CA Cop Shooter Upset at ‘Left-Wing Agenda’

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From San Francisco Chronicle

A 45-year-old parolee, described by his mother as angry at left-wing politicians, opened fire on California Highway Patrol officers on an Oakland freeway early Sunday and was hit by return fire while wearing body armor, authorities said.

Byron Williams of Groveland (Tuolumne County) was taken to the emergency room at Highland Hospital, where he was in stable condition.

Williams watched the news on television and was upset by “the way Congress was railroading through all these left-wing agenda items,” his mother said.

Golly, I wonder what channel Williams watched for his “news on television”.

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UPDATE 7/20/10: A few more details now from AP:

Police say a California man arrested after a freeway shootout with authorities was planning to attack people at the American Civil Liberties Union and another nonprofit group.

Oakland police Officer Jeff Thomason says Byron Williams was upset with the ACLU and Tides Foundation for their political views.

He was arraigned Tuesday on four counts of attempted murder, plus weapons enhancements. He was released from the hospital earlier in the day after being treated for injuries from the shootout.

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16 Comments on “CA Cop Shooter Upset at ‘Left-Wing Agenda’

  1. Kinda curious as to the nature of these left-wing agenda items that are being railroaded through by Congress.

    Lemme see here…

    Legalize pot? Nope.
    Legalize gay marriage? Don’t think so.
    Withdrawal from Iraq and Afghanistan. Hmmm…?
    Single-payer health care. Wrong again.
    Extending unemployment benefits? Maybe that’ll happen…
    Slash DoD budget? Good luck on that!
    Reverse Bush tax cuts for the wealthy and increase the corporate tax rate? Hasn’t happened yet.

    So…am I unaware of the left-wing agenda or something? Maybe it was the deep-sea drilling moratorium that pushed him over the edge.

    And why take it out on cops, Lord knows they are generally a little more to the right of…well, me for instance. (but then again, who isn’t?)

    Faux News really does a number on the weak-minded.

  2. release the hounds!

    it musta been the FinReg bill. damn pinko commies(not that there’s anything wrong w/that)

    Soul R., from one rebel to another…what is left after the left has left?

  3. C’mon Soul. Left-wing. You know. Like the way they’re socializing the health care system. You know they are. And they goddamn socialized General Motors. And they had a bank social. And damn it to hell if they ain’t gonna socialize them unemployment benefits. And you know it’s only a matter of time before all those dead dolphins and crabs and fish and chips in the gulf are gonna come back as some kinda all hail the zombie aquatic and demand some kinda socialization of all the oceans and then where’ll we be? You and all the rest of whoever you are are fooling yourselfs and your house elfs.

  4. Leftists constantly call white conservative males racist violent terrorists. So we might as well live up to your image.
    We are tired of arguing with mentally ill liberals who at the same time say Obama’s agenda is succeeding, that our way of life will be destroyed for “progress” and then say the same things as the 2 posters before me.
    We are waking up, and things are going to get ugly.

  5. Dear RightWingTerrorist @4,

    If you can point out to me ANYONE, mentally ill or not, here at Bradblog who says that Obama’s agenda is succeeding at ANYTHING, I’d be most interested to read it.

    Things are already ugly. They’ve been ugly for some time. But thanks for the threats. Have you thought about the diplomatic corps?

  6. Why the left claims Obama is a mystery to me, a true progressive and liberal and socialist. I don’t see Obama as anywhere left of center. After George Bush and cronies, I guess Genghis Khan would be considered a liberal.

    It seems to me that every move Obama has made has been coldly calculated to NOT be a progressive move. He is slightly right of center most of the time, which does poor people, minorities, kids and old people no good at all. In fact, the only people he really seems to care about are the major corporations. He is helping them fleece the citizenry in many ways, IMHO to reap the rewards of political support ($$$$).

  7. Totally agree with Comment #5 where David Lasanga says: “If you can point out to me ANYONE, mentally ill or not, here at Bradblog who says that Obama’s agenda is succeeding at ANYTHING, I’d be most interested to read it.”

    Actually, now that I reread your comments, I don’t agree at all. I believe Obama’s agenda of a corptocracy and plutocracy is proceeding fine, which is in no way an agenda of socialism, liberalism, progressivism or even democratism.

  8. Let me clarify my take on Obama, for the Obama apologists:

    Obama is not a leader on your side. He is another politician, playing the politics game, the inside track, the elite, the “sequestered in the beltway”, the moneyed interests, the ivory tower, the shakedown, the breaking international law because it’s okay in the polls and the always potent “we didn’t make this mess”. He is owned by the corporate world, as evidenced by the inability to take charge (in any way other than to completely undermine the public option at every turn) during the health care debate or during the BP debacle (we’ll just let BP handle it …). He promised hope and change. We’re still hoping for change. You’re NEVER gonna get any substantive change from him, he is just too weak or is scared to take on the odious right wing. We need a lion, not a lawyer.

  9. Sliderossian…you must be new here 🙂 Good to have you.

    (Psst. We already figured it out about Obama…we are none too happy.)

    BTW, Mr. RightWingTerrorist, if I and my “comrades” can make it through 8 years of Bush without blowing a gasket and shooting up the saloon, I think that barring violent mental illness on your part, you can do the same. Since you have managed to be diverted to this blog somehow, why don’t you invest yourself in getting educated about a real threat to democracy and freedom – election fraud and electronic voting.

  10. RightWingTerrorist is right. This is America – when you get tired of arguing with someone, then just start shooting people. And if someone calls you a name, then you are compelled to act accordingly.

    RWT, you’re a suicidal moron. : )

  11. Hmmn… the only talk radio Groveland can get is “Conservative.” Wanna bet he’s been listening to Rushbo?

  12. Actually suew, Williams targeted a group called “The Tides” which has been repeatedly attacked by Glenn Beck.

    So this wasn’t one of Rushbo’s assassins, it was one of Glenn Beck’s assassins.

  13. @ Sue W – turns out it was Glenn Bleck:

    “…Beck has done all he can to scare the hell out of people about the Tides Foundation and “turn the light of day” onto an organization that actually facilitates non-profit giving.

    “And guess what? Everybody in America would have found out about the Tides Foundation last week if Byron Williams had had his way. He’s the right-wing, government-hating, gun-toting nut who strapped on his body armor, stocked a pickup truck with guns and ammo, and set off up the California coast to San Francisco in order to start killing employees at the previously obscure Tides Foundation in hopes of sparking a political revolution.

    “Thankfully, the planned domestic terrorist attack never came to pass because California Highway Patrol officers pulled Williams over for drunk driving on his way to his killing spree. Williams quickly opened fire, wounding two officers during a lengthy shootout. Luckily, Williams wasn’t able to act out the ultimate goal of his dark anger — fueled by the TV news he watched — about how “Congress was railroading through all these left-wing agenda items,” as his mother put it. Williams wasn’t able to open fire inside the offices of the Tides Foundation, an organization “nobody knew” about until Glenn Beck started targeting it.

    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/eric-boehlert/glenn-becks-incendiary-an_b_660429.html

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