Video: Suspicious fire at Palin’s church, $1M damage
posted at 7:53 am on December 14, 2008 by Ed Morrissey
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A fire broke out at the Wasilla Bible Church yesterday while a group of women worked on crafts inside, all of whom escaped without injury. The church itself sustained an estimated one million dollars worth of damage, and investigators say that the fire looks like arson:
Gov. Sarah Palin’s home church has been badly damaged in a suspicious fire.
Larry Kroon, the pastor of the Wasilla Bible Church, estimates damages at more than $1 million to the church. …
Palin spokesman Bill McAllister said the governor stopped by the church Saturday morning and apologized if the incident was related to her.
In a written statement McAllister said Palin, “told an assistant pastor that she apologizes if the incident is in any way connected to the undeserved negative attention the church has received since she became a vice presidential candidate on Aug. 29. Whatever the motives of the arsonist, the governor has faith in the scriptural passage that what was intended for evil will in some way be used for good.”
It’s too early to know whether the fire has anything to do with Sarah Palin’s candidacy. Unfortunately, churches and other places of worship get attacked by nutcases for a wide variety of irrational reasons, and one cannot predict what made these nuts set fire to this Wasilla church. In one sense, it seems odd that the attack would come now, after the election, when passions have cooled somewhat and the Governor has returned to work.
Thankfully, the alarm and sprinkler systems did their job — an area of some expertise for me. They’re designed to save lives, and the women in the crafts group were at serious risk of injury or death without them. Too many older buildings skip or skimp on such systems, occasionally with tragic results. This church was built three years ago, and we can see how these building requirements work to save lives.
Hopefully, the police in Wasilla will catch the perpetrator(s) and we will know what their motivation was very quickly. Until then, regardless of your denomination, let’s keep the congregation of the Wasilla Bible Church in our prayers. If they have any fundraisers, we’ll revisit the story to get Hot Air readers involved.
Update: Comments from Headlines imported.
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I think what we’re seeing on the blogs is what we’re seeing in the country as a whole. Respect for others is becoming a thing of the past. When you take God out of the daily routine of life you end up with selfish, thoughtless, all about me people. Look at TV. Look at our so called leaders. Anything goes so long as you come out on top. We’re witnessing what the Romans witnessed as they slowly slid into decline. The Roman’s had the coliseum,we have reality TV. Weekly shows are constantly showing women being raped, murdered, abused, dismembered. Advertisers show us women nearly naked, men who can’t live without an erection and then we wonder why our kids have sex at earlier and earlier ages. I give Sarah great credit for making the statement that she did, but it wasn’t necessary. The best thing I’ve heard this week was the man who lost his family when the jet crashed into his house and he told the pilot he forgave him and didn’t hold him responsible. That’s courage far greater than anything I’ve seen in Washington in years.
Amazing Grace on December 14, 2008 at 11:52 PM
Noneya on December 14, 2008 at 4:49 PM
No matter what, your point is moot because blacks didn’t – socially – have the ability to really influence anything or the luxury of thinking their vote mattered. Thanks to people like Bull Connor, who were registered Democrats.
Ryan Gandy on December 14, 2008 at 11:59 PM
It is a fact that Obama voted for infanticide, if you define life as beginning at BIRTH. Fully out of the womb. Yet left in a linen closet to die. People either would not or could not believe this. Obama overwhelmingly won the Catholic vote.
Our culture is sick. The way I see women and children treated in this country convinces me there is a parallel between our civilization and that of ancient Rome. Our citizens have just absconded their responsibilities and use their votes recklessly, ignorantly or not at all.
I think we’re done. If this is the best we can do, then I’m glad. If China steps up to the plate and recognizes human rights, then they can rule the world now. They have become more competitive in education and industry, and they pay not only their bills but ours, as well.
