Reply #17: I'm not saying he's blameless.

[intheflow]

But I do think it's highly likely that his mental state was influenced by Christian bullying post-9/11. That, and his head being fucked up by listening to god only knows how many hundreds of GIs telling him about what triggered their PTSD; and his easy and Army-trained access to guns; and his anger at the military for blowing off his pleas to not be sent overseas--even when he offered to pay for his education! All contributed to this tragedy. That doesn't mean I think he shouldn't be held accountable for his actions. It just means I see that he was a product of his environment, he's caught up in the evil web that is a real part of our armed forces today.