16 Comments
User's avatar
⭠ Return to thread
Ethan (KingofSpades)'s avatar

The suspect arrested for torching a part of Governor Shapiro's home said he planned to beat Shapiro with a hammer if he saw him: https://www.spotlightpa.org/news/2025/04/pennsylvania-governor-mansion-arson-attack-hammer-shapiro/ It's like Paul Pelosi again, but also potentially a religious hate crime. They had the Seder the night before the fire.

Expand full comment
MPC's avatar

It is definitely a religious hate crime. The suspect needs to have the book thrown at him.

Expand full comment
Paleo's avatar

How do you know? Simply because it was the first night of Passover? You’d need more evidence than that.

Expand full comment
MPC's avatar

The timing of the attack, the religion of the governor and his family... it's circumstantial. The suspect isn't stupid, he chose that day for a reason.

Expand full comment
Paleo's avatar

And you know that for a fact? That he chose that day for that reason.

Expand full comment
Kildere53's avatar

100%. The fact that it happened during Passover like this makes it obvious.

Anyone who claims that this isn't an antisemitic hate crime is someone who should never be paid attention to, about anything, ever again.

And this really isn't a difficult argument to make. I mentioned this to several conservative-leaning friends of mine at work, and they quickly accepted it. (They had read about the incident, but they hadn't realized that the Governor of PA is Jewish.)

Expand full comment
PollJunkie's avatar

That's most likely but from what I saw from images in social media, he hated democrats, he hated maga, he liked libertarian and gun memes and had a history of violent threats with images in which he throttled guns in a menacing way. The state of Pennsylvania had seized his house which also might have been the cause.

Expand full comment
ArcticStones's avatar

American mainstream news media need to ask three highly relevant questions:

1.) What is Cody Balmer’s background?

2) How was Cody Balmer radicalized, and by whom?

3) Why is Trump remaining rather silent?

Expand full comment
Diogenes's avatar

Balmer has admitted to "harboring hatred" toward Governor Shapiro. He also has a history of expressing animosity toward Joe Biden and his supporters. He posted: “Biden supporters shouldn’t exist. Where were you his first run? Well aware of the trash he is.” In 2016, Balmer pleaded guilty to forgery and theft. He is still facing trial on a 2023 assault charge. Trump today is too busy gloating over his refusal to retrieve an innocent man he abducted and sent to a hellish Salvadoran prison.

Expand full comment
Guy Cohen's avatar

Balmer seemed to hate both parties equally, from what I heard.

Expand full comment
Ethan (KingofSpades)'s avatar

Some kinda dirtbag cynic.

Expand full comment
Diogenes's avatar

Balmer expressed his disdain for Democrats several times on social media, but where is the evidence of any animosity toward Republicans?

Expand full comment
Guy Cohen's avatar

He shared memes criticizing Trump on social media too.

Expand full comment
Diogenes's avatar

I haven't seen any reporting on that.

Expand full comment
michaelflutist's avatar

Where the Hell was security? This is incomprehensible, and I hope every other level of government throughout the country is doing a much better job than this! Whoever was supposed to be in charge needs to be fired!

Expand full comment
Andrew's avatar

Seeing a picture of him was unsettling. Another creepy looking straight white guy.

Expand full comment
ErrorError