The Ugliness of Those Bent on Violence

Right From the Start

“Yes, in the end, you will walk out. Because 100,000 Englishmen simply cannot control 350 million Indians, if those Indians refuse to cooperate”

Mahatma Ghandi

On August 12, 2017, a group of white supremacists, neo-nazis, and allied thugs and cretins, descended on Charlottesville, VA, to stage a protest over the removal of Civil War statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. While removal of the statue was the nominal purpose of the march, in fact the protesters were there for violence. They came armed – bats, batons, a smattering of small arms, a large supply of pepper spray, helmets, body armor, and shields with a variety of insignia aligned with their hateful cause. They came to fight and injure. They carried signs, hurled bigoted insults, and engaged in the trash talking that usually leads to fighting. (To be sure there were a few amongst the protestors that were genuinely offended by the demolition of a statue commemorating their heritage – they were not supporting slavery, denouncing people of color, or engaging in the hate that was present in the vanguard of the group.)

On August 12, 2017 a group of ardent anarchist, black militants, and witless Trump haters (ANTIFA) descended on Charlottesville, VA, to deny a forum to all those with whom they disagree – in this case, the white supremacists, neo-nazis and allied thugs and cretins – even the minority of those people offended by demolition of a statue commemorating their heritage. While the counter-protest was the nominal purpose for their march, in fact a dedicated minority of these protestors were there for the violence. They came armed – bats, two-by-fours, bottles filled with urine, rocks and anything loose that could be thrown, battered or otherwise used as a weapon. They came to fight, injure and destroy property. They carried signs, hurled insults and engaged in the trash talking that usually leads to fighting. (To be sure there were many amongst these protestors that were there to protest and object to hate speech. There were even a few who believe that a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee is the equivalent to the promotion of slavery, the denigration of people of color, and the encouragement of bigotry. They were probably in the majority amongst the protestors but were stampeded into the conflict by the ANTIFA types.)

In the end, a woman – Heather Heyer – was killed when she was run down in a car driven by one of the thugs who came for the violence. Ms. Heyer was not there for the violence but she became a victim of it. Two state troopers assigned to the battle were killed in a helicopter crash – two Blue Lives that died needlessly because miscreants came for the violence.

The press duly reported the events of August 12 including film of the violent clashes between the white supremacist elements and the counter-protestors riddled with ANTIFA members. They went at each other tooth and nail although the individual skirmishes were relatively brief – as is the case in most bare-knuckle brawls. Getting smacked by a bat, poked in the solar plexus by a baton, or cracked on the skull by a two-by-four rapidly takes the fight out of even these cretins.

And yet, despite this the mainstream media, continuing with its obsession of destroying President Donald Trump, failed to focus on the growing willingness of the far left and the far right to engage in violence as a “first means” of advocacy or the growing trend of those on the edges to silence those in the middle. No, those possessed of the Trump Derangement Syndrome – virtually the entirety of the Democrat Party and their public relations machine in the print and broadcast television media – focused instead on what Mr. Trump said, or didn’t say, or when he said it or didn’t say it. It wouldn’t have made any difference what Mr. Trump said, the focus was on branding him a racist, a bigot and leader of the white supremacist movement. Mr. Trump could have appeared out of the crowd during the height of the melee, grabbed one of the white supremacists by the throat, hauled him into the middle of the square and executed with a bullet to the head (Viet Cong style) and still the media would have been hysterical in its criticism – he was “soft” on the other white supremacists, he promoted gun violence, he didn’t give any consideration to whether children were watching, and on and on and on.

And it wasn’t just a single news cycle it has gone on continuously since August 12. It has gone on so long that most people do not recognize the name of Heather Heyer or James Field – the victim and the alleged perpetrator – but they continue to be bombarded with the most outlandish accusations about the President of the United States. The mainstream media could have done a serious investigation into both sides of this riot – particularly with regards to how each side organized. But the press cannot be bothered with facts when endless and unsubstantiated speculation is easier and far more damaging.

While the mainstream media continues to defile Mr. Trump, his wife and children, the real questions go unattended. Why is free speech under attack? When did we become so intolerant that we seek to deny others the opportunity to express their points of view? Why is violence an appropriate avenue to oppose free speech? When will our political leaders regain the courage to condemn hate speech from all corners. When will our political leaders regain the courage to allow a full debate of issues without resorting to personal attacks? When will the “politics of personal destruction” be condemned in favor of robust and intelligent debate?

Given the current political leadership – Democrats and Republicans alike – the answer is likely “Not anytime soon.”

For me, I refuse to cooperate any longer with political correctness. I refuse to temper factual statements because somebody might be offended. I refuse to be bullied, cowed or intimidated into spewing pabulum when grits are required. If you don’t like what I write stop reading. Otherwise, “Bite me!”