Blown Out Of Proportion

As I write this, the suspect in the Texas bombings is dead, hoisted on his own petard. Beyond the poetic justice of this moment, I appreciate the opportunity to share with any and all who did not previously understand the meaning of that particular phrase. A petard was a small bomb used in the days of yore to breach doors or fortifications. It came into vogue after Bill Shakespeare used it in his play about the troubled youth Hamlet. This idiom has come to refer to anyone who managed to get themselves caught in their own trap or scheme, but this was quite the illustrative example.
While all that was taking place, of course, the rush to determine a motive began. Additionally, there will be an even more frantic attempt to connect the suspect to some group, organization, or cause that would help make sense of his three week campaign of terror.
Oops.
I did it, didn't I?
I went and used the "T" word. Not the "he who shall not be named" T-word, but the T-word that seems to defy connection to white males carrying out their killing within the continental United States. My guess is that anyone living in or around Austin, Texas would probably go along with that labeling, especially in that it goes a long way toward the goal of keeping Austin weird. The terror will probably continue for some time as there is no way to be certain if there are more un-exploded devices out there waiting to be blown. On accident or by timer.
Or in solidarity.
The potential for accomplices or copycats remain a concern for the time being, until the next terror event. Not that it will be carried out by terrorists. We reserve the right to use that label on bad people we want to deny entry into our country. Apparently we have plenty of potential terrorists here already. We've got a quota we have to consider.
Who knew learning about Shakespeare could be so fun?