Vehicle plows into crowd on Bourbon St., with 14 fatalities

The idea that he must have been radicalized by some external force also ignores a very long history of humans developing feelings of detachment and rejection from what they believe is the society around them . . . a state of mind that, in some, can become violent entirely on its own.

I do think that some people become radicalized by organized systems (including online material) that foment these feelings in individuals - and the more the individuals become attached to the organization, the more pliable they are to carry out acts. But that certainly isn't essential - just because someone decides they're going to kill people while brandishing and ISIS flag doesn't necessarily mean they were radicalized by some online material or local agent.

We have an odd detachment from ancient wisdom and understanding with regard to the bitterness and resentment that can reside in every heart. It's a good thing to occasionally revisit the story of Cain and Abel. We don't need to get inventive to surmise how this guy decided to kill a bunch of people.