finest is it, Amy. You guys did yourselves - and the neighborhood - proud. Thanks, and congratulations, and condolences. Do it again, with a less tragic spur.

Okay, I gotta admit I was kind of PO'd at the Stranger during the smoking ban debates. But you guys came through for me this week. I knew someone who was shot that horrible morning, and in trying to make sense of what happened, I found the SLOG to be a repository of information, insight, and news, moreso than any other venue in Seattle.

I am grateful for your work and all I can say is thank you. Please keep us up to date with any new information you receive regarding the case.

ah nice to see the stranger back in self-congratulation mode

NOW--when are you guys announcing the winning caption to that cartoon contest you had in last week's paper?

well - I saw that someone was asking about connections to the shooter from last weekend here on the hill....about Jared Hope - here is a quickie 'conspiracy' thought from the internet....my personal views notwithstanding....maybe it will spur some insight into the true nature of this crime.....or maybe it won't, but the truth will never be fully known from mere speculation and the creation of a narrative whether false or real....see below....from arcticbeacon.com....

Could Strange Seattle Killing Spree Be Connected To "Manchurian Candidate" Psy Ops Government Program?
Kyle Huff, 28, gunned down six with a Bushmaster rifle and then killed himself at a home on Capitol Hill after spray painting "NOW" on the doorstep.
31 Mar 2006

By Greg Szymanski

As the old saying goes, death comes in "threes" but last week the number changed to nine, as a rash of strange killings with undertones of "government psy ops hits" hidden between the lines hit news stands across the country.

First, there was the flight attendant who at the last minute was bumped off Flight 11 on 9/11, who was killed in an auto accident. Initial police reports list accidental death, but suspicious minds are already speculating she was eliminated for knowing too much about 9/11 being an inside government job.

Next there was the PhD college student and member of the 9/11 truth group called Scholars for 9/11 Truth found shot in the head in uptown Minneapolis. Initial reports claim it was a random act of violence, but again suspicious minds are trying to connect the dots to 9/11.

Although these two incidents are deplorable and have peripheral connections to 9/11, without question the most bizarre and suspicious murder incident of them all took place in Seattle where Kyle Huff, 25, opened fire on an innocent crowd of people, killing six and then shooting himself as police arrived on the gruesome murder scene.

Again initial reports were unclear but indicated at first glance a random act of violence.

However, what lies behind the scenes and between the lines of this barbaric act may very well prove to be much, much more than a crazed killer wielding a shotgun..

A source, seeking complete anonymity due to the sensitivity of the case, told the Arctic Beacon that Huff may have pulled the trigger on his recently purchased Bushmaster rifle due to his involvement in a Mkultra government "psy ops campaign" or "Manchurian Candidate" type program.

Although it's too early to tell, the many unanswered questions already surfacing in the Huff murder spree, spelling possible government psy ops, can't be ignored or dismissed as merely coincidence even to the most novice of criminal investigators.

"I have come by some information about Huff that I am not in a position to disclose at this time. There is reason for me to believe Huff was the subject of a psy ops "Manchurian candidate" type of program. That is all I can say at this time, but if you look at a few of the facts of the case, I am sure you can see where I am going with this," said the anonymous source.

"I came by this information from a person who traveled with Mr Huff two years ago, and the story related to me is chilling. There is more than going on here that meets the eye. I wish I could be more forthcoming about the details related to me. I am not a nut case."

And the initial facts surrounding the Seattle shooting spree leave a host of unanswered questions, making the information of the anonymous source more curious and revealing.

Initial reports show the murders were committed on Saturday, March 25, at 2112 E. Republican St. on Capitol Hill in Seattle. Huff also had recently acquired a Bushmaster rifle, according to police, as at five brochures about the rifle were found next to his computer. Further, it was reported that immediately before Huff began shooting, he sprayed painted the word, "NOW" on the sidewalks and steps of the house on Republican St.

Huff also was armed with three guns, more than 300 rounds of ammunition, a baseball bat and a black machete, and told guests as he blazed away, "There's plenty for everyone," authorities said Monday.

"He clearly intent on doing homicidal mayhem," Deputy Police Chief Clark Kimerer said after the incident. And when police confronted Huff, he put a shotgun in his mouth and pulled the trigger.

As essential background, Huff has an identical twin named Kane, both growing up in the small town of Whitefish, Montana, population of approximately 5,000.

The Huff twins were also close high school friends with Jared Hope. In 2002, Hope shot and killed both his parents, then himself as police arrived on the scene similar to Huff. And according to reports, both Huff brothers returned to Whitefish to attend the Hope funeral in 2002, where their mother, Mary, still lives and runs a small art gallery.

Huff's mother was unavailable for comment and not answering her telephone, but after the incident she released a general statement of remorse to the press and then supposedly went into seclusion with her son, Kane.

"The mother may be able to shed some light on Huff's childhood. This could be an important," continued the anonymous source. "As for the two years since my source saw Kyle Huff last, he lived with his twin brother, Kane, in Seattle and he was by all accounts the closest to him. After the shootings, Kane was, according to media accounts, in seclusion, but he may be in Whitefish at this time.

"It is my gut feeling that these two time frames are of key importance to this mystery. Both the mother and brother have given short statements to the press, and have been

cooperative with police."

Saying the "government psy ops" connection needs to be investigated the source said the following questions also need to be answered in light of the information she learned about Huff:

Did Huff and his brother see the same doctors or psychiatrists as children? Were they a part of any medical studies? Did they see the same doctors or have extended contact with other people who where also in contact with Jared Hope?

Did they take medications for extended periods? Did Jared Hope? Where they the same medications, or come from the same pharmacy?

Who did Huff have contact with the last two years? Where did the Bushmaster rifle come from? Why that rifle?

Why did he choose to carry out the shooting at a house on Republican Street, on Capital Hill, a house he had apparently never been to before.

Why did he shoot strangers? Why did he choose them? Why did Huff spray paint the word "NOW". Was it a "trigger" word (no pun intended), or a dyslexic form of "NWO"?