Details are still coming out after an attempted assassination of former President Trump, but one thing we’re sadly already seeing are people on all sides trying to peddle the usual nonsense. Conspiracy theories, blaming broad swaths of societies for what one person ultimately did, and general hatred are already floating around. I know most readers here are better people than that, and I’m glad that I know that.
So, it’s us who are going to need to be the peacemakers and voices of reason right now.
I think the first thing we need to keep in mind is that people on different political sides from us are not some mysterious group of strangers out to get us. We all have that hippy liberal aunt who’s telling everyone about Project 2025’s fascist takeover at family dinners. We all have that uncle who talks about the downfall of western civilization, how Obama is running the show, and such. Would we wish harm on those loved ones we disagree with, though? Absolutely not.
The people on opposite sides might not be our loved ones, but they’re somebody’s crazy aunt or uncle.
I’m not going to preach absurdity here and say that there’s never a place for violence. Of course, legitimate self-defense is not only legal, but morally required of any decent person who loves their family and country. The same is true for fighting tyranny, as well. There IS a time and a place for violence, and it’s absurd to say words like “never” when discussing these topics, even when it sounds good at the time. But, we also must keep in mind what the Declaration of Independence has to say about the use of violence:
”Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
While we don’t know what the shooter’s exact motivations were at this point, it seems very likely that they were acting out of fear that Trump could become a dictator or buying into any line of dangerous rhetoric we’ve heard thrown around in this election season. We’ve seen this said by everyone from random people on social media to the mainstream media to even Biden himself. Naturally, one who truly believed that would want to take action to stop a tyrant from taking power, even if their fears may have been deeply misguided.
If that’s the case, a serious moral error was still made. Violence is only morally justified as a last resort, when all other options are either exhausted or unavailable. Assuming for the sake of argument that Trump will become a dictator if elected, it’s still July, and the election is in November. Further, Trump wouldn’t become president again until the end of January. All of that time gives ample opportunity for peaceful protest, legal action, and other options that fall far short of killing. So, there’s absolutely no moral justification for what happened this weekend. This was far from the time and place for violence.
I’m sure it’s tempting for many people who support Donald Trump to want to strike back, but we also need to keep in mind that this is probably what the shooter wanted. They had to know that killing Trump would result in backlash and possibly even a virtual civil war in our streets, and they may have been misguided enough to think that their side could win such a war (history pro tip: nobody wins a civil war). The job of good, moral people now is to prove such idiots wrong.
No matter who you support in the upcoming election, now is the time to work to win fair and square in a peaceful election. We need to show violent morons everywhere that America is better than them and that one idiot can’t make us descend into violence and chaos like Europe after Archduke Franz Ferdinand. We may have passionate differences, but we aren’t a violent and bloodthirsty people who go to violence at the first opportunity instead of a last resort.
To do that, all of us are going to have to keep pushing for free and fair elections, but we also need to work to keep those around us from getting crazy and joining the bazaar of immoral, premature violence. To do this, we need to remind people to not blame half of society, peddle unfounded conspiracy theories and otherwise inflame the tension. We need people to remember that the other side almost always includes some of our friends, family and other loved ones.
If America does descend into violence and stupidity, we need to make sure we at least tried to steer it toward peace and prosperity first. I think America as a whole is up for that job.
I think you over estimate the quality of our fellow Citizen’s critical thinking skills. However, I could just be extremely pessimistic.
And then there are those who didn’t get what they wanted…
https://youtu.be/m7x-QTsJfW0?feature=sharedp
Think we may be past the point of ‘light and transient causes.’
I’m not at all sure “they” had anything to do with THE SHOOTING©. It appears a disturbed boy took daddy’s gun & wanted fame. All he got was infamy & death. We are at the very end of this present age. All he!! is breaking loose. It’s not about politics. It’s about light vs dark & good vs evil. If my post is moderated my comments will become scarce.
A counter argument could be said about this kid registering as a republican in the primary then turning around and making donations to ‘Act Blue’ (a non profit that raises money for Dems). I do recall the Dems were calling for their lemmings to register as republican to defeat their nemises in the primary contest for someone like a Nikki Haley candidate (it didn’t work of course).
