A deep look at the Facebook page of the man who allegedly killed two at the Hollywood MAX stop on Friday reveals shifting political views that often contradicted themselves, though they maintained certain themes throughout, like hating circumcision and Hillary Clinton.

According to Shane Burley, Portland author of the upcoming book "Fascism Today," that fuzziness is a hallmark of extremism.

"Defined ideological contradictions are pretty normal with white nationalists," Burley said over the phone Tuesday.

On Tuesday afternoon, Jeremy Joseph Christian, 35, was arraigned on charges of aggravated murder and attempted murder. He is accused of killing Ricky John Best, 53, of Happy Valley, and Taliesin Myrddin Namkai-Meche, 23, of Southeast Portland.

Both men were stabbed in the throat on a MAX train while they attempted to defend two young women from Christian's racist rant. A third man, Micah Fletcher, 21, was also stabbed in the neck but survived the attack.

Federal authorities are still working with Portland police and the District Attorney's Office to decide whether to pursue federal hate crime or civil rights charges against Christian.

Burley believes that Christian's journey as played out on Facebook -- from Bernie Sanders and Standing Rock to Donald Trump and white nationalism and ultimately violence -- is not uncommon.

"I think the most important thing is when it comes to extremist right-wing politics is that they are murky," Burley said.

In April, Christian was filmed and photographed doing a Nazi salute while shouting: "Die Muslims!" at an alt-right "free speech" rally.

In response to the attack, Portland Mayor Ted Wheeler said the city wouldn't issue permits for two planned events he characterized as "alt-right," in June and asked the federal government to revoke an existing permit for one of the events, angering alt-right supporters and bringing the American Civil Liberties Union into the discussion of free speech in Portland.

On Twitter and other social media, however, people who identify as alt-right are distancing themselves from Christian, calling him a Bernie Sanders supporter. Liberals also refuse to claim him, pointing out that he was also a Donald Trump supporter.

His Facebook page shows a complicated picture. His posts reveal a comic book collector with nebulous political affiliations who above all else seemed to hate circumcision and Hillary Clinton.

In his milder posts, Christian wrote about buying and selling comic books. But many of his other posts had angry and violent themes.

"I want a job in Norway cutting off the heads of people that Circumcize Babies....Like if you agree!!!" Christian posted on May 9. That post got 14 shares, and 34 reactions, some of which were laughing and "wow."

"If you support the cutting of babies genitals in sick tribal rituals in America get off my page," he wrote in another post. "I don't care if you are friend of family."

He went on to suggest that a law banning circumcision would "stop True Patriots from having to kill otherwise good doctors inside hospitals."

"F-- You if you say my body my choice but support circumcision," reads another post.

"Stop the WAR on babies' Foreskins!!!" says another.

The question of whether Christian was a Trump supporter or a Sanders supporter, doesn't have an either/or answer, except: he definitely was not a Clinton supporter.

"Bernie Sanders was the President I wanted," wrote Christian in December. "He voiced my heart and mind. The one who spoke about the way America should gone. Away from the Military and Prison Industrial Complexes. The Trump is who America needs now that Bernie got ripped off."

But on Nov. 11, he posted that he was unable to bring himself to vote for Trump.

"I've had it!!! I gonna kill everybody who voted for Trump or Hillary!!!" he said in another post in early January. "It's all your fault!!! You're what's wrong with this country!!! Reveal yourselves immediately and face your DOOM!!!"

Burley said that he believes Christian could have supported Sanders because he was against globalization and then, when Sanders lost, he "could have supported the kind of America first protection espoused by Trump."

"What it looks like with him is a person going through an ideological process," Burley said.

In February 2016, Christian wrote, "Just to clarify a few things: 'I Hereby Solemnly swear to Die trying to Kill Hillary (Herself a filthy Murderess) Clinton and Donald Trump should they be elected to the post of President in my faire country on Vinland. This I swear to Odin, Kali, Bastet and all other Pagan Gods and Goddesses in my Aryan Theosophical Nucleus. This is my duty as a Viking and Patriot. In Jesus name....I Feel The Bern!!!!"

Burley said that "Vinland" is far right lingo that alludes to the part of eastern Canada supposedly settled by Leif Erikson in the 11th century. Burley said white nationalists use "Vineland" to assert themselves as "distinct people with a spiritual lineage."

In late January, however, Christian wrote, "If Donald Trump is the Next Hitler then I am joining his SS to put an end to Monotheist Question. All Zionist Jews, All Christians who do not follow Christ's teaching of Love, Charity, and Forgiveness And All Jihadi Muslims are going to Madagascar or the Ovens/FEMA Camps!!! Does this make me a fascist!!!"

Then a few days later he posted, "Sanders/Stein 2017!!! Let's stop these pipelines and reign in the Prison/Military Industrial Complexes!!!"

