The sexually frustrated killer who gunned down three women in a Pennsylvania health club, then committed suicide, blogged his preparations, with the final chilling entry announcing the “big day.”
George Sodini burst into the LA Fitness Gym in Bridgeville, near Pittsburgh, late on Tuesday and sprayed 36 bullets into a Latin dance class, hitting 12 people. On the eve of the killings, he wrote: “Took off today, Monday, and tomorrow to practice my routine and make sure it is well polished…. Tomorrow is the big day.”
[…]
The blog, which Supt. Moffatt said was being treated as genuine and was quickly pulled off the Internet, reveals the sinister, often banal mind of a man crippled by sexual frustration, anger at women, and depression.It listed his date of death, Aug. 4, 2009, and his status of “never married” and ended with the words “Death Lives.”
A picture of Mr. Sodini, 48, attached to the blog shows a lean, white male with slightly greying hair and wearing a smart blue shirt.
The police chief said the blog clearly showed “the hatred in him” and computer sleuths were looking into whether anyone saw the blog and if so, why they failed to report it.
You can read some of Sodini’s diary entries. You have to wonder, given our culture, how many more like him are out there, future killers or not.
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I’m disturbed by #7’s ‘liberal yet racist’ comment. Was that what you meant, or was it just quickly written? Like being a racist in liberal cirlces is anymore aberation than conservative.
I’m seeing the gist of your whole point, but…
The reference to social workers is correct. They are the initial contact/screen to route needful citizens to the proper resource.
I haven’t read articles on it lately but it used to amuse me to read about social programs that did not spend all their money. Seems the politicians pandered for votes by promising and even passing all kinds of expensive social programs and then avoided the need to pay for it by restricting access to the same programs. Easiest way?==Don’t advertise how to access the programs. Fire the social workers until their case loads were so high they didn’t have time to figure out what services their charges needed – and so on.
If guns are to remain legal, shouldn’t they at least be taxed to cover the social services their use requires?
One gun: $500 retail
Sales Tax: Whatever
Social Support Tax: $2,000/per year.
Then and only then gun ownership will be “responsible.”
#32–thinker==liberal vs conservative as a VERY ROUGH description of one continuum. What are the associations/definitions associated tendencies?
Liberal: wanting change.
Conservative: wanting no change.
What else is integration but change?
What else is not wanting integration but racism?
Hey, I’m sure you are a compassionate conservative. Doesn’t change the stripes of those you run with.
The guy doesn’t strike me as a liberal or even a democrat.
He seems angry in a Cheney like way. No?
Dallas, good point. I stopped reading his diary after 3 sentences. What to gain?
I guess its fair to call anyone who says its good Obama got elected a liberal? Then I guess later he says something racist.
But your point is valid–is it helpful to place crazy in the various political Procrustean beds?
It is worthwhile to think about what “being crazy” means. Its normally not an issue as long as one can “function” in society. Of note, is that being gay used to be a listed as a category of mental illness. Now it is not. Never listed: being functionally religious.
Go figure.
This a shame — a single man manages to take out an entire room of unarmed people (imagine what would happen with an entire unarmed nation).
Realistically, you couldn’t expect them to be armed in spandex, though. However, if I were family to one of the ones slain, I’d have a lawsuit against the gym for failing to provide an armed guard to prevent this from happening.
Loser==still functioning but totally broken.
#38 – bobbo
Incidentally, that’s also the definition of a republican.
(yet another non-story)
Manchurian Candidate.
(along with the tatonic parkway accident)
major distractions are needed because god forbid should the media start focusing on the insanity going on in congress..
oh and of course, we will see several more “loan wolf” mini-massacre killings in the next few months to build the crescendo outcry to ban all guns once for all.
(seems september/october are firming up to be tipping points for new legislation of some sort in a big way.)
failing that, Soon™ your entire online “persona” / history will be taken into account when applying for a gun permit, judging your character, -or anything else for that matter. (a huge mistake)
nothing good can ever come from a government full of lawyers.
-s
—
24, Phydeau
“And I don’t think he just wanted sex, I think he wanted a relationship.”