Age as in the 4th Turning or as in the end of the Age of Pisces?
Blah blah blah, democrats don’t offer a damn thing good for our country. If they actually wanted free and fair elections they wouldn’t try to change the electorate with open borders. They wouldn’t fight voter ID. They wouldn’t try to assassinate the presumptive GOP nominee.
N dey wuddn b calln no lone gunmn “they” nedr wud dey.
The dems have perfected the voting system in every election and midterm since 2016. They are not going to let this go to waste.
Either the Democrats are stupid or they are determined and don’t care what damage they do. Either way, I think we are past the Bingo point. All we ask of our elected officials is that they honor their oath of office to support and defend the Constitution. One group clearly does not care about that and seeks only power.
A lot of the Democrat voters are indeed stupid. The leaders of the party are not. They do, however, know well how to manipulate the stupid.
Also, they cheat like hell.
Expect a lot of “electoral irregularities” that favor the dems in the election.
From Ms. Sensiba’s article above:
“I think the first thing we need to keep in mind is that people on different political sides from us are not some mysterious group of strangers out to get us.”
“Would we wish harm on those loved ones we disagree with, though? Absolutely not.”
I admire Ms. Sensiba’s appeal to virtue. She seems to have a deep appreciation for ALL human beings and that is commendable. She is also projecting her appreciation for all human beings upon virtually everyone else and that is a giant error. The fact of the matter is that many people walking among us want what they want and appeals to virtue will fail to persuade them. In fact many of those people walking among us who want what they want are quite content seeing “others” silenced, imprisoned, and/or murdered if that is what it takes to get what they want.
Most of us have heard the saying, “Reality is a harsh mistress.” That harsh mistress reared her very ugly head yesterday afternoon for the whole world to see in Butler, Pennsylvania. The wise person plans for reality knowing that virtue may never materialize.
Normally I subscribe to the philosophy that, in politics, when certain events can be attributed to incompetence or conspiracy, incompetence is the most likely answer. But the totality of events since the 2016 election cycle is certainly leaning towards the latter; and that’s just really scary.
“One group clearly does not care about that and seeks only power.”
I believe your statement is incorrect. Neither political party supports the whole Constitution and freewill. They simply differ on what parts they want to destroy to obtain and maintain power.
While some of that is changing slightly for the better on one side it is a good assumption that both political parties especially at the non-elected organizational level are looking to carve out civil liberties in an alternating fashion to keep those who are easily distracted from noticing they at best gain 2 or 3 rights back while giving 4 or 5 each cycle. Two wings same bird and all.
“They simply differ on what parts they want to destroy to obtain and maintain power.”
I think they agree on which parts they want to destroy (all of it). They disagree on what they believe is the appropriate messaging to get people on board with doing it because they have different bases of support which have different preferences.
For instance: The pols on the Left default to the use of the boogeyman of “Right Wing Fascism” (often presented in different slices, like “transgenocide” or xenophobia) to attack the 2A, 4A and 5A. The pols on the Right default to the use of “drugs” or “terrorism” to do exactly the same thing.
The fact that they’ll swap positions as needed to advance an anti 2/4/5A argument tells you what you need to know.
Fair points.
Out of the four boxes, Ballot, Jury, Soap and Cartidge, the Soap box is the most dangerous. It seems to me the great American pasttime is standing on a soapbox and telling people how to live their lives. Abortion, guns, religion, LGBTQ-M-O-U-S-E or whatever the topic, some motherphukr is going to standup and tell others how to live. Power hungry iceholes will manipulate people for votes and get elected. There will always be someone who will use the power of the State to try to force others to live a certain way.
I do not understand why someone would make the choices they make and I sure as hell do not like some of them but I support their right to make them. As long as I do not have to paticipate and my freedom of choice is not impacted.
If anyone thinks it is acceptable for government to force the population to use pronouns, bake a cake, ban guns, ban abortion, or in anyway limit the choices a US Citizen, you are part of the problem.