More than anything, he seemed to hate Hillary Clinton supporters.

"The only form of abortion I support is the old fashioned method that doesn't cost the taxpayers money: Daddy Kicks Mommy In The Stomach!!!" he wrote in January. "Also, lead poisoning via a 9MM injection for Hillary Supporters...."

"Death to Hillary Rodham Clinton and all her supporters!!!" he posted, also in January. "To be carried out by Bernie Supporters who didn't turn traitor and vote Hillary...."

Besides his hate for Clinton and circumcision, most of his other positions seem difficult to pin down.

On Facebook, Christian certainly espoused far-right beliefs. One meme he posted reads, "If we're removing statues because of the Civil War, we should be removing mosques because of 9/11."

In one post, Christian called Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber who killed 168 people, including 19 children in 1995, "a TRUE PATRIOT!!!"

He also supported Standing Rock and frequently railed against the military industrial complex.

He posted conspiracy theory memes from the right-wing Alex Jones Channel alongside pro-legal cannabis stories about Bill Maher, who is decidedly left wing.

He wrote about and referenced a "white homeland" in both positive and neutral or negative terms.

"So, its like this. If you support Israel for Zionist homeland for Jews then you should also support Cascadia as a White homeland for whites only racists, Alabama and Mississippi for Nation of Islam and racist Black Power groups and give back at least so cal to Mexicans for all the illegal Latinos and any Brown racist peeps," he wrote. "Their can be a central area ran by feds were all the normal people who don't really care about race and gay marriage is legal. Problem solved."

But he also shared a picture of a black Santa Claus in December that said, "Share this picture of black Santa because it will piss off a racist a--hole."

He frequently referred to himself as a nihilist and appeared to dislike monotheistic religions universally, sharing memes with sentiments like "Damn girl, are you a religious scripture? Because I want to constantly misinterpret you for my own benefit."

"Early fascists talk about nihilism," Burley told us. "Hating humanity on the one hand and then hating particular parts of humanity especially."

But, while sometimes he called himself a fascist, according to various posts, he considered the Antifa, which he hated, to be a fascist organization.

On April 28, the day before the alt-right protest where he was filmed, Christian wrote: "A note too [sic] all my Portland Peeps. You should all attend the Free Speech Rally at Montavilla if you value your rights. ALL RIGHTS."

"I will attend in Lizard King Regalia as a Political Nihilist to Provoke both Sides and attempt to engage anyone in a true Philosophy and Political Discussion," he continued.

"I take the Role of International Patriot and Revolutionary VERY SERIOUS BUT YOU ALL KNOW I AM THE MOST LAID BACK DUDE IN THE WORLD- Until you cross that line then nothing will stop our COME TO JESUS TALK FRIEND OR FOE."

He ends the post by saying, "FREE SPEECH OR DIE!!! THIS IS MY LAND!!! VINLAND RIP CITY!!!"

Mainly though, Christian appeared to be angry. In August of 2016, he wrote on Facebook, "Survival Tip #1: Kill Every Other Person."

When asked about how they deal with posts calling for the death of groups of people or individuals, a Facebook spokesperson directed us to their Community Standards, which says, "We carefully review reports of threatening language to identify serious threats of harm to public and personal safety. We remove credible threats of physical harm to individuals. We may consider things like a person's physical location or public visibility in determining whether a threat is credible."

As far as Christian, the spokesperson said they don't have a specific comment on his posts.

In the era of social media, it's easy for messages like those that Christian read and those that he shared, to be passed around with not much intervention.

During a press conference on Saturday after the attack, Portland Police Sgt. Pete Simpson said police do not monitor social media unless there is "a criminal nexus."

"There's not a widespread monitoring because something is unpopular or scary," Simpson said. "You have to have that crime there."

Loren Cannon, the special agent in charge of the Portland Division of the FBI, echoed Simpson, adding that he couldn't comment on the specifics of Christian's posts without seeing them.

Burley believes that Christian's "lone wolf" act of violence, and the apparent contradictions in his belief system bely a deeper problem.

"These are political acts of violence that are the responsibility of white nationalists," he told us.

Burley said that historically, it has been the case that higher level people in far-right extremist movements rile up people down the line and it is those people, who are often marginalized, that commit the violence.

Burley cited the murder of Mulugeta Seraw by three racist skinheads in Portland in 1988 -- which was ultimately found to be the responsibility not just of the men who physically killed Seraw but of the men who ran the skinhead organization that incited them -- as an example.

The figureheads and spokespeople of these groups have "a very big effect on influencing the rank and file," Burley said. "We're talking about an unstable person that was led into a mindset of violent revolution and egged on until he kind of burst."

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-- Lizzy Acker

503-221-8052

lacker@oregonian.com, @lizzzyacker