The drowning-your-economically-inconvenient-girl-child thing was creepy, but we’re no better now. We might even be worse these days, and we will be under Obama.
chunderroad on December 15, 2008 at 1:08 AM
What is so unfair about my posts? I call people out who use religion as a weapon and others who are just plain old bigots. I have little tolerance for religious bigotry, for I am still a victim of it to this day. My very catholic parents and sister disowned me when I decided to stop living in shame over something I have no control of and frankly don’t feel is that big a deal. It’s been 8 years and they still haven’t expressed any interest in accepting me for who I am. In my life, religion has caused more harm than good, so advocating for a more secular society is a passion of mine, if you were in my shoes you’d feel the same way, believe me.
Noneya on December 15, 2008 at 3:13 AM
Liberals are also famous for only seeing, reading what they want to bolster their point of view. I’ll try again.
The point was that you’re free to come here and try and raise havoc on a thread just expressing grief that this womans church was burned and I’m not free to say a damn thing at DU or HuffPo. I’ve tried. Ironic isn’t it. Which group of people seem to best carry that torch of liberty. Seems to me the more you folks would be allowed to take over, the more it’ll be like that for conservative people like me.
BTW, what you’re doing is anti-religious bigotry. You can’t make me or your family accept behavior that goes against their religious beliefs and teachings just because you desire acceptance of something you’ve done; regardless of your impression of it’s gravity. The Bible doesn’t change for the times.
hawkdriver on December 15, 2008 at 5:11 AM
Some of you bloggers are such thoughtful braniacs…not me. I’m still on “who done it” and I think the first guy the “authorities” ought to interview is Trooper Mike Wooten, Mrs. Palin brother-in-law and the guy who likes to drink beer, shoot deer and taze little kids while on duty. Wooten has the motive (I bet his ex-wife, Sarah’s sister) was in te church last Friday nite)and the means. If he didn’t do it himself, he would know an arsonist who could.
gracie on December 15, 2008 at 7:41 AM
No, religion has not caused you pain. People have.
anuts on December 15, 2008 at 8:54 AM
Noneya leaped the the conclusion that:
I think this speaks to an absence of imagination, or you are very, very young. The assumptions implied by this statement are legion, not the least of which is that, somehow, you believe yourself and your situation unique. You compound that error with the belief that anyone who had been in your “unique” circumstances would feel the same way about them and reach the same conclusions.
The demonizing of the “other” (conservatives, Republicans, religious people, etc.) has become so settled in your mindset that you automatically filter out the possibility that someone in the aforementioned categories might reach completely different conclusions, for completely different reasons, and those conclusions and reasons might be equally valid.
You also assuming that we’re buying that you had a wonderful relationship with your family until the day you told them your secret, at which point they banished you from their lives. Yeah, I’ve seen that movie scene too, and it’s always made me roll my eyes.
ral514 on December 15, 2008 at 10:07 AM
It’s all part of a greater scheme. You see, this way the Democrats can demand more taxpayer money for fire brigades.
YoungAmerican on December 15, 2008 at 10:13 AM
Paul Simon long ago summed up what Sarah Palin is thinking today:
Steve Z on December 15, 2008 at 10:17 AM
Then you better re-evaluate your life…you already made false statements about being accosted at airports by Krishnas, and by being harrassed often my Mormon’s.
You are using the standard liberal talking points…the problem is those talking points are 10 years old.
Let’s see how you like the quote turned around:
See how biased that quote is? What you need to do is try on another pair of shoes, the shoes you are wearing are full of holes…
And learn more about the faithful, your lack of knowledge is embarrassing. At least then when you complain about religion, you will has some small tiny bit of understanding.
right2bright on December 15, 2008 at 10:21 AM
And this relates to the topic, how? I thought you were chiding me for regularly going off topic in these threads, but considering your own behavior here, I must assume you were cheering me on.
I used to feel that way, but I’ve come to think otherwise. Just because God is in the daily routine, it doesn’t mean that men become saints.
Some of our most selfish and thoughtless posters are the ones who claim to regularly commune with God.
Ah, mom and dad don’t like your lifestyle. That certainly explains your outbursts against Christians, though it doesn’t excuse them by a long shot.
