Alleged White House Shooter Was Driven by His Weird Obsessions
Was Oscar Ramiro Ortega-Hernandez, the 21-year-old Idaho man accused of shooting at the White House, motivated by 11/11/11 Fever, or the belief that he was on a mission from God? Investigators tell the Associated Press that both factors, actually, may have led him to leave two bullets in President Barack Obama's window on Friday.
Ortega-Hernandez is supposed to appear in federal court in Pittsburgh (Go Penguins) today. According to officials who have spoken with him, he was reportedly obsessed with 11/11/11—the date the shooting took place—and believed the world would end on that day. (Was he correct? I haven't been outside since then.) He's also allegedly obsessed with President Barack Obama, which would make sense to us if it was a "looks thing," because the president is hot—but according to one official, Ortega-Hernandez's obsession is based upon his hatred for Obama. He also "hates" Washington (we can understand that a bit) and "society." He doesn't belong to any radical organizations, but is radically religious enough on his own. His mental health is now under investigation.
Might Ortega-Hernandez also been driven to carry out his pointless act based on an obsession with Christmas? Indiana, Pennsylvania, the town where he was arrested, is the renowned "Christmas Tree Capital of the World" (and a place we know well) because of its many tree farms. And Jimmy Stewart, who starred in the Christmas movie It's a Wonderful Life, was born there. Christmas is mere weeks away (unless, you know, the world ended). Just putting it out there.
