Theories abound about a deranged kid and a powerful weapon

No one knows for sure what caused Thomas Matthew Crooks to shoot Donald Trump

A KID WITH A GUN ... While folks on both sides of the political aisle have rightly and forcefully condemned the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, trying to attach deep-seated political motives to a 20-year-old with a gun is not helpful.

Yes, everyone is saying this is not how democracy works and this is not how we settle our political differences. Of course. No one is arguing with that.

But we likely will never know exactly what this murderous gunman, Thomas Matthew Crooks, was thinking. We have no idea if this was based on some twisted political ideology or something else going on in a clearly sick mind. If his goal was to prevent Donald Trump from becoming president, it appears he may have accomplished exactly the opposite.

For sure, though, he was not part of a political movement in this country. He was not part of any organized opposition to Donald Trump. He was not sent by Joe Biden, as one sitting Congressman shamefully claimed.

Crooks was recently a student at Allegheny Community College, where he graduated with "high honors" in Engineering Science less than two months ago. And, as so often seems to be the case in such murderous outbursts, he was apparently a loner. The college also reports that it "has no records relating to any disciplinary, student conduct or security-related incidents," involving Crooks.

All we know for sure is that he was a kid with a devastatingly powerful weapon that his dear father had somehow gifted him. Sooner or later, you figure, that kid was going to use this weapon.

A presidential candidate was in the neighborhood. A huge crowd. Worldwide television. A deranged mind and a shiny new toy. Quite possibly an irresistible combination.

Remember, John Hinckley shot President Reagan not because he hated the man or his policies, but because he was trying to impress Jodie Foster.

We have no idea the motives, if any, that drove Thomas Matthew Crooks to do what he did.

But all it takes is one kid and one gun to change the course of history.

USING A CANNON TO BLOW UP A CASE ... I always figured it shouldn't matter which judge is hearing a criminal case, that justice would be served. Sure, there might be slight differences in what goes on in his or her courtroom, but we could all be confident that the determination of guilt or innocence would not depend on which judge was wielding the gavel.

I no longer feel that way.