The truth is that if your family were “very Catholic” they’d accept you whether or not they accepted your lifestyle. Blame their attitude on Christianity if it makes you feel less rejected, but what they did was wrong and has nothing to do with their religion.
Esthier on December 15, 2008 at 11:35 AM
For those wondering. Here is the KTUU article and a video to show the damage of the Church.
http://www.ktuu.com/Global/story.asp?S=9521504
Please ignore the trolls. They have nothing and no one, and take it out on everyone because they can not understand why no one cares about them.
upinak on December 15, 2008 at 11:44 AM
godless cretins
kirkill on December 15, 2008 at 12:03 PM
Is this the “Hope and Change” of the Left? “If you don’t give us what we want we will burn your Houses down”…. Just another case of Antitheistic Fascism….
DL13 on December 15, 2008 at 12:09 PM
Thanks for sharing that.
meltenn on December 15, 2008 at 12:38 PM
Those church members sound like salt of the earth. Good people.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Noneya: you have to separate organized religion from personal faith. Organzied religion is imperfect man’s interpretation of scripture and is imperfect man’s prescription to accustom or constrain individuals while personal faith motivates individuals to better understand what is right and wrong and allow scriptural ethics to become a liberating, charitable and seminal influence. What you speak of is the former but what has sparked the great positive historical movements for the transformation of the world (Michelangelo and the Sistine Chapel, Wilberforce and the ending of slavery in the British Empire, the building by philanthropists like Rockefeller of schools and hospitals in China before 1949) and is still the greatest force for the betterment of mankind is the latter. I do not support Sarah Palin out of the former, but out of the latter.
technopeasant on December 15, 2008 at 1:20 PM
right2bright on December 15, 2008 at 10:21 AM
I love your compassion and tolerance for those who don’t think just like you. Didn’t jesus teach against this? Answer this, would you accept any persons’ dissent from religion including those that had lifelong experience and involvement?
dk on December 15, 2008 at 1:22 PM
Jesus taught it was a virtue to instruct the ignorant, among other things. Thus, tolerance of the intolerable (be it ignorance, depravity, or some other correctable evil) was not on his mind much.
Most of the people who invoke the phrase “judge not, lest ye be judged” to chastise others can’t tell you the testament it’s in, much less the book, verses, or context. In other words, they cannot reasonably be expected to know what they are talking about. Nowhere does Jesus say “I have no laws on behavior, for judgement of anything is forbidden!”
BKennedy on December 15, 2008 at 1:57 PM
If she answers no, then at least she’s playing by the same rule book Noneya is.
Esthier on December 15, 2008 at 2:02 PM
Update from the local TV station/AP:
meltenn on December 15, 2008 at 2:41 PM
I can find no place in the New Testament where Jesus ever tolerated sin. Even with the adultress woman, after showing her great compassion and love, told her to “go and sin no more.” We, as Christians, are required to show the same love and compassion to those living in sin that Jesus showed. I personally cannot hate anyone. To do less is sin on our part and can in no way be justified for any reason. But on the other hand, we cannot be tolerant of sin. Sin separates man from God. Toleration of sin by a person professing Christ simply means that that Christian is willing to surrender another person’s soul to Hell out of political correctness, fear of embarrassment or fear of personal attacks on their faith.
I have no power on my own to make any person do anything they refuse to do. I have no authority to judge anyone. But I can still call sin for what it is. And I can hate it for what it does to people, to their families, to the world and most importantly… to their soul.
sdd on December 15, 2008 at 2:47 PM
Well, I guess that settles whether or not it was arson. Now we just need the criminal involved.
Esthier on December 15, 2008 at 2:49 PM
It’s still so shocking that someone would do it while people were inside. Just plain evil. I’m mean it’s a vile thing to do even if the church was empty… but with people inside.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 3:02 PM
I agree. That’s horribly malicious. I would think the arsonist knew they were there too, as he/she would have seen the cars outside.
That speaks to a special kind of derangement.
