clients I interviewed ever thought they would be caught. Every one of them was certain that they were smarter than the police, sherriff, BCA, and the County Attorney combined (OK, to be fair, I doubt any of them actually knew than Minnesota has a BCA...). I found this attitude amazing. How arrogant do you have to be to have that sort of worldview? And how naive? Even if you were smarter than each and every individual in law enforcement, at what point do they start to out think you just by sheer force of numbers? I think that attitude is common among criminals though. On the other hand, I'm absolutely certain that I'm going to be audited, pulled over for speeding, fined for watering my lawn on an even day or whatever. Somehow, I got the sense of guilt drilled into me early on, and it never, ever goes away.
Interesting post, thanks.
There's a great thread that has the full text of this kid's letters. It's much longer than the one page excerpt that's been posted already.
The kid's not a frustrated, anti-government type.
The kid is a wacked out, lunatic, energetic Shirley MacLaine type!
Check it out: Herald receives letter from pipe bomb suspect (Full text of 7-page letter with pics!)
Mark W.