Besides being a cold-blooded act of cowardice, Jerad and Amanda Miller’s unprovoked shooting of two Las Vegas policemen and a Wal-Mart shopper prompts a bigger question: How much rope must a free country give antisocial, violent malcontents with which to hang themselves? Do we wait for the body count? If not, how do we decide it’s time to act to protect potential targets?
The Millers couldn’t have been more forthright in their intentions. Yet their next-door neighbor and self-proclaimed “best friend,” who was “holding documents for the couple that included detailed plans to take over a courthouse and execute public officials” said she didn’t realize they were “that crazy.” Really?
Officers Alyn Beck, 41, and Igor Soldo, 31, were in their seats at CiCi’s Pizza, 309 N. Nellis Blvd., at about 11:20 a.m. Sunday when suspects, identified by sources as Jerad Miller, 31, and his wife Amanda, age unknown, entered the rear of the restaurant…
The police official said neither officer had a chance to return fire…
Jerad Miller then covered the officers with the Gadsden flag, a yellow banner with a coiled snake above the words, “Don’t tread on Me,” and placed a manifesto with a swastika symbol on one officer’s body.
The flag is named for Christopher Gadsden a Revolutionary War general who designed it. It has recently come back in vogue as an adopted symbol of the American tea party movement.
The couple had left their Bruce Street apartment about 4:30 a.m., telling neighbors they planned to murder cops, the official said.
Jerad Miller’s Facebook page shows he was a fan of the usual (rightwing) suspects.
Jerad’s “likes” include such conservative pages as Conservative America, Conservative Daily, Mr. Conservative, Ron Paul, the NRA, Americans for Prosperity, FreedomWorks, all in addition to conspiracy theorist Alex Jones.
And as one commenter on a story about the Millers noted, few on their side are condemning what happened.
It’s amusing how timid, quiet and shy you cons[ervatives] become when a shooting occurs that is so blatantly politically-motivated by far right-wing ideologies that you espouse daily using practically the exact same talking points with the exact same wording…
Miller and his wife also inserted themselves into the recent showdown when deadbeat racist rancher Cliven Bundy protested the taxpayers’ right to collect fees owed for grazing his cattle on public land. Jerad Miller spelled out his expectations on Facebook when they made the trek.
Soon they will come for us, because they don’t like what we think, and what we say. They don’t like the fact that we, simply will not submit to fascist rule.
And yet, no one ever seems to “come for” anyone, at least until after the next of kin is notified. Is that how we want it to work in this country? I’m conflicted on this myself, so it’s not a rhetorical question. Let me know how you see it.
I seem to remember some republicans (Dean Heller) for one calling these Bundy people patriots.
The same republicans are probably calling the released soldier a traitor.