Donald Trump’s rhetoric is a root cause of today’s political violence, but our first two amendments will save us
I believe that Donald J. Trump’s rhetoric is a root cause of all our recent political violence.
He set the tone by making it clear that violence is acceptable. In his first candidacy he suggested that a rally protester should “maybe be roughed up.” That wasn’t the last time, either. At a California rally he said that a female protester “should get the hell knocked out of her.”
As it turns out, the first two amendments to the U.S. Constitution, making gun ownership an intrinsic right along with freedom of speech, may turn out in the end to be the factors that save America.
There is now little question of the forces unleashed against the basic freedoms we’ve all been taught that we possess. The Trump juggernaut now sends federal troops into our cities for trumped-up reasons. The attack against education has been relentless with few being able to withstand (Harvard has pushed back) it.
Our Justice Department has been perverted into a political shill. Only sitting judges have, so far, been able to apply any curbs or brakes on the debasement of ideas surrounding tariffs, treatment of immigrants, etc. So far, they’re getting little support from the Supreme Court.
The news media has been under so much attack that it has become automatically suspect in the minds of too many people. Most of those have no other association with reality than social networks 24/7. And that reality has become mostly simple propaganda at best, at worst, a lie.
I find it amusing that this same news media is so constricted in its mission that it is currently twisting in the wind as it tries to characterize the recent assassination of Charlie Kirk. Mr. Trump deflects to the “radical left.” It’s the elephant in the room syndrome.
Mr. Trump runs on fear, anger and division. Everything is always us and them.
Charlie Kirk, himself an us-and-them proponent, died as a result of the atmosphere promulgated by the current American president.
In the end, I believe America will prevail. Even a sycophantic Supreme Court can never deny the first two amendments to our Constitution. A fascist state must rely on the helplessness of its citizenry, in both speech and the ability to fight back. The very people who have augmented gun rights to include weapons of war will be thwarted by their very own creation.
We, the People remain free to speak against this calamity.
It will take America some time to heal itself from this wannabe dictator, and others may try to follow, but our forefathers remain revered for a reason.
Van Carter of Sioux Falls is a retired broadcast journalist and environmentalist who published a green website for 15 years.
Photo: public domain, wikimedia commons
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