Bill Cottrell, 23, a Caltech physics graduate student originally from Concord, N.C., has been arrested on suspicion of destroying or damaging 125 SUVs at car dealerships northeast of Los Angeles. He graduated from the University of Chicago with degrees in physics and mathematics, where he also ran cross-country. (I wonder why I can’t remember anything about him.)

From the article: “Those who set fires, like those at the Hummer dealership in West Covina, are misguided zealots,” FBI Assistant Director Richard Garcia said in a statement. “The FBI respects, encourages and protects people who peacefully exercise their right to free speech. However, when extremists resort to arson attacks, which inevitably will lead to a loss of life, they have gone too far and the FBI will investigate aggressively and relentlessly to bring those who set such fires to justice.” As commentators at Portland Indymedia say, it’s equally extreme for General Motors to flood the nation’s roadways with vehicles that are, whether or not this intent is made public, designed to inflict maximum injury onto anyone/anything that happens to get in the way of one.