I own dozens and dozens of firearms. Some old, some new. Alex Baldwin has killed more people than I have. So have women who had abortions. Gay marriage is not a problem and your religous beliefs do not matter. I will not use your pronouns so go away because I dont care.
Thou may ingest a satchel of Richards.
Going beyond the bounds of what is reasonable in the exercise of .gov power is a pretty old story, so I’d say that you’re correct.
Ultimately, I suspect that the root issue is the same. People have this strange tendency to get together in groups and then invent new “rights” pertaining to the group (group rights is the actual term) that no individual in the group has.
They then tend to use .gov power to try to bestow the power to enforce a *defense* of these new “group rights” onto others.
IRL, it’s just a projection of power onto other people that attempts to force others to conform to their preferences but people nearly never seem to see it that way. The disconnect is why they make nonsensical statements in furtherance of these behaviors.
Well stated.
On the contrary, Republicans by and large do support the Constitution as WRITTEN.
PATRIOT act would like a word.
Sorry Jennifer, but while most of your fellow leftists may not be dangerous people who want to k.ill me, that is only 50%. You only need listen to the leftists calling on the govern.ment to conf!scate arms backed by armed govern.ment agents. The or else is surrender, or dye.
The leftists talk about right wing vio.lence but when the bu!!ets fly it is always the lefties doing the bu!!et launch. For now, anyway. Confiscation will likely change that.
One thing we can take solace in is that the left is extremely divided. Look at how many ant.ifa factions there are. And then there are mainline mar.xists, trots.kyists, chinaphiles, stalls.inists, and more. Each sees the other as heretics for their deviation from the true word.
I have no illusion, as to what the Biden administration would have done should trump‘s assassin have been successful. I believe that we would nave been in a hot Civil War at this point, and it’s only Monday.
“So, it’s us who are going to need to be the peacemakers and voices of reason right now.”
While, in general, I regard that statement as appropriate, there is a fundamental problem with it. That is, being the “voice of reason” is only meaningful if the listener is a reasonable person (and, indeed, if the listener is listening.) Unfortunately, in our current sociopolitical milieu, it is difficult for many of “us” to conclude that “they” are, in fact, reasonable or reasoning, beings.
There has been an absolute boatload of hyperbolic BS about the Right, Trump, the GOP and anyone with any sort of slightly conservative notion about anything since 2015. While many on the Right have called many on the Left authoritarian, tyrannical and even evil, they have done little beyond say such things. The Left, however, has been calling the Right evil, murderous, traitorous, and has called for their death and has even attempted to enact measures to ensure it. Much hay has been made about January 6th when, in fact, other than a protester being killed by a trigger happy cop, nothing violent actually happened. On the other hand, the Left and their establishment patrons, have rioted, burned, killed, destroyed, prosecuted, threatened and, now, attempted assassination.
I like the idea of being the voice of reason but, when an entire political establishment can’t see that my words are not violence, a claim they use to justify their actual violence, well, then, reason, on their part, does not seem to be a meaningful concept. I can construct, present and argue many a reasonable thesis vis-a-vis our current political landscape but when I present it to a shrieking harpy who claims that the fact that I don’t agree with him/her/them justifies my imprisonment or execution, well, my ability to articulate something, well or not, becomes fairly meaningless.
Democrats are criminals, co.m.m.ies, and tr.ait.ors. They kill babies, apologize for p.ed.op.hile.s, as.sa.s.si.n.at.e presidents, s.exua.lly gr.oo.m children in public schools, steal our money and property, grab our guns, and take away our Constitutional rights. Their vision of the country is at complete odds to that of the Founders’.
This is all verified fact. This is all without doubt.
In many ways, Republicans are worse because they do almost nothing to stop this assault, and sell us out for tax cuts every time. They have never seen a war they don’t like, and they send our best to die in foreign wars, and sacrifice the country daily for kickbacks, influence peddling, and insider trading. I’m looking at you George W. Bush and Mitch McConnell.
