Friday, November 30, 2007

Breaking News - Hostages taken at Clinton HQ in NH

By Libby

Hostages taken at Hillary Clinton HQ in Rochester, NH. Details are sketchy but initial reports indicate a middle aged man with a bomb strapped to his chest is demanding to talk to Hillary. Local TV station WMUR is streaming live from the scene.

Cernig has more links and reports the Freepers are cheering.

Update: I've been watching the live stream for an hour. The finally held the press conference. The police captain said essentially nothing. My guess is either they don't know if there's any more hostages in the building, or they think they may be. They won't confirm. I get the impression that there may possibly be volunteers unaccounted for. Fox News has already fingered a suspect. I wouldn't trust that necessarily, but the googlers are ferreting out details of about this person.

I've cruised a few blogs. Someone said that the named suspect has a record of disorderly conduct. WMUR aired an interview with a waitress at a nearby restaurant receptionist at a local inn who says she spoke to the guy's stepson and he indicated the man is mentally unstable and has been drinking for the last 72 hours, after his wife told him she wanted a divorce. Word has it, this was not a political act and the man just wanted to get some attention.

Meanwhile, the place is crawling with cops, press and local gawkers. It's looks like it's not going to be resolved soon. WMUR is speculating that the police are currently in communication with the suspect. At the moment, the only thing new is that it's getting very dark in Rochester.

As it's the end of the work day I'm signing off and leave you to follow the story on your own.

Update two: Just clicked into the live stream again. It appears as I suspected that Fox ID'ed the wrong person. The local website, Fosters Daily Democrat has identified a different person. It also appears that my hunch was right and there were more hostages. One other person seems to have been released.

WMUR just aired an interview with another volunteer who has been in cell phone contact with the hostages. Everybody is okay and the suspect seems to be treated them well and assures them he doesn't want to hurt them. It appears there's one young man still being held.

Meanwhile, Malkin already published the name and address information for the wrongly identified suspect and a list of prior charges against him. How completely irresponsible.

Update three: It's over. No one appears to have been hurt, including the suspect. I just saw the guy get arrested. The local PD did a good job. Remarkably, the cops were able to take him into custody without roughing him up or tasering him. It was very orderly. A refreshing change from the stream of reports lately about cops tasering people in wheelchairs and pregnant women.

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13 Comments:

Blogger Swampcracker said...

Libby, this is very disturbing news. What kind of grudge is this? Is it because:

HRC is a Democrat?
A liberal?
A Clinton?
Or the only woman in the field of candidates?

Although it is not logical to blame the actions of a disturbed person on the political leadership of this country; nevertheless, I do blame the leadership for their "take-no-prisoners" partisanship of the past 7 years.

The Republican field of candidates have been especially two-faced in joking about the use of the "B" word and pandering to it when they should have condemned it.

This kind of political rhetoric appeals to our worst instincts ... and the most unhinged and emotionally unstable members of our society.

I will not be able to sleep tonight.

Swampcracker

4:38:00 PM  
Blogger Libby Spencer said...

I get the feeling that this is just a local nutty guy who is drunk and acting out over the divorce SC. It doesn't appear to be political at the moment.

Interesting that he chose Clinton HQ when the other campaigns also had HQs nearby though.

5:26:00 PM  
Blogger Swampcracker said...

Interesting that he chose Clinton HQ when the other campaigns also had HQs nearby

That still makes it political, in my opinion. And there is a very fine line between a disturbed personality and a wingnut in my opinion.

And now HRC will have to spend $$$ beefing up security, and campaign volunteers may be more cautious about volunteering. Not a good situation no matter how you look it. And I stand by my "B" word comment. That McCain chap should have shown some ethical backbone but didn't.

5:46:00 PM  
Blogger Swampcracker said...

Meanwhile, Malkin already published the name and address information for the wrongly identified suspect and a list of prior charges against him. How completely irresponsible.

How consistent with her character (or rather the lack thereof).

5:57:00 PM  
Blogger Libby Spencer said...

Hard to know why the guy decided he needed to talk to hill but he sounds relatively harmless in light of the updates, just disturbed.

I'm not sure the bitch had anything to do with this. Chances are more likely the guy is a supporter of Clinton and thinks she can help him. Just a guess though.

5:57:00 PM  
Blogger Libby Spencer said...

It's so Malkin. Yet she mocked HuffPo for trying to call the first guy. One would assume HuffPo might have to wanted to confirm the identity BEFORE they posted about him.

6:05:00 PM  
Blogger Libby Spencer said...

That should of course have read 'the bitch remark' at McCain's event...

6:07:00 PM  
Blogger Swampcracker said...

Looking for a silver lining to this incident, suppose HRC does win the nomination and goes against the GOP candidate, whoever he is. On the subject of health care, at least she will able to say, if hit with the "socialized medicine" epithet:

"The hostage taking incident at my campaign headquarters is a paradigm example of a person reaching out for help in desparation given the lack of coverage in the current system for those who need it most."

All she needs to do is invoke the Vtech incident, and this issue will resonate with the public.

10:03:00 PM  
Blogger Swampcracker said...

"I need to speak to Hillary Clinton," CNN quoted him as saying. "Something's got to change. Ordinary people need help" with their insurance.

The network described Eisenberg as "well-spoken, articulate and impassioned about his cause" but increasingly agitated.


This should help make the case for universal health care, but it is such a sad and desparate way to do it.

11:22:00 PM  
Blogger Libby Spencer said...

Really sad SC. You almost have to feel sorry for the guy. He clearly needs mental help.

9:18:00 AM  
Blogger Capt. Fogg said...

Jeez - I leave town for a day and it all goes to hell. Do I need to hire a baby sitter next time?

9:28:00 AM  
Blogger Capt. Fogg said...

People who do things like this don't have reasons that make sense to the few sane people that remain. That's why they can be interpreted in convenient ways by Fox, republicans and other vendors of insanity.

I don't imagine we'll get an apology out of them or their pet monkey Malkin.

9:35:00 AM  
Blogger Libby Spencer said...

No we won't Fogg.

11:29:00 AM  

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