The Official JREF Lone Nut Challenge

Loss Leader said:
And mental illness rates are actually increasing.
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So are the numbers of conspiracy theories and conspiracy theorists.

A coincidence? I think not!

Anyway, there almost certainly are good sociological reasons for believing that lone nuts could be more prevelant now than "before 1750". One of those, ironically, is education.

Uneducated people living in squalor made up the mass of those who were not on the inside until comparatively recently. There were simply fewer revolutionary ideas that motivated a lot of lone nuts such as nationalism, communism, anarchism, conspiracism. When people were assassinated in ancient times it was because they wanted to seize power themselves and would more likely succeed with the backing of their own faction. Many of these were necessarily insiders too. There weren't people assassinating others over their difference in opinion in ideology (that came far later) and most personal disputes that led to assassinations were by insiders. Gallileo's parameters for "lone nut" essentially disqualifies almost all people living pre-1750 while there are vastly increased numbers of lone nut candidates today.
 
Galileo said:
Ok, let's focus people. Of the dozens of assassinations among the Roman Emporers, were any done by a lone nut? What about the Popes? Come on, people.
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Pope John XII may have been killed by a loan nut.
 
Travis said:
Can anyone name any Gangsta Rappers from before 1970?

I guess they don't exist either!


Actually, in accordance to the op's question: how about the boy that killed Richard I?
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Boy did I see where this thread was headed.
 
Hamilton was a member of Clan Hamilton from Bothwellhaugh, a village and castle in the Clyde Valley. The property of the Dukes of Hamilton, it no longer exists.[1]
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Just a good ole boy, never meanin no harm.
 
The Earl of Moray, the Good Regent, was slain in Linlithgow by James Hamilton of Bothwell-haugh, who shot the said Regent with a gun out at ane window, and presently thereafter fled out at the back, and leapt on a very good horse, which the Hamiltons had ready waiting for him; and, being followed speedily, after that spur and wand had failed him, he drew forth his dagger, and struck his horse behind; whilk causit the horse to leap a very broad stank; by whilk means he escaped.
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Some day the muntain micht git 'im but the law niver will.
 
Was John Lennon targeted for assassination by a huge, evil conspiracy?

If not, then I guess there must be some lone nuts after all.
 
Kevin_Lowe said:
Was John Lennon targeted for assassination by a huge, evil conspiracy?

If not, then I guess there must be some lone nuts after all.
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Aha! But you have not been paying close attention to Gallileo's brilliantly original argument which can be summed up as follows:

"Gallileo is personally ignorant of any lone assassination attempts on a prominent person prior to 1750 therefore there is no such thing as a lone assassination attempt hence Mark Chapman cannot possibly have acted alone!"
 
angrysoba said:
Aha! But you have not been paying close attention to Gallileo's brilliantly original argument which can be summed up as follows:

"Gallileo is personally ignorant of any lone assassination attempts on a prominent person prior to 1750 therefore there is no such thing as a lone assassination attempt hence Mark Chapman cannot possibly have acted alone!"
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"The target of the assassin must be a significant political leader"
 
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Pirouz Nihavandi

Can't argue the "loner". He was made a slave of the Arabs.
Can't argue the loon. He spent years convincing his Muslim captors that he'd converted, then joined their army and served for almost ten years, supposedly just to get close to the caliph and kill him (which he did).

He was Persian and considered it his religious obligation, as the Caliph was good buddies with a certain, um, Muhammad. I'd say the Caliph qualifies as a top political figure, and anyone who kills out of religious fervor is a whackjob, and the facts of his capture and enslavement make it highly unlikely that his eight year plan was the work of anyone else.

664 C.E. definitely qualifies on the time issue.



What do I win?
 
GrouchoMarxist said:
Is that a trick question?
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its addressing gallileos example of MLK as being assassinated by a lone nut, and his stipulation that the person assassinated must be a significant political leader. MLK was not a political leader, so if he is included i dont see why Lennon shouldnt be
 
defaultdotxbe said:
its addressing gallileos example of MLK as being assassinated by a lone nut, and his stipulation that the person assassinated must be a significant political leader. MLK was not a political leader, so if he is included i dont see why Lennon shouldnt be
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Looks like I'm the lone nut.
 
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