STOP 🛑 The Violence!!!

Posted on by under Bits 'n Pieces, guns, Law and justice, Political commentary, Racism & Bigotry, Rants, Social commentary

A child comes home from school, says he’s going to beat up the kid who called him a name.  The mother sits down with the child, offers him a piece of cheese and a juice box and explains to him that there are other, better ways to resolve his differences with the other child.  She talks about finding the reason why the other kid called him a name, talks about him sitting down with the other kid and maybe a mediator, to talk about their differences.  And she explains to him that violence is never the answer, that violence will only lead to more violence and that eventually someone will get hurt, perhaps badly.

Okay, sure … that’s the fairy tale scenario, but believe it or not, similar scenarios are happening as we speak around the nation today and every day.  But … among the so-called adults in the room?  HAH!!!

Violence.  It has become a part of life in our society, has become the accepted way of resolving disputes and differences, especially when it comes to politics.  A few examples:

  • The Republican candidate for governor in Wisconsin, Tim Michels, angry about a story published by a local newspaper calling out his contributions to anti-abortion groups, is calling for people to take up “pitchforks and torches”. “I believe people should just, just be ready to get out on the streets with pitchforks and torches with how low the liberal media has become.”
  • Says Florida governor Ron DeSantis about Dr. Anthony Fauci, the leading virologist in this nation … “And I’m just sick of seeing him. I know he said he’s going to retire. Someone needs to grab that little elf and chuck him across the Potomac.”
  • In Idaho last November, Bingham County Sheriff Craig Rowland threatened a carful of teens with a gun. The then-sheriff pointed a gun at a vehicle containing seven girls and their church group leader and said, “I will f—ing shoot you.” Their crime?  They placed a “thankful turkey” on his front door as a part of a neighborhood goodwill effort.  Rowland has since been relieved of his duties and pleaded guilty to aggravated assault.

These are just a few examples of people in public office, elected officials, blatantly inciting violence.  Consider Lindsey Graham who … threatened? … promised? … that if Trump were indicted on the many potential charges facing him, “there’ll be riots in the streets.”

DAMMIT, people!!!  WE THE PEOPLE work our asses off every day to pay these people’s salaries, to pay for them to fly across the ocean on a whim, to pay for them to wine and dine diplomats and others … and this is how they repay us?  By inciting violence, by calling for people to come after us with pitchforks and guns and whatever the hell else they have in their arsenals?

I don’t know about you guys, but I find it completely unacceptable and a heinous crime against the people of this nation for an elected public official, whether a sheriff, governor, or a member of Congress, to call for violence!  This nation is currently in a state of turmoil, thanks largely to right-wing radicals, and the politicians who call for violence are throwing fuel on the fire.

Worse yet … we are seeing the results across the nation.  It takes little or nothing to spur such groups as the Proud Boys, Oathkeepers, Three Percenters and others into action, but today even the average Joe is angry, and it doesn’t take much for him to pick up that AR-15 or his trusty Glock and head out the door with a lust for violence.

We are a nation of angry people on both sides of the political spectrum.  There are more guns in this nation than there are people.  That’s a bad enough recipe for disaster, but add in the people we elected to public office telling us to get out there and take our revenge and … is it any wonder that gun violence has increased?  Where are we headed?  Back to firebombing homes and schools as was the case in 1960s Mississippi?  More children dead in school shootings?  A world where it’s not safe to walk down the street or shop in a grocery store?

I don’t care where your ideology falls on the political spectrum, I think most sensible people agree that violence is NOT going to solve our problems but will only exacerbate them.  When our elected leaders are the ones calling for and supporting calls for violence, then this country has bigger problems than we thought.  Are our leaders really so stupid that the only way they can think of to respond to ideas with which they disagree is to call for violence?  I believe that any public official who calls for or in any way promotes violence should be immediately removed from his office.  Period.  We need peacemakers, not warmongers.

30 thoughts on “STOP 🛑 The Violence!!!”

  1. Pingback: Election By Vote … Or By Violence? | Filosofa's Word

  3. Yes. Hold people accountable for comments supporting violence. Don’t vote for them. Write them and tell them your concerns. Call them out as often as you can. But also hold ALL sides accountable. Here is a very small sample of some more:

    https://thefederalist.com/2021/01/08/10-times-democrats-urged-violence-against-trump-and-his-supporters/

    Remember also Madonna said we should burn down the White House?

    Remember also when Senator Schumer stood on the steps on the Supreme Court and threatened justices by name?

    Remember the violence in the streets in Washington DC on Trump’s inauguration day? More than 200 were arrested.

    Remember the violence in our streets the summer of 2020 and the claims that it was “mostly peaceful”? If someone beats his wife just once per month, is he mostly peaceful?

    I don’t mind being reminded that political officials I may support need to do better, but you should not ignore all those on your side who do the same. Until there is one standard for all sides, the problem will not be solved.

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  6. I dunno. Sometimes you have to fight that other kid. Not for something as stupid as being called a name (I ignored that kind of thing, to great success) but if some kid was picking on one of my younger siblings, I got right in there & I punched a few noses. Sometimes violence is the answer. & you don’t tell your parents. Or your teachers. You take care of the situation yourself. If the grownups find out later, you take your punishment like the hero you are.

    Liked by 2 people

    • Well … like you, I’ve had my share of fights back in the day, but … the violence that we’re seeing today, that’s being incited by far-right media, politicians, and groups, is something different. It’s not one-on-one, it’s lopsided and … AND … it involves guns … lots and lots of guns. It’s a whole different ballgame.

      Liked by 1 person

  9. And yet, despite how the political parties are now, going at one another’s, throats, trying to make each other look bad, by, attacking the characters, we the people are, still, going to vote the, exact, same way, we had done, unaffected by the bad politicians’, immoral behaviors. We will, continue to, elect them into, office, because, we are blind, following the leader, down that cliff…

    Liked by 2 people

  10. Jill, keep shining a spotlight on the aggressive behavior by people who should know better. The governor of Florida has been a bullying acting person dating back to his days as a Congressman. But, no elected official should be promoting violence or acting in a threatening manner. Full stop. That is immature and dangerous behavior. Sadly, there are people who cotton to that BS. It matters not what party they belong to – it is just wrong. Keith

    Liked by 2 people

    • As I was writing this post, I wasn’t sure whether it was good to shine the spotlight on the aggressive behaviour or if that would merely fan the flames of such behaviour. But, I felt it needed to be pointed out that anyone serving in a position of public trust is breaking that trust if they incite harm and violence on the very people they are supposed to represent. I had to try, anyway. Thanks so much for your positive words, Keith … it means a lot.

      Liked by 1 person

      • Jill, it is more than OK to spotlight those who commit or advocate violence against people who disagree with you. It is wrong, whether it is a candidate, elected official or religious leader. Full stