Chris Kyle was murdered yesterday. There’s a good chance you’ve never heard of Kyle, though he was famous in some circles.

Kyle was one of those guys — the ones they make American movies about. He was the son of a church deacon who became a cowboy, then joined the military at the age of 24, and eventually found himself as a sniper in a SEAL unit. And because he was one of those guys they make American movies about, he became the most lethal sniper in the history of US military.

The Department of Defense credited him with more than 150 confirmed kills. His own count put him at more than 250 kills.

Chris Kyle

How you personally feel about somebody who’s killed a couple hundred people during war — well, that really doesn’t matter. These facts matter: he was decorated half a dozen times, he was wounded in action a couple of times, he protected a lot of US troops during the decade he was on active duty, as a civilian he participated in a program to help veterans with PTSD recover, and yesterday Chris Kyle was shot at close range and killed.

The extreme right wing immediately exploded with conspiracy theories. The following are quotes taken verbatim from various contributors to FreeRepublic.com:

“I think mooslims are responsible.”

“Islam, Democrat, it’s all the same. Enemies of a free America.”

“It’s a hit, period. We are at war and the president is on the wrong side.”

“Don’t forget Breitbart. And, yes, I think he was offed.”

“Obama is offing his enemies one by one..nothing would surprise me about this Administration, absolutely nothing.”

“They should be offed first. A worthless opposition party is our hugest obstacle. So yes, they should be afraid. The war will be on them. They are pushing it that way. A biased state media its also a problem.”

“Think of it. A ‘civil war’ is eminent, being pushed by a radical leader to boil and explode. He knows that a good portion of his army will split, and that the most dangerous among them, a sharpshooter, someone who could take out this said radical leader. Would it not be in his best interest to take the sharpshooter down before the civil war broke out?”

“Chris Kyle is one of the latest who I believe to have been killed by this Administration.”

“The moment the seals helicopter went down in the Afghanistan ambush, weeks after the Bin-laden raid, I thought it was suspicious, and every Seal death since has been suspicious to me. There is a massive cover-up going on and those that are a threat are being killed.”

“After Obama had our Ambassador killed(YES I believe that was a hit..it was an attempt to swap the Blind Sheihk for Stevens, that was the original plan) I believe Obama is capable of ANYTHING.”

“There is a theory circulating around the Internet that all the recent shootings that are receiving widespread attention are not coincidences and that it is being coordinated at the highest levels to push the anti-gun agenda. So far it’s only a theory but if even one of the shooters can be captured and linked to the Obama administration it would stop them dead in their tracks and expose them for what they really are. O’s not getting away with anything; the hens will be coming home to roost soon.”

It quickly became known that the suspect alleged to have murdered Kyle was a former Marine with PTSD — one of the people Kyle was attempting to help. You might reasonably think that information would mute some of the conspiracy comments.

It didn’t.

“[S]uspects name is Eddie Routh, former Marine, arrested for DWI. Take it with a grain of salt, it’s early yet.”

“Allegedly murdered by a ‘veteran with PTSD’ who Chris was mentoring as a volunteer. Probably just a BS story we’re being fed.”

“[T]his POS is/was in the Marines.” He’s a pawn…he’s either being paid, having his family threatened, or in some other way coerced. Maybe he’s dying of cancer and he was promised his family will be taken care of, if he just “does this little thing” for Barry. After all, Barry’s ruled that he can kill ANY American ANYTIME he wants. Too damned many SEALs have been assassinated recently.”

It must be horrible, to be so afraid all the time. These people must live in a constant state of anxiety and suspicion. They feel so threatened by so many things on so many different fronts. The scenarios they concoct are so removed from reality that it must be exhausting to maintain them. I sort of feel sorry for these people.

Maybe they find some strange comfort in thinking of themselves as being on the same ‘team’ as Chris Kyle. If so, it makes it all the more shameful for them to drag him into their deranged conspiracies.

I suspect I’d have disagreed with Chris Kyle’s politics. Since I never met him, I’ve no idea what I’d think about him as a person. He is said to have decked Jessie Ventura in a bar after Ventura said something disrespectful following the wake of a SEAL member who died in combat — and I’d guess anybody who’s ever heard Jessie Ventura speak has wanted to deck him at some point. By all accounts, Chris Kyle was a nice guy. A nice guy who killed a couple hundred people. I haven’t a clue whether I’d have liked him or not, but I can guarantee you this: I’d have loved to have a beer with him. This was a guy with stories to tell.

Chris Kyle

This is what I know: for a decade this guy put on a uniform and put his own ass on the line. I have nothing but respect for that.

Chris Kyle deserved better than this — better than to have been shot down on a gun range in Texas. Better than to be used as a hook for conspiracy theorists.