The isolated patsy pulled the trigger, but it was both Democrats and Republicans in the uniparty that loaded the gun.
These people are LUCKY that the normal majority of the citizenry have put their hopes in Trump to solve the sh*tty mess this country is in.
We could have, and still may yet, take a very different course, the course taken by the Founders of this great but failing nation.
“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness… it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.”
Pretty sure you are g2g on commies re word reviews.
“They had to know that killing Trump would result in backlash and possibly even a virtual civil war in our streets”
Bullshit. Killing Trump would have resulted in reinvigorated/turbocharged disarmament policies and a guaranteed 4 more years of commiecrats in the White House. Not to mention a court system composed of “diverse” Leftists. And anyone complaining about the millions of military age foreign nationals with cartel affiliations pouring over our sovereign borders would be guilty of incendiary rhetoric and redflagged under the spiffy new national redflag law…
Could still happen anyway, but Trump literally dodged a bullet, and so did the Bill of Rights. For now…
“with cartel affiliations pouring over our sovereign borders”
with various cartel/political/religious/class affiliations, every one of which absorbed anti-American sentiments with their mother’s milk, pouring over our sovereign borders.
Nothing to see here, just a lone kid desperate for status…
Maybe you’re correct, but let me point out the cold, hard reality.
If you are correct, and everyone Right of center is this much a eunuch, then the guns are a hobby and you should turn them in anyway.
Having them serves zero actual purpose and you can put the resources you’re wasting on them towards something more productive while you await the train cars that you will board in an orderly fashion.
Sorry, that’s the reality. There’s no point in having tools you won’t or can’t use. They’re just a waste of resources. If you’re so far gone that you’re going to get on the train anyway, the gun’s just a decoration, your words are empty and, quite frankly, you’re already dead inside anyway.
Just [email protected] all dru.gs. and all the crime,l will go away. Like it did in Oregon.
The security lapses that enabled the crazed kid were glaringly obvious. It is inconceivable that even the DEI hires that have been promoted by this administration were to stupid to recognize the threat. They were issuing an open invitation to any assassin who might have been just lurking in the woodwork or was being actively recruited by government agencies. If the crazed kid had succeeded in assassinating President Trump, the cabal who pull Senile Sock Puppet President Biden’s strings would have exploited the chaos to cancel the election and declare Kameltoe Harris Dictator for Life. An armed insurrection would have been the immediate response.
President Trump wasn’t the only one who dodged a bullet.
Awwww you actually believe that the shooter acted all on his own. That’s so cute. Now go back inside sweetie and have a cookie.
There isn’t a single Puppet Biden voter in existence that wants peace and prosperity. We know what that looks like, and it’s the opposite of what the installed puppet brought upon this country. Don’t give me that “conspiracy theory” Other Agency/MSM talking point. An impending assassination attempt on Trump was an unfounded conspiracy theory just a few days ago. This article is out of touch with reality.
Leftists are not people. I didn’t need some incel taking a pot shot at Trump to see that. All my years alive and all my interactions with them taught me that.
Okay, maybe some of them are people technically. Very simple, emotionally driven, exceptionally selfish people that are a net drain on society. Not worth keeping around.
I see them as cultists who want to eliminate not only those who aren’t them but also any who is specifically not them. Those who have different interpretations of the belief are considered heretical and also deserve “cancellation”.
You know what happens when you try to be the voice of reason for a bunch of unreasonable people?
You get burned as a witch.
Better off controlling or eliminating the unreasonable people. No quarter for Morlocks.
I like to put it this way: It has been said that in the land of the blind, the man with one eye is king. This, however, is not true. In the land of the blind, the man with sight is deemed insane.
This is an example of what we are ‘suppose’ to be reasonable with…
”Demented, deranged and deluded’: Lefties erupt following Trump’s assassination attempt.
It is rather impressive to note the number of people who truly do not realize that they came “within 1cm” of having a much shorter life expectancy.
It’s also amusing how many of them “did the meme”.
