What's crazy is, no, they don't want war. They want to get reelected indefinitely for status and profit, and will say anything to get that. The shit they say incites their followers to want war, and that is advantageous for them.
The politicians know their bluffs will be called, but if they keep people mad and scared, they can keep farming donations and votes from rubes. They've done it for decades. This rhetoric gets stale eventually, so they have to keep amplifying the message, to the point they're now posturing for a civil war they know won't ever come.
Meanwhile, their voters are bashing people on the head with hammers or killing family members because they've been told to be scared for decades, and are now being told to fight back.
I have questions about how necessary it was to fire at the woman in the first place.
•if she's in an empty lobby with her and her son, and two security officers, could they not have tried to negotiate and get the kid away first?
•Did security actually see "materials consistant with manufacturing explosives" inside her trenchcoat before firing, or is that something they alleged after they shot a 7yo in the head. There were no explosives found on her body or at home.
I know it's hard to judge these situations, but I feel like there could have been a resolution where the kid doesn't sacrificed by everyone involved.