Esthier on December 15, 2008 at 3:09 PM
Ram, melt and Eisther
They expect the “kid” to be a 20-25 yr old male…
Can’t give you more detail then that.
upinak on December 15, 2008 at 3:16 PM
The accelerant was “poured around the exterior…in multiple locations, including entrances.” That’s definitely deliberate. They must have know people were inside because they would have seen the lights on inside and, as you noted, the cars outside.
Perhaps it was someone mentally unstable but smart enough to set a building on fire. The police, ATF, and fire officials probably have evidence that they’re not revealing. They’ll catch whoever did this.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 3:22 PM
He won’t be able to hide for long. I imagine in a small town it’s hard to hide this sort of thing. He must have left all sorts of clues. You can’t pour an “accelerant” all over the outside of a building without leaving footprints.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 3:25 PM
When you hear more, I’d love to know. I’m honestly surprised they’re thinking it’s a fairly young man, but it would certainly fit the politically motivated angle.
This part seems the most damning, as though he was trying to block their exit.
Esthier on December 15, 2008 at 3:55 PM
Looks like Palin’s talking to Greta about it tonight.
meltenn on December 15, 2008 at 4:31 PM
So, it’s sounding like it might be a local firebug then? That’s always seemed likely to me (seems like these type of things usually are done by locals), though I still wouldn’t want to rule out a political motive quite yet. I’d say we’ll know for sure in a few days.
meltenn on December 15, 2008 at 4:49 PM
Well, to shore up my comment about you not understanding religion (not me, but Christians), you proved it.
Jesus (capital by the way) taught just the opposite, ever hear the parable of tossing the pearls to swine, No?. Well, Jesus had very little patience with people who had access to the truth, but ignored it. He had compassion for those who were the “least”, but the intelligentsia, the ones who knew better? He held them in contempt.
I have many people through my life that did not believe like I do, I have a Muslim next door, and he and his wife I adore, and he loves the lamb I cook for him. My son’s best man was a Mormon, and we are very close to his family, and that is as far away as Muslim is to me.
No, my intolerance (and most Christians) has nothing to do with what or whom you worship…it has to do with how you honor the tradition of God.
And indeed we have a couple of atheists who post here whom I have respect for, they understand the balance of what the faithful have given to the world, and what they themselves do not believe.
Just because you don’t believe in something, doesn’t mean that good won’t flow from it.
And in America, so much more good has been from the faithful…if you took time to learn, you would be shocked.
Hospitals, nursing homes, feeding the least, aids victims, disaster victims, spousal victims, the “unloved”, the “unclean”, the lost, the hungry, the poor, the sick, every church has a great story between it’s walls…I mean a heart wrenching story of true selfless compassion. What you see is beyond the walls, but take time to visit between the walls.
Call up a pastor, tell them you are not a believer, but want to hear one story of hope from his church…any real church, and you will hear stories that will make you a believer…not necessarily a believer in Jesus, that is between you and Him, but a believer in what the church does within the community.
You don’t have to believe…to believe.
right2bright on December 15, 2008 at 4:55 PM
I swear those two are like pals now. I half expect Greta and her husband to spend the holidays with the Palins. LOL!
Ah, well, Obama has Rachel Maddow. I suppose it’s only fair that Palin has Greta.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 4:57 PM
Greta knows which side her bread it buttered on. She puts up a single post on Palin and gets 1,000 responses (literally). I think she genuinely likes them too. She spent some time in Alaska when she was younger I think, so maybe she’s just fond of Alaskans in general.
meltenn on December 15, 2008 at 5:00 PM
Yeah, she said that she lived in Alaska sometime during the 70s. I think it’s also a Cheesehead thing. Greta “gets” people like the Palins.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 5:08 PM
I will tell you how to find the culprit.
Go to the punk rock clubs. I know these swine, and I see their evil pattern. Be assured that they will brag about it.
Kenno on December 15, 2008 at 5:08 PM
I took a look over at Gretawire. You’re right. The word “Palin” attracts everybody. What’s funny is half of them claim that they’re not interested, but they show up anyway and they’ll tune in too.