Prostitutes, especially when you’re a regular, ARE a relationship.
37 LiberyLover
“However, if I were family to one of the ones slain, I’d have a lawsuit against the gym for failing to provide an armed guard to prevent this from happening.”
You’re vision of America sucks. What good would the armed guard do when the guy walked into the room, TURNED OFF THE LIGHTS, and then started blasting? He didn’t care about numbers or his life. What would the armed guard do? Shoot into a darkened room or risk his life? No. He would take cover and call the cops.
I guess in your vision of America everywhere that you are not expected to be able to carry guns there should be an armed guard. Should that armed guard also strip search everyone that passes? Is that Lovin’Liberty?
40 soundwash,
You just reminded me of the Washinton DC sniper…
#40–soundwash==yes, there should be more “loan wolf” gun downs. But for the most part, these captains of industry still get treated with great respect. Money corrupting totally.
To your point though, doesn’t Loser demonstrate that a few indiscriminate crazy massacres by gun actually call out for More Guns?
Its the American Equation: got a problem with malaria? Add more mosquitoes.
Lawyers–don’t get misled. They are only one subset of those corrupted by money. Follow the money, not the degrees.
Jag: I don’t think the Repuglicans are functioning. Being bailed out left and right as they are. But most would agree with you.
Yeah, after the fact, these videos seem crazy. But before he shot the gym up? Who the hell would’ve predicted it.
Hindsight, and all.
And to everyone who doesn’t want to ‘give this guy publicity’:
Are you serious? OK, lets never try to figure out why people do this stuff. Don’t analyze it, don’t think about it. We don’t want to make this guy famous!
I never, ever have been able to understand that logic.
His videos were not interesting to me *until* he opened fire.
My thoughts are with the victims of this violent and senseless act. That is all I want to say.
#41, You could always move to one of those countries that have already outlawed them.
Why get so frustrated with us gun nuts? Go where you are really wanted!
>> moondawg said, on August 6th, 2009 at 10:30 am
>> #11,
>> Social Worker != Counselor.
>> The reason people are cynical about Social Workers is that they think they are Counselors,
I’m not sure your point — I’m talking about spending of money on public mental health services — counselors, social workers, clinics, etc.
>> This guy needed a counselor, not a social worker.
I sort-of disagree but get your point.
If somebody was alarmed by him (likely!) they could express their concern to some local authority — typically the cops.
In a “liberal” government, a social worker would be sent to make initial contact and get him hooked-up with a counselor, encourage him to join an anger-management group, check to see if he is on parole, etc.
But conservatives don’t believe in this kind of pro-active government services even if they are cost-effective in the long-run.
(BTW not to nitpick but aren’t LCSWs as trained to do counseling as MFCCs?)
Everyone suffers frustration, feels rejection, and we’re all isolated by the way we react to what we perceive. This guy perceived his world as a heartless place, with himself as the poor sensitive victim. Sickeningly pathetic!
#48:
“But conservatives don’t believe in this kind of pro-active government services even if they are cost-effective in the long-run.”
Cost-effective?
Not to be harsh, but how does a large gov’t program like that cost less than the loss of the (I’m guessing) less than a hundred people who die in these spree killings every year?
I’m being serious. I’m curious what the cost is.
That said, I’m guessing we’ll see a lot of people on the news saying things like, “he was a real quiet nice guy and we never suspected a thing.”
Anyways, a gov’t counseling program is ripe for abuse.
We don’t need to give another federal office the power to strip people of their rights because some bureaucrat things their ‘crazy’, based off a call-in tip system.
#25, the Confederate Traitor,
Mr. Fusion, some might think YOU need to be reported.
So this is how the Liebertarians want us to live. Reporting on each other.
My concern isn’t to “report” people like this, it is allowing them the freedom to stockpile guns as if nothing is wrong.
I bet this guy votes Democrat.
30 million women rejected him, guess E harmony didn’t work. Still no reason to go postal. Was he sick probably. Now he’s a corpse. Legalize suicide do it and stop sucking oxygen away from people who can actually use it. Am I cold your damn right. If I decide to off myself the only person I am taking with me is me. Stupid prick. Ok so my rant is somewhat incoherent its been a long day. Time for dinner and a shower.
