Strange Religion

It's weird the arbitrary standards people will set for themselves in their pursuit of righteousness. You probably know that the Amish eschew electricity in their homes for religious reasons. But did you know that they think it's ok if they have electricity in their barns? (At least, that's the case among the Kentucky Amish that I'm familiar with.) I'm sure they could explain that in some way that makes sense within the confines of Amish logic (is it ok for the Amish to have logic?), but still, on it's face, it makes their rejection of modernity seem less like a holy sacrifice and more like pious posing.

I was reminded of that by this: yet another story of a guy who thinks it's righteous to blow stuff up because he's "anti-war":

The eight Congressional Representatives from New York City all received a copy of a picture of the targeted office, showing deliberate premeditated intent to hit the recruiting center.
...

The content of the letters is now known, and it is an anti-war rant:

...

The manila envelopes contained a photo of a man standing in front of the recruiting station, according to a Democratic aide who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter is under investigation. The photo was the kind commonly sent as a holiday greeting card.

The message on the card: “Happy New Year, We Did It.”

The envelope also contained a packet of approximately 10 sheets of paper that seemed to be a political manifesto railing against the Iraq war...

Mr. Psycho Greeting Card gives us an example of people who think that, because they disagree with America blowing up other places, they are justified in blowing up parts of America. The military's bombs are evil, but their bombs are righteous. This is a rite of his religion, but it's not the jihad kind.

If he had tossed his bomb into a kindergarten or a restaurant, I'd guess it was a Muslim terrorist. Because that's what terrorists do -- they attack people in places they feel comfortable. They don't attack military targets -- not even recruiting offices -- because that doesn't help them get what they want.

This was a statement bomb, and the most important thing to the bomber was the statement he was making about himself. So I will bet that this guy is 100% pure-bred, middle-class, public school educated American; someone who has been taught all his life that America is the source of injustice, and the just are those who oppose it.

Now, is he also crazy? Well, heck yeah, but even the nuts among us can pick up on the signals we send about what's right and what's wrong.

Update: It's not just a religion, it's a religious movement. Michelle Malkin traces the path of destruction left by the devout.