Leftist Nut Jared Loughner?

Was the Arizona shooter a left-wing radical, maybe even a Communist?

There is anecdotal evidence and quotes from individuals in various news sources that support the inference that the alleged shooter in yesterday's Arizona assassination attempt on Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords may have been a left-wing sympathizer, rather than any supporter of any of various "right-wing" causes. (As reported earlier, it took only hours for some elected officials and law enforcement officials -- all of whom should have known better -- to declare that political vitriol, bigotry and talk radio were to blame for the assassination attempt.)

An alternative news weekly, the Phoenix New Times, reports that one high-school classmate described Loughner as a "left-wing pothead."  Another Arizona Republic article includes a reference to him as a "goth" who always wore black, even on the hottest days (in Arizona, that's really saying something).   In the meantime, officials of some Tea Party organizations in Arizona rushed to deny any association with Loughner, correctly anticipating being a target of the blame game from various quarters.

The political blame game calls to mind the political tactic of the "false flag," which involves committing an act for the purposes of blaming it on political opposition and ultimately serving the ends of the responsible party.  Under this theory, it is plausible to view much of the "blame" going around as a form of disinformation.

From a lawyer's perspective, the complexity of such theories and the common, incredible deviousness -- and evil -- of the parties involved calls for a great deal of patience, emotional maturity and diligence in order to fully investigate the causes and ultimately reach the correct conclusion. 

Eric Dixon is a New York lawyer.   Mr. Dixon is available for comment at 917-696-2442 and via e-mail at edixon@NYBusinessCounsel.com.