Not everyone collects guns to attack unarmed women in spandex Bobbo.
Some collect them in order to protect society from those that would take away our freedoms.
Whether you want to accept the fact that we now have more to fear from Obomba and his administration than GW is up to you. I along with others don’t trust them.
#55–Now Diesel==where is the pleasure/reward in posting to someone we already know has a closed mind on the subject? Give a good answer and we both will be educated.
The “guns” you need to balance the power of the USA Government to do whatever they want to you are kept out of your hands, legally, as approved by the NRA, the Supreme Court, and Common Sense. The Dogma you evidently live to spew that guns protect you from your government is fantasy asperger speech. Yet you still function. You do function don’t you Diesel?
Its never been an issue of “trust” but rather the recognition of the limitations of what the governed masses can do. Lowered Expectations. Finding pleasure/meaning in what IS available to me rather than a life of gun loving irrationality dissatisfied/fearful/unfulfilled by what I can’t control.
Ultimately, we are both on the same side Diesel. Under the boot of the same tyrant, arguing with one another, but still under the boot.
Go ahead: tell me you aren’t under any boot. Hah. hah.
30 Million. I thought that was very positive thinking. He must be willing to settle for anyone in his age range without regard to religion, education, child status, money handling philosophy, curiosity, education, love of travel, music, camping, talking, thinking, loving, NRA Membership, etc. ALL those other variables that when honestly assessed leave every healthy person with about a few thousand choices?
I think the mentally unhealthy actually have more to choose from. -?- I often wish I was a simple foot fethisher for example. All those catalogues, shoes relatively cheap and plentiful. OOOOOOOH for the life of perversion.
But we function on far less than what makes us thrive.
#39, Jag,
Very observant and quite pertinent.
#52, Confederate Traitor,
Do you have anything that isn’t propaganda? I am not interested in nor will I waste my time with garbage. If I have to waste my time I’ll just scoot on over to XNXX.COM and waste it there.
>> Mr Diesel said, on August 6th, 2009 at 2:46 pm
>> Not everyone collects guns to attack unarmed women in spandex Bobbo.
>> Some collect them in order to protect society from those that would take away our freedoms
And who would that be, in your mind?
From my perspective, it is the conservatives who are the biggest threat to my freedom.
How might a gun protect me from conservatives?
>> LibertyLover said, on August 6th, 2009 at 11:42 am
<< This a shame — a single man manages to take out an entire room of unarmed people (imagine what would happen with an entire unarmed nation).
It wouldn't have mattered if they where gun owners.
That's the dirty secret that the gun industry won't tell you — guns SUCK as a defense tool.
Guns are GREAT for killing OTHER people but are PRACTICALLY USELESS for preventing YOURSELF from being killed.
>> brm said, on August 6th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
>> Cost-effective?
>> Not to be harsh, but how does a large gov’t program like that cost less than the loss of the (I’m guessing) less than a hundred people who die in these spree killings every year?
>> I’m being serious. I’m curious what the cost is.
You are not harsh at all — thanks for asking.
I’m not just talking about killers — but the mentally ill, drug addicts and other dysfunctional people — many who end up in prison if there is no intervention.
This has had the hell studied out of it — it clearly saves money to keep people OUT of prison.
It costs nearly $45K a year to incarcerate a prisoner. That buys a lot of social work and counseling!
Plus a guy holding a job brings _IN_ tax revenues so that’s a few more thousand dollars saved every year.
You see where I’m coming from?
I’ve read that there is no organized effort at monitoring this type of “rant-speech” on the internet. Wouldn’t this be censorship? Could the content “cross a line” somewhere?
Supposedly, there are certain words that when spoken over a telephone start a recoding of the call. Could the internet become that way with text, video or audio? This type of content is referred to as open source intelligence. Isn’t Google working on such a media analyzer – with its ownership of YouTube, image searches that can key in on faces, the Goog411 service that records all calls, etc.
Lastly, what laws would come into effect when the hosting service for these videos is from India? Does that mean the server is in India too?
I know it’s a lot of questions but food for thought.