The novel A Tale of Two Cities, published in 31 installments by Charles Dickens beginning in 1859, could easily describe the year 2025. Something unique to 2025 is the use of motorized vehicles to carry out terrorist attacks. We saw two of these recently in New Orleans and Las Vegas.
The perpetrators had things in common. Both were born in America and served in the US military. One was an Army veteran; the other an active-duty Army Ranger on leave from his unit in Germany. The way the two individuals have been portrayed in the media is strikingly different. One demonstrated the need to concentrate on immigration, while the other was a borderline hero. One is tied to the terrorist group ISIS, while the other is portrayed as having nothing against Donald Trump or Elon Musk. The Las Vegas explosion took place directly in front of a Trump hotel, and the vehicle was a Tesla truck manufactured by Musk. One man was radicalized, while the other suffered a mental health issue. Both men died on the scene of their respective attacks.
Shamsud-Din Jabbar
Jabbar was a 42-year-old veteran, born in Texas and living in Houston. He was highly decorated and received a Global War on Terrorism Service Medal. His awards included the Army Commendation Medal, Army Achievement Medal, Army Good Conduct Medal, Army Reserve Components Achievement Medal, National Defense Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with Campaign Star, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Army Reserve Component Overseas Training Ribbon, NATO Medal, Meritorious Unit Commendation, Parachutist Badge, and the Driver and Mechanic Badge.
The reporting on Jabbar has focused on how he became radicalized. The media interviewed his brother, neighbors, and members of the Mosque to which he belonged. There was no indication of what happened to Jabbar until he declared his support for ISIS, posting videos on social media just before driving a white truck into a crowd on Bourbon Street, emerging with a gun, and getting into a shootout with law enforcement before being shot dead.
Much of the media's response focused on immigration, which seems unrelated to this attack. Fox News, social media accounts on Jan. 1 said Jabbar “crossed the U.S.-Mexico border at the Eagle Pass crossing just two days ago” and that there was “blood on the hands of the Biden administration.”U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., shared a 38-second Fox News clip and wrote on X that Jabbar “is said to have come across the border in Eagle Pass TWO DAYS AGO!!! Shut the border down!!!” Donald Trump Jr. said on X that Biden’s “parting gift” to the U.S. was “migrant terrorists.”The president-elect referenced the attack on Truth Social the morning of Jan. 1, writing that “the criminals coming in are far worse than the criminals we have in our country.”
Fox News issued a series of minor corrections, ultimately conceding neither the truck nor the driver came from Mexico while simultaneously suggesting possible sex trafficking with no evidence. The bulk of the media coverage has been to vilify the terrorist and suggest immigration as the root cause.
Matthew Alan Livelsberger
The media is full of photos of Livelsberger showing him in a positive light.
There is no mention of his “radicalization.” One would never know that his comments about having nothing against Trump or Musk hid the fact that he was an avid supporter of the two men, and his two notes read like the MAGA playbook.
“Consider this last sunset of ’24 and my actions the end of our sickness and a new chapter of health for our people," Livelsberger wrote. "Rally around the Trump, Musk, Kennedy, and ride this wave to the highest hegemony for all Americans! We are second to no one.”
"We must take these actions if we are going to make it past the next few years in one piece: We must end the war in Ukraine with negotiated settlement. It is the only way. Focus on strength and winning. Masculinity is good and men must be leaders. Strength is a deterrent and fear is the product. Weeded out those in our government and military who do not idealize #2.
"The income inequality in this country and cost-of-living is outrageous. The number of homeless on our street is embarrassing and disgusting. Have some pride and take care of this. Stop obsessing over diversity. We are all diverse and DEl is a cancer. Thankfully we rejected the DEl candidate and will have a real President instead of Weekend at Bernie’s.
"We must move on from the culture of weakness and self enrichment perpetuated by our senior political and military leaders. We are done with the blatant corruption. Our soldiers are done fighting wars without end states or clear objectives."
In another note, Livelsgerger called upon Americans to rise and be prepared to fight to remove Democrats from government.
"Fellow Servicemembers, Veterans, and all Americans, TIME TO WAKE UP! We are being led by weak and feckless leadership who only serve to enrich themselves. Military and vets move on DC starting now. Militias facilitate and augment this activity. Occupy every major road along fed buildings and the campus of fed buildings by the hundreds of thousands.
"Lock the highways around down with semis right after everybody gets in. Hold until the purge is complete. Try peaceful means first, but be prepared to fight to get the Dems out of the fed government and military by any means necessary. They all must go and a hard reset must occur for our country to avoid collapse."
Instead of focusing on the radicalization of Livelsberger, the media, and the government tell us about the mental health issues that led to Livelsberger’s break.
“Although this incident is more public and more sensational than usual, it ultimately appears to be a tragic case of suicide involving a heavily decorated combat veteran who was struggling with PTSD and other issues,” said Spencer Evans, FBI special agent in charge
A podcaster and former Special Forces officer suggested that it could have been a “botched” act of terrorism but also highlighted the event as part of a broader trend of mental health problems that Special Forces veterans experience due to their high risk of traumatic brain injuries.
I’m willing to accept that Livelsberger may have been suffering from mental health issues. What do we say about the millions of people espousing the same ideas and solutions? Do they have a mental illness as well?
This comparison isn’t intended to absolve either man of their crimes. They are both terrorists who have already paid for their crimes with their lives. Livelsberger shot himself in the head before detonating fireworks and explosives in a Tesla in front of a Trump International Hotel in Las Vegas.
The brown man is condemned for his radicalization and devotion to a cause. He’s used as an excuse to keep other brown people from entering the country. The white man believed in a cause as well, covered up by alleged mental illness, which may be accurate. Perhaps the real madness is in his beliefs, or does he only become insane by acting on them?
This article originally appeared on Medium and is edited and republished with author's permission. Read more of William Spivey's work on Medium.