Posted on 04/16/2012 8:41:47 AM PDT by marktwain
Anders Behring Breivik’s on trial for the murder of 77 people last July: killing eight people with a bomb planted in Oslo’s government district and shooting 69 people (mostly children) at the Labor Party’s youth camp on Utoya island outside the capital. The Norwegian spree killer’s claiming he launched his shooting and bombing attacks in self-defense—a plea designed to afford Breivik an opportunity to air his anti-Islamic views. As the AP reports, Breivik wasted no time taking advantage of the live worldwide coverage of his prosecution . . .
Dressed in a dark suit and sporting a thin beard along his jawline, Breivik smiled as a guard removed his handcuffs in the crowded court room. The 33-year-old then flashed a closed-fist salute, before shaking hands with prosecutors and court officials.“I don’t recognize Norwegian courts because you get your mandate from the Norwegian political parties who support multiculturalism,” Breivik said in his first comments to the court.
Breivik’s claim that his anti-immigrant slaughter was an act of “preventative” self-defense has less of a chance of leading to an acquittal that a legal strategy based on alien abduction.
In fact, like all spree killers, Breivik has a pretty good argument that he’s nuttier than a Julekake. An idea that the defendant is determined to quash as publicly as possible, even as the court does it level best to lay the groundwork for the inevitable insanity ruling (which will justify the court’s decision not to give Breivik—or anyone else—the needle).
Interestingly, the mainstream media has focused on Breivik’s maybe-not-so-silly contention that he’s a part of a group the killer calls ”Knights Templar 2083.” While conspiracy theorists rejoice, the truth may be more prosaic.
The live-bloggers at the Telegraph reveal that the independently wealthy Norwegian spent an awful lot of time playing World of Warcraft online. (As do some of the game’s 12m players.) After earning a nest egg from selling telephones and (allegedly) fake diplomas, Breivik devoted an entire year of his life to the game as “Justicar Andersnordic.”
Breivik’s bedroom is a tiny garret, just big enough for a bed, a computer, some garish artwork and an absurdly oversized safe on the floor.If you were asked how an unemployed, psychotic fantasist would fill his many empty hours, you would predict that he would submerge himself in some wantonly violent, virtual reality computer game.
Breivik mastered all 85 levels of “World of Warcraft”.
“Wantonly violent”? Warcraft gamers should be thankful (in a horrible sort of way) that the media is focusing on Breivik’s racist views rather than his obsessive gaming. It’s too bad the Norwegians couldn’t get Breivik to plead out and avoid a trial, saving everyone the agony of listening to his arrogant racist rantings.
Or not. The trial will eventually highlight the pathetic police response to Breivik’s shooting spree and, perhaps, bring to light the dangers of a gun-free zones. Well, if not in the mainstream media then here on TTAG. Again. Still.
Clearly we must make MMORPGs illegal. Think of the children.
...and had no sex life. No wonder he went a bit over the edge.
Horde or Alliance?
What is the big deal? There is no death penalty and how much time can he get in Norway anyways? Do they have life imprisonment, or are they like Germany with the maximum sentence being fifteen years?
“Clearly we must make MMORPGs illegal. Think of the children.”
Agreed. The number of pizzas and soft drinks these so called ‘players’ have massacred over the years is unconscionable, as is their impact on the environment. Time to end it.
Or just make computers and the Internet illegal. That would solve multiple problems.
Ah, they’re up to 85 levels now? Blizzard lost me after Wrath.
IIRC the latter, for 20 years. They will probably declare him mental and institutionalize him till he dies.
I wonder how quickly they’ll restock that school with little freedom and liberty haters in training.
“Ah, they’re up to 85 levels now? Blizzard lost me after Wrath.”
It will be 90 in the new xpac. Very mixed feelings in the base about the xpac. Looks like sugar shock to me.
I was a story loyalist, and when they started messing with the different races, I got seriously turned off. Blood Elves... okay, believable. The Goblin race, fine, that’s applicable. Now they’re talking about Pandas? WTF?
I’ve got it. Anything with an IC chip is illegal. In case anyone gets the wise idea...vacuum tubes too.
Yes. My kid and I are still in denial.
This isn’t the first time I’ve seen some disapproving nanny-state glare thrown at the game. One of the things that has to annoy party hacks and control freaks everywhere is the amount of skeptical discussions in game about political factions, ideaologies and personalities. Very unscripted, irreverent and critical. Like coffeeshops in the Islamic world, someone is going to want to shut off all that thinking and talking going on in there.
THAT is extremely funny right there. I'm definitely going to use that phrase the next time I get a chance. As a person with a level 85 character in WoW I can assure you that it takes absolutely no mastery of any kind to get to lvl 85. Just keep walking into things and dying long enough and you'll get there. Many players will tell you that the game really doesn't even start until you reach lvl 85.
(Why yes, I am a grown man and happily married. What kind of question is that?)
It will just start again somewhere else. A perpetual game of cat and mouse.
P.S. I so despise the nanny-state moral busybodies.
I read that Norwegian prisoners have rights to conjugal visits and have a maximum life sentence of 21 years. Here is an article that details some of that information:
http://prasetio30.hubpages.com/hub/The-Most-Luxurious-Prison-In-The-World-Complete-With-Pictures
LOL! I think it is safe to assume that anyone who claims as bragging rights that he reached 85 levels in any game probably does not have much of a life, period.
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