CenterlineRight: Where the Violence Began and What Are the Odds

There is so much to talk about in our nation and the world at large; it is truly one crazy time to be alive. I want to hit two main topics in this piece. First, I want to look at the latest assassination attempt on Donald Trump and expand it into the increased incidence of violence we are seeing throughout our culture and society. Next, I want to take a close look at the specific factors that will likely determine who our next president will be. For all of the hoopla, drama, and angst…it really boils down to a fairly simple proposition. At the end, we’ll check out some miscellaneous articles that reflect a bit more of what is happening around us. Let’s go.

I discussed in a recent post the desensitizing of America and how we as a people have become somewhat numbed to the impact of hate speech and overt violence. It is fair to wonder: Where did this begin? Why has this happened? How did we get to this terrible place? These are simple questions, but there are no simple answers. It is a complex issue that reflects the natural evolution of our nation and its citizenry, the supersonic transformation of our communication and awareness quotients with each other based on the internet and associated technological achievements, and the coarsening of ourselves based on our over-indulgent tolerance of baser instincts along with individual and collective cowardice to boldly stand up for the right things in life.

The recent spate of school shooting/bombing threats, combined with the attempt on Trump’s life in Florida, are just two of the most recent reflections of how violent and malevolent our country has become. The inflammatory and irresponsible rhetoric that is flowing in the political arena does nothing but throw fuel on this already exploding maelstrom of hatred and violence. There will always be loose screws out there amongst us that do crazy things for crazy reasons; there is no way to prevent all of these things from occurring. It is one of the costs of freedom and liberty. But it is fair to say that the leadership we have received over the last couple of decades from our elected officials, our court systems, our educational establishment, and our journalistic community has not only failed to stem this tide of brutality, cruelty, acrimony, and antagonism; it has in many ways encouraged it. In fact, it is equally fair to say that many of the main players from these various groups have seized the opportunity to self-aggrandize themselves by playing into the very ingredients that spawn this type of destruction and harm.

Out of the many causal elements that have led us to this situation, I want to highlight two that, to me…reflect a turning point for our people. A turning point where we abandoned the principles of morality, right and wrong, and simple justice for the sake of political expediency. In the summer of 2020, the CHOP/CHAZ occupation occurred in Seattle, Washington. That same summer, there were Black Lives Matter riots in the Minneapolis-St. Paul region of Minnesota. Both of these events were largely reactions to the George Floyd controversy. Both of these events occurred in areas that were under the political control of liberal/progressive Democrats.

These episodes reflected abandonment by controlling governments of the justice system and official responsibilities for the sake of political and woke correctness. In my humble opinion, these two events…while certainly not the only causes of our slide into hatred and violence…were two of the primary catalysts for the insidious environment we find ourselves immersed in today. When the forces of law enforcement choose, either willingly or forcibly by their leaders, to abandon the rule of law and justice and become bystanders to blatant disregard for our legal systems of right and wrong…then this is what will naturally happen.

This is the best, most objective account, of the BLM Minnesota riots that I have found. Take the time to watch, listen, consider…and then wonder how much influence this event had on where we stand today as a nation: https://www.thefallofminneapolis.com/

The CHOP/CHAZ occupation in Seattle was an absolutely surreal event. It seemed to be a virtual demonstration of the post-nuclear apocalyptic movies that have been released over the years. You know the ones…churning anarchy, rank violence and brutality, barren landscapes of destruction, survival of the fittest…a true “wild west” environment where only the most ruthless elements survive.

https://nypost.com/2020/07/01/how-seattle-chop-went-from-socialist-summer-camp-to-deadly-disaster/

https://www.city-journal.org/multimedia/chaz-to-chop-seattles-radical-experiment#:~:text=CHAZ%20to%20CHOP%3A%20Seattle's%20Radical%20Experiment%20%7C%2010%20Blocks%20podcast&text=Christopher%20Rufo%20joins%20Brian%20Anderson,evacuated%20the%20local%20precinct%20building.

Prior to these two events, there had certainly been episodes of hatred and violence across our nation. But when people witnessed the willingness of controlling authorities to accept, abide, and even encourage these two extended periods of pure anarchy while assuming the roles of acquiescing overlords…I honestly believe that it had a significant impact on the willingness of people to not only accept the reality of these events, but to also consider the possibilities of supporting and actually participating in these events. These were transformational moments that rapidly accelerated the ongoing desensitization of us to hatred and violence in America.

A salient point must be made here, and it is supported by the facts and by journalists far more accomplished than me: This political and cultural violence is not politically symmetrical. Do both political sides bear blame? Yes, of course…both parties and their representatives have been irresponsible in their rhetoric; chief among them is Donald Trump. But let us be clear about this…The Republican candidate Trump has experienced two assassination attempts; the Democrat candidate Harris has experienced none. Let us hope and pray these numbers remain static. It was the Republican’s baseball game that got shot up; not the Democrat’s. Both of the aforementioned events in Seattle and Minnesota are bastions of liberal/progressive thought and are essentially ruled by Democrats. It is the anti-abortion clinics that are being burned down; events being celebrated these days by progressive/liberals on their tee shirts. Yes…Jan 6 was a disgrace and uncivil; but contrary to the mainstream media’s presentation, only one person lost their life that day and she was one of the protestors. Compare that to the events in Seattle and Minnesota and then tell me it was the worst day since Pearl Harbor.

Did the Democrat Party furnish the guns for these tragedies? No. Did the Democrat Party pull the trigger on those guns? No, they did not. But did the Democrat Party, along with their liberal/progressive members and their associated cabal in education, media, and society influence and nourish the motivation that led to these events? Yes; I believe they did.

