Caller 10

Most politicians and most thought leaders in the old media are reactive, and I'm not saying that this will change.

Merely that what they react to will change because of who is in charge now and because of the desperation of the times brought on by Republican policies, which is going to paint a target on the backs of conservative leaders as large as the targets they've been painting on the backs of dissidents. And all of this means one thing, which is we're approaching the age of weird terror.

Merely that what they react to will change because of who is in charge now and because of the desperation of the times brought on by Republican policies, which is going to paint a target on the backs of conservative leaders as large as the targets they've been painting on the backs of dissidents. And all of this means one thing, which is we're approaching the age of weird terror.

Merely that what they react to will change because of who is in charge now and because of the desperation of the times brought on by Republican policies, which is going to paint a target on the backs of conservative leaders as large as the targets they've been painting on the backs of dissidents. And all of this means one thing, which is we're approaching the age of weird terror.

So much has happened in this shitty, stupid year that I think we've all forgotten 2025 opened with a military veteran blowing himself up in a Cybertruck in front of the Trump Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

So much has happened in this shitty, stupid year that I think we've all forgotten 2025 opened with a military veteran blowing himself up in a Cybertruck in front of the Trump Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

So much has happened in this shitty, stupid year that I think we've all forgotten 2025 opened with a military veteran blowing himself up in a Cybertruck in front of the Trump Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

His reasoning was based as much on the numerous head injuries he'd suffered in his service as it was on his exposure to right-wing propaganda, which convinced him that the Democrats needed to be dealt with. But he saw things clearly enough to know that yet another mass shooting or self-immolation or even a run-of-the-mill bomb wouldn't have garnered him or his manifesto any attention.

His reasoning was based as much on the numerous head injuries he'd suffered in his service as it was on his exposure to right-wing propaganda, which convinced him that the Democrats needed to be dealt with. But he saw things clearly enough to know that yet another mass shooting or self-immolation or even a run-of-the-mill bomb wouldn't have garnered him or his manifesto any attention.

His reasoning was based as much on the numerous head injuries he'd suffered in his service as it was on his exposure to right-wing propaganda, which convinced him that the Democrats needed to be dealt with. But he saw things clearly enough to know that yet another mass shooting or self-immolation or even a run-of-the-mill bomb wouldn't have garnered him or his manifesto any attention.

So instead, he picked a Cybertruck and a Trump building, symbols of the two most viral men of our very stupid era, and he blew one of those up in front of the other. And by gummit, we all did pay attention. For a few days, at least.

So instead, he picked a Cybertruck and a Trump building, symbols of the two most viral men of our very stupid era, and he blew one of those up in front of the other. And by gummit, we all did pay attention. For a few days, at least.

So instead, he picked a Cybertruck and a Trump building, symbols of the two most viral men of our very stupid era, and he blew one of those up in front of the other. And by gummit, we all did pay attention. For a few days, at least.

Late last year, an anonymous gunman, the government believes to be Luigi Mangione, was even more successful at holding our attention with an even stranger attack, a brazen and nigh-perfectly executed assassination carried out by a man with a dazzling smile and the wisdom to pick the most universally hated target that exists today, a healthcare CEO.

Late last year, an anonymous gunman, the government believes to be Luigi Mangione, was even more successful at holding our attention with an even stranger attack, a brazen and nigh-perfectly executed assassination carried out by a man with a dazzling smile and the wisdom to pick the most universally hated target that exists today, a healthcare CEO.

Late last year, an anonymous gunman, the government believes to be Luigi Mangione, was even more successful at holding our attention with an even stranger attack, a brazen and nigh-perfectly executed assassination carried out by a man with a dazzling smile and the wisdom to pick the most universally hated target that exists today, a healthcare CEO.

We have all watched so many mass shootings at schools, at grocery stores, nightclubs, everywhere imaginable, that they've lost the ability to shock us. But targeted assassinations of people at the top of the food chain are so rare that they can't help but draw eyeballs. And sheer, rollicking strangeness, like we saw in Vegas, has a captivating power all its own.

We have all watched so many mass shootings at schools, at grocery stores, nightclubs, everywhere imaginable, that they've lost the ability to shock us. But targeted assassinations of people at the top of the food chain are so rare that they can't help but draw eyeballs. And sheer, rollicking strangeness, like we saw in Vegas, has a captivating power all its own.

We have all watched so many mass shootings at schools, at grocery stores, nightclubs, everywhere imaginable, that they've lost the ability to shock us. But targeted assassinations of people at the top of the food chain are so rare that they can't help but draw eyeballs. And sheer, rollicking strangeness, like we saw in Vegas, has a captivating power all its own.

We will see more of both kinds of attacks in the arson attempt on Governor Shapiro's home, bizarre at least for the extensive damage done, might be seen as another data point on this list. But as new figures rise to prominence within new protest movements, we will see attempts to kill them.