Yeah, no…
https://scontent-dfw5-1.xx.fbcdn.net/v/t39.30808-6/451253220_10226585737934859_2628569118440790335_n.jpg?_nc_cat=111&ccb=1-7&_nc_sid=aa7b47&_nc_ohc=wiuy3qTxXhoQ7kNvgH1l3UP&_nc_ht=scontent-dfw5-1.xx&oh=00_AYDIUMAZEMGyz9Od5UJPR6jLtXmtwiLLlXIXbK63tbWG8g&oe=669B57C9
“I’m sure it’s tempting for many people who support Donald Trump to want to strike back…”
As all Americans should demand- strike at the highly-paid security and intel jerks who allowed a room temperature IQ kid with a non-concealed rifle/carbine to cross the grounds, climb a ladder, and move around on a rooftop that should’ve been secured by either an agent or at least local cop earning OT. Who gives a damn about his motive?? That was put in play by Biden, Morning Joe, the scum on The View, and the rest of the MSM and late night talk shows. It’s already starting right back up again. They can’t help themselves.
When one logically considers all of the mind-numbing charges and accusations that have been thrown at DJT since he’s had the audacity to successfully run for president while not coming from the anointed elite, plus having the nerve to expose the rampant corruption and money-making by all of those within the govt and regulatory agencies, it’s difficult to believe that the vast breaches in security protocols at the Pennsylvania event were either accidental oversight or mere coincidence. Besides- it took Biden’s obvious senility issue off of the lead in the news industry.
My hopes and prayers are that DJT, and a large number of his endorsed candidates are elected/reelected and that some real surgery on our govt’s cancer can be performed. I believe there are literally hundreds of sitting politicians and bureaucrats who need to go to a real prison for a long time, with billions of ill-gotten gains confiscated and returned to the taxpayers. Following that, there are also large numbers of political prisoners who need to be freed and made as whole as possible.
Strike back, Jenny? More like defend ourselves…
With an allegedly $14B budget surely the secret service could afford a few drones to surveil buildings beyond the perimeter?
130m is within point-blank range for any rifle cartridge, especially a .223. It’s lucky (name redacted, damnatio memorie) was such a bad shot he failed the school rifle team and DJT turned his head at the right moment.
SS has, and uses drones regularly.
“If America does descend into violence and stupidity, we need to make sure we at least tried to steer it toward peace and prosperity first.”
While I agree with the sentiment I question if this is possible at this point, at least in anything other than the shortest of terms. This *incident* isn’t an isolated event, it occurs as part of a larger backdrop that is caustic in many directions all at once.
Ultimately, the issue that I see at the base of all of this is that a great many people detect that something is very, very wrong but they don’t know what it is. Rather than trying to solve this issue, the general direction of .gov, media and pretty much everyone else has been to push nonsense “solutions” that are both simple and profitable (note that this word may refer to the pecuniary sense or it may refer to something else, profit being in the eye of the beholder and all that) for the people pushing them. In order to sell that simple solution they first have to sell the idea that the problem is simple when it’s anything but and sowing confusion at this/these level/s of a nested system is going to produce a disaster if we continue to allow it.
What you end up with, in fact in many ways you already have, is a situation shockingly similar to the USSR under Lenin or Stalin pre-war. Everyone’s only real concern is keeping their head down and grasping as much coin-o-the-realm as they can. Truth is the first casualty of such situations. And, just like the USSR, we’ve been gaslit against each other in ways that, if you think about it for a moment, make zero sense but feel good in the moment. The same thing has happened quite a lot in Africa, it just tends to move faster than it did in the USSR and not be as well documented.
I’m not sure it’s actually possible for people to chill long enough for emotions to cool and then to have a rational conversation. It’s more likely that the blind guys feeling different parts of the elephant end up fighting each other.
Ultimately, without seismic political shifts that actually move the country significantly at the base level, the best we can do is kick the can down the road until we go over a cliff. And when we go over that cliff, it’s going to get spicy because, honestly, it can be no other way.
Leftie’s INSANE Reactions to Trump Shooting | Delusional Compilation.