The Democrat Party that likes to demagogue and preaches to us about the evils of intolerance and violence needs to take a good, long, hard look at itself in the mirror. If they are so righteously concerned with the directions these feelings are taking this nation, perhaps they should begin to demonstrate that concern in their words and their deeds. The Democrat Party is the party of Antifa; an organization that embraces anarchy and thirsts for violence (Seattle). The Democrat Party is the party of Black Lives Matter; a corrupt organization that profits from our racial divide, fleeces its supporters financially, and foments violence as a means of action (Minnesota).

And FWIW…Donald Trump needs to talk less, think more about what he is saying, quit pointing fingers and casting blame, and begin explaining how he can help this nation recover from the ruinous years of the Biden/Harris Administration. If I go to a football game and make an ass out of myself during the course of that game, being obnoxious and a nuisance to all those around me in the stands; I should not be surprised if I get my butt stomped in the parking lot after the game…and there will be little sympathy from the folks who were cheering for the same team that I was. Now please understand me…I am not comparing a butt-stomping to being shot at. There is no moral equivalency between these two instances. But at some minor level, there are similarities to the motivation behind both actions. If Donald Trump is going to talk the talk, he had better expect the consequences of walking the walk. I am not excusing the action (there is no excuse); I am simply looking at the causal effects of irresponsible rhetoric.

There are certainly degrees between the instances of hatred and violence; some being far more graphic, consequential, and brutal than others. But do we really want to get into the game of grading out instances of hatred and violence? Do we honestly think that we can regulate the passion therein once it is ignited? I believe that some of us do. I believe that there are those among us who, at some level, condone the use of hatred and violence in the pursuit of their agendas while living under the illusion that they can control the level of that hatred and violence. This is a very dangerous game; hatred and violence are a Pandora’s Box that once opened, consume the opener and seize control of the future.

The national election will be held on November 5. As of today, a reasonable assessment of the presidential race between Donald Trump and Kamala Harris shows it to be absolutely “too close to call”. It remains my personal opinion that the race is Donald Trump’s to either win or lose. The Democrats have a pitiful candidate in Harris that is simply a younger version of placeholder Joe Biden. Plain and simple, she represents a continuation of the last three-plus years of the Biden/Harris Administration.

Donald Trump has the advantages of running against a weak candidate (the same stroke of luck that got him elected the last time he ran for president), a palpable dissatisfaction by the American public over the state of our national governance, and a strong record of performance during his previous stint as president. His glaring weakness is the fact that he is ruled by a monstrous ego that controls all of his thoughts, deeds, words, and actions. He has no effective filter between what his rational mind (yes…I do believe that he has one) thinks and what he says and does. If he can narrow his focus and discipline to the factual comparison of his presidential term to the Biden/Harris Administration’s presidential term, then he will be our next president. But can he do that?

One of my favorite journalists is Jim Geraghty, who writes online for National Review. I read this morning his most recent assessment of the presidential race and it is the best I can find anywhere. Jim has a gift for getting straight to point and calling out the obvious. I will link his article below and urge anyone to take the few minutes it will take to read it. It is a marvelous and superior substitute for going to the mass media to read about all things presidential campaign 2024.

Keep in mind that there are 538 electoral votes available to be cast for the office of the president. It takes a simple majority of 270 votes to win the election. The national vote has no material impact on the outcome of the presidential race. The number of electoral votes vested with each state is the combined number of that state’s federal Senators (two for each state) plus their number of federal Representatives (varying from state to state based on population). I am linking a listing of the states with their respective electoral votes and a brief summary leading to that listing; it is a great resource to have if you want to track the upcoming election.

Keep this in mind: As we stand today, the overwhelming majority of states have essentially decided which candidate they will support. As Geraghty so aptly points out, you can add up those totals right now. The election will most likely be settled by the voting results from the following seven states: Arizona (11), Georgia (16), Michigan (15), Nevada (6), North Carolina (16), Pennsylvania (19), and Wisconsin (10). Which states are most important and most competitive? Just pay attention and watch where the candidates spend most of their time and money.

It is informative to note that as Geraghty points out, Harris chose Walz from Minnesota as her VP rather than Shapiro from Pennsylvania. Every…single…time Harris has had to make a definitive decision about her political career, she has made a questionable one. Most pundits agree that Minnesota was a Democrat lock and Pennsylvania was a key state (if not THE key state) in this year’s election. If nothing else, this Harris selection demonstrates her questionable ability to make sound, strategic decisions. You know what I mean…the kind of ability we might prefer in our reigning president.

This election is a poker game. The Democrats, with their sheltered nominee Harris, are standing pat and have shoved all of their chips to the middle. It is now up to Trump. How will he play the cards in his hand?

https://www.nationalreview.com/the-morning-jolt/donald-trumps-advantages-in-the-home-stretch-of-2024/

https://www.archives.gov/electoral-college/allocation

Here are some great articles from the other news that is circulating about us these days…

All things Economy:

https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/09/the-daily-chart-whos-the-real-gouger.php

https://mrctv.org/blog/craig-bannister/cost-shelter-continued-fuel-inflation-august-bls-reports

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/median-household-income-for-married-couples-with-children-is-about-120000/

It seems that every aspect of our government has been infected with politics. Here is a good example: https://amgreatness.com/2024/09/14/budgets-taxes-and-schemes-of-oppression/

All things Foreign Policy:

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/what-of-baby-kfir/

https://www.nationalreview.com/corner/the-israeli-war-with-hezbollah-is-coming/

Man…when the shit hits the fan, I want these guys on MY side: https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2024/09/paging-hezbollah.php