At times you get embarrassed to be considered part of the same species as some of these right wing looney tunes. Today is one of them.

Senator Mike Pence, you know, Donald Trump’s level headed running mate, has inspected the firebombed North Carolina campaign office and declared the fire to be an act of political terrorism.

Let me just say, I am shocked and appalled. Has anyone ruled out the Islamic Fundamentalists who hate us for our way of life? Has anyone ruled out a rogue Boy Scout attempting to get their bonfire badge? Has anyone ruled out the local TKE fraternity? They are a well known bunch of fire starters.

Speaking of Firestarters, where was the little girl from the Stephen King novel? Has she got an alibi? Once you fly through the looking glass with the current Republican ticket, anything is possible right? By defining the act as political terrorism it opens a whole new can of worms for everybody.

If one were to Google “Political terrorism”  one would find a list of criteria that experts feel must be in place to separate political terrorism from, say, a drunk bunch of college kids. I think this definition makes an interesting distinction: “Political terrorism differs from criminal terrorism in that political terrorism usually involves efforts to influence an audience. Generally speaking, the criminal terrorist does not want a big audience.”

So a political terrorist creates an act that gains maximum exposure to his cause. Think bombing the statue of Lord Nelson by the I.R.A, the Paris Bombings or the Centennial Park bombing in Atlanta. These were huge events that were designed to get maximum coverage for the terrorist’s manifesto.

Now, I’m no terrorist, even though I write like one. I’m thinking if I had one shot at gaining maximum exposure to my cause I would go after a Trump Hotel or Casino, not a temporary campaign office in Hillsborough, North Carolina. I didn’t even know there was a Hillsborough, North Carolina, and I was born in the state. Maximum exposure for my cause would be something big in a big city with plenty of news outlets so that I was sure my story would get told. Think 9-11.

This story doesn’t pass the smell test, and probably everyone involved knows it. It’s been fifty years since anyone on the Left has been motivated enough about a cause to bomb anything. While the thoughts of a Trump presidency are completely frightening, it doesn’t rise to the level of bombing a campaign headquarters in a one horse town and writing silly slogans on the walls. The act is not a rallying cry for the Left, believe me.

It is political fodder for the Right, though. While the Democrats raised money to rebuild the office, Donald Trump, called the bombers “animals” and convinced his followers that the Clinton campaign and the Democratic Party were to blame. In a state that the Republicans desperately need in their camp, it might be the issue that energizes Trump’s core to carry the election for him. It would be the cheapest, most effective advertising that Trump could produce.

If you don’t see the similarities between Trump and the rise of some other famous white supremacists, then you should read more. The Reichstag bombing would be a good place to start.