What strikes me most today about the apparent assassination attempt on former President Trump is not so much the event itself but the nature of so many of the responses on social media, infused as they are with such soul numbing moral vacuity, such undisguised, unapologetic, hatred. I wish I could add the word inhuman, but I cannot, because it is all as human as hell. And it is not bound to one side or the other. It is universal. A great and stunning egalitarian commitment to hatred ignorance, proud negligence-- thousands upon thousands who in their sickly souls pull the trigger just as easily as did the assassin. And it strikes me, after all, that this upcoming election does not really matter. The infection is rampant in America and lives now of its own accord, to kill, steal and destroy. Nothing happens from this point forward that does not merely feed the disease and enlarge its lethality. A mentally ill person acted out. A morally ill society has responded.
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You’re right of course. I confess, given the unfortunate event, I was disappointed that Trump survived, as the consequences will be an even more severe regime should he be elected, and this gives him a boost. Such a disaster to make a martyr out of a criminal. Biden’s response was the only morally defensible one that could be made. However, the crazy notion that he ordered the hit, would be an official act and thus free of consequence under the new immunity ruling, right? And one cannot avoid the irony that a high powered military grade weapon that does not belong in private hands (protected by the second amendment ??) was used. So we should pray for the deceased and the injured, just as we have for all the other victims martyred by our sick fascination for ownership of weapons of mass murder. I’m not ready to throw in the towel just yet on this country but there are some seriously pissed off Trump supporters, like I saw swearing and flipping angry birds in that crowd. It’s gonna be ugly for awhile…
Emerging details about the shooter, such as his Republican party affiliation as well as what seems to be a general disinterest in politics, according to his online posts, may dampen the enthusiasm for vengeance. On the other hand, lies and conspiracy theories may supplant less useful facts. We shall see.
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