What’s strange is that even amidst “Godfather” and “Goodfellas” like corruption rackets going on in the background, the Obamas have become so uninteresting. I mean, Bush nearly getting hit by a shoe is more interesting than our new bureaucrat in chief.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 5:18 PM
What a great post. Thank you.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 5:21 PM
I can’t stand to spend too much time reading the comments over at Greta’s. I usually just check out what she’s posted. The comment set up is hard to read anyway, but then you get the nutroots coming in on top of that. It makes my head hurt.
meltenn on December 15, 2008 at 5:27 PM
Greta is from “small town”, I really think she gets it, even with Greta’s history of being very liberal, I can see the respect she has for Palin and her family.
Greta gets, what others don’t understand, Palin is real and she has been the only news person taking the time to find that out.
Every one else just posts stories about Palin…Greta goes after them.
right2bright on December 15, 2008 at 5:31 PM
Bingo! Greta doesn’t have disdain for small town people like the folks in Wasilla. She went there and actually enjoyed talking to people there. She has a great attitude about herself and her job. She sees herself as the luckiest person in the world and has no pretensions about it. Most of the news media are prima donnas with inflated notions of their own importance.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 5:37 PM
I hear ya. I can’t figure out half of what’s being written. It all looks like a jumble of nonsense. And half of it is completely off topic.
BTW, what does “nutroots” mean?
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 5:38 PM
Online liberals.
It’s taken from netroots but is translated by conservatives as nutroots.
Esthier on December 15, 2008 at 5:40 PM
More info on the fire from ADN.
And here’s the ATF report:
The exits and the entrances! If they were aware that people were in the church, then they were deliberately trapping them inside. I sure how the judge considers that when he hands down the sentence.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 6:26 PM
This doesn’t fit the normal firebug pattern. Mostly they like to watch fires, so the choice of structure is relatively insignificant. And targeting entrances and exits is pretty good evidence of intent to kill, also not a normal part of the firebug pattern.
That’s enough to convince me that this was intentionally done by an amateur motivated by hate or anger. A professional terrorist would have access to better ways to destroy a building and kill the people inside.
Disgrunted ex-congregationalist or gay terrorist.
Venusian Visitor on December 15, 2008 at 7:07 PM
The entrances and exits part is definitely disturbing. And the ATF statement sounds like an even bigger fire was attempted, but not all the accelerant caught. I may be reading too much into that, but the pictures show that the fire was only around one door (the main entrance/exit in the back of the building) and the statement says entrances and exits and multiple locations. Maybe that’s referring to the windows.
meltenn on December 15, 2008 at 7:19 PM
The leftwing nuts are already calling it a Reichstag fire.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 7:20 PM
It looks like the exits and entrances targeted were front and side entrance/exit for one wing of the building. But maybe I’m wrong. It’s hard to tell. The fires covered two stories, and the base seems to have fallen (which is probably the most expensive thing to repair).
I wonder if it was more than one person. To pour “accelerant” everywhere and light the building without setting yourself on fire too would require some help, wouldn’t it?
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 7:26 PM
It seems like it would, but, then, I’ve never set a building on fire. Do we have any firebugs among the commenters? Maybe if you had enough time and privacy you wouldn’t need any help. It seems like the church is kind of off by itself a little bit.
meltenn on December 15, 2008 at 7:33 PM
Just saw Palin’s interview on Greta’s show. This line just cracks me up for some reason: “I’m wondering how long the guy [Blagojevich] thought he was gonna get away with it.”
LOL! Exactly. How did that idiot think he would get away with it? Was it just me or did it sound like Palin was trying not to laugh when she said that?
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 10:18 PM
I missed it. I’ll have to try to catch online later. I love that she’s not afraid to be blunt and state what everyone’s thinking.
New article from the ADN. No new information on the investigation really, but it has a couple of new quotes from the pastor. He’s pretty disturbed about the whole setting fire to the exits thing too.
meltenn on December 15, 2008 at 10:29 PM
You can watch it online here.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 11:01 PM
Thanks for the link. She sounded pretty amused about the whole Blago thing to me too.
meltenn on December 15, 2008 at 11:19 PM
I meant to add how awesome it is that she found out when people in town/friends came and knocked on her door at 1:30 in the morning, and that it sounded like that’s normal (for regular people like us to stop by her house unannounced, I mean). I don’t think that kind of thing would fly in my state.
meltenn on December 15, 2008 at 11:27 PM
Yeah, I noticed that too. It sounds as if they don’t keep a regular security detail 24/7. I guess that’s possible in a small state. I was amazed to hear that she is able to go jogging at midnight (during those “midnight sun” months) without protection. This is one of my favorite pre-veep pick stories of Gov. Palin. I don’t imagine she’ll be able to remain unknown to tourists nowadays if they were to encounter her on the streets of Juneau.
It sounds as if the people knocked on her door at 1:30 AM because they were afraid some crazy arsonists/vigilantes were on the loose. She said her home is only a mile from the church.
ramrocks on December 15, 2008 at 11:54 PM
You’re probably right about why people stopped by. I think it’s great that she’s so accessible, but I do hope that she’s using her security detail appropriately. It’s a big step from posting nasty things on a message board or sending a threatening letter to actually attacking someone, but there are crazy people out there. And she obviously inspires strong feelings in some people. Maybe there’s less of a threat in her case since it takes so much time and effort to travel to Alaska from the Lower 48. I’m sure there are some homegrown nuts up there too though.
meltenn on December 16, 2008 at 12:11 AM
Those tourists are more likely to see Russia from Juneau — sarah only recently (last week) set foot in Juneau for the first time since August.
benny shakar on December 16, 2008 at 1:25 AM
Stop smelling the Governor’s butt you obsessed nutjob.
An Era of Hate on December 16, 2008 at 1:47 AM
My friend, your obtuse response might be more persuasive if the Governor of New York chose to live in Poughkeepsie (hint: he doesn’t).
This is what happens when you use someone who hadn’t heard of sarah palin 4 months ago as a source of information?
benny shakar on December 16, 2008 at 2:03 AM
Trust me, your sources huff hate and daily hate pale in comparison with that source.
Now when are you going to get over your sick hate obsession with the governor..I hope soon because after the comments about how you wished the governor was killed instead of the turkey a weeks ago, I have started to get worried about the Governor’s safety.
Get help before you do something stupid… I am serious.
An Era of Hate on December 16, 2008 at 2:49 AM
Now now, An Era of Hate, benny shakar isn’t insane, it is everyone else who is. On earth. Everywhere.
Doesn’t help that Benito Shakar is Canadian.
BKennedy on December 16, 2008 at 9:42 AM
Benny …. you are not an Alaskan. You sure aren’t from Anchorage or Wasilla and you stalking the Gov is getting quite interesting.
I have sent this to the Gov. Office. They think you are a certain lawyer who has been stalking Sarah. Interesting.
upinak on December 16, 2008 at 11:32 AM
Jeez. You never know what you’ll find on the internet. I need a shower now.
chunderroad on December 16, 2008 at 11:36 AM
I think he is from Canada…or that is what he claims.
I doubt he is an attorney, his thoughts are not very coherent, and he just doesn’t strike me as being that smart to make it through law school.
right2bright on December 16, 2008 at 11:42 AM
Creepy. Maybe we should ask where he was Friday night.
ramrocks on December 16, 2008 at 1:12 PM
I’ve met some really stupid lawyers.
ramrocks on December 16, 2008 at 1:17 PM
I haven’t, so maybe Canada has a lower standard?
right2bright on December 16, 2008 at 1:23 PM
He was probably enjoying his Cheetos…and upinak knows what I am referring to…
right2bright on December 16, 2008 at 1:24 PM
Either that or you’ve never had to serve on a jury in southern California. ;)
ramrocks on December 16, 2008 at 1:25 PM
But I have, which is why I am living in North Carolina…BTW, my daughter is a litigation attorney in So. Cal.
right2bright on December 16, 2008 at 1:40 PM
That may qualify as the understatement of the century!
Venusian Visitor on December 16, 2008 at 2:34 PM
LOL! It breaks my heart when sane people leave the state, but at least you left one of your off-springs behind. I’m sure she’s one of the good ones.
I sat on a jury for two weeks in Hollywood, and the prosecutor was beyond stupid. He was so incompetent that we were embarrassed for him and stunned that he made it out of law school and passed the bar. It ended up being a hung jury because half of us thought that the defendant really did what he was he accused of (which was nothing major really) and the other half felt that the prosecution didn’t present a clear case and therefore refused to fill in the blanks for the state because our system of justice “presumes innocence” and the state didn’t do an adequate job proving guilt.
ramrocks on December 16, 2008 at 2:36 PM
So when are we going to call this a hate crime…if it were a certain black church in the city of Chi-town, Al not-so-sharp Sharpton would have his bullhorn out organizing street protests. Perhaps we gave a group of gay terrorists out there spreading hate in the name of love. These people meant to kill other people and cause destruction.
mindhacker on December 16, 2008 at 2:39 PM
We know it was an arson. I intend to keep an eye on this story. I really hope that it turns out to be a local firebug nutcase who had no political motives and didn’t realize that people were inside.
But it seems unlikely that was the case. Firebugs don’t tend to target churches for the very reason that “hate crime” legislation exists.
ramrocks on December 16, 2008 at 2:43 PM
ramrocks on December 16, 2008 at 2:43 PM
Nope total arson. Accelerant was put all on the outside, and in the enterance as well as the back emergency door. The arson(s) knew there were people inside since there were vehicle visable in the parking lot as well as lights on inside.
I think it is political….
upinak on December 16, 2008 at 2:55 PM
That’s what is so awful about it. It looks like they were ready to commit manslaughter.
I wonder if it could be related to one of the women inside?
upinak, how were they able to get out if the entrances and exits were on fire? Or did they manage to get out in time before the fire spread that far?
I think it was apparent to the people on the scene that it was somehow political because why else would they wake up the governor at 1:30 in the morning to warn her.
upinak, be sure to keep us updated. Thanks! I’m sending my check to the good folks at the church. I hope they can start rebuilding soon.
ramrocks on December 16, 2008 at 3:01 PM
Since the building is only 3 rs old, it had the automatic sprinklers… even though the people were inside the sprinkler in the main entrance did what it was suppose to do and made it able for them to get out.
upinak on December 16, 2008 at 3:05 PM
Makes sense. The fact that the building is only 3 years old is one of the reasons why I never thought the fire was caused by a wiring problem. A fire that size had to be deliberate — especially since it now seems as if it was lit from the outside.
ramrocks on December 16, 2008 at 3:12 PM
AP has a new Hot Air post up of the interview Palin gave with Greta.
ramrocks on December 16, 2008 at 3:23 PM
I have worked on quite a few arson cases (yes, I confess, I’m a lawyer, which is why I think ramrock’s comment is so funny), and there are pretty much three kinds from what I gather: Impulsive kid-stuff, using materials that are at hand at the scene, and planned-out adult stuff, which is usually more sophisticated. The plan can be motivated by a desire to profit from insurance policies, hatred or revenge, or mental illness. Some of the best arsonists are firemen with a problem.
This one was certainly planned out, and it does seem to indicate hatred or revenge in that all the exits appear to have been specifically targeted, even though that increased the arsonist or arsonists’ exposure to being caught. So I think hatred or revenge. Could be political, could be personal, but statistically it will be a young-ish white male.
Venusian Visitor on December 16, 2008 at 3:26 PM
Proof positive!
Venusian Visitor on December 16, 2008 at 3:28 PM
Nah, you’re one of the smart lawyers! ;)
ramrocks on December 16, 2008 at 3:51 PM
That was very … honest .. of you. And you expect us to believe you’re a lawyer!
/sarc
tom on December 17, 2008 at 11:23 AM
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