is mr. loughner on board?

in the US paradise of resentment and righteous indignation, arizona, they have a problem with the tucson shooter "suspect," one jared lee loughner:

"TUCSON - A federal judge on Wednesday ordered Jared Loughner to undergo a psychological evaluation to determine his competency to stand trial, laying aside defense concerns that it might endanger the developing relationship between the man accused in the Tucson-area shooting and his lawyer.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Wallace Kleindienst cited the apparent distrust of government by Loughner, his concerns that the FBI and CIA were monitoring him, and a possibility that he was hearing voices as reasons for immediate evaluation.

U.S. District Judge Larry A. Burns agreed, saying he did not want to continue toward trial 'until I'm assured that Mr. Loughner is on board.'" Judge orders mental exam for Loughner

after considerable wind has been expended in trying to characterize mr. loughner as either a right-wing or left-wing extremist (aka, nut), we have actually come to the crux of the matter:

has he simply become unglued from the surly bonds of reality?

as it was spectators/witnesses who had to wrest the weapon from his hand, there's not much doubt that he's responsible for the crime(s). the question is, is he responsible for himself? does it depend on our rhetoric about how we define jared lee loughner?

the loopy videos he produced in the period leading up to his assasination attempt reveal the typical unhinged american -- shunned, cast aside, ignored. our self-reliance mythology pertains equally to billionaires and wayward loonies equally. you make out the best you can, and don't expect my help!

we americans are doing god's work, nowhere near as well as when we're heavily armed.

now make popcorn for next hilarious episode in this nauseating spectacle: the restoration of mr. lougher's "competency."

one of the more inscrutable notions in our version of law is this idea that if someone was apeshit crazy -- i mean totally bananas, cruising on an asteroid off the coast of neptune -- if you can be brought back to your senses (or at least sedated enough to sit quietly and not swing from the light fixtures), you can then be tried, found guilty and be fried.

this ranks right up there with suicide watch for death row inmates, wouldn't you say? wouldn't want to deprive the state department of retribution services the opportunity to practice the art of killing -- at which the victim proved to be so much less clinical, sterile and civilized.

is mr. loughner on board? and if not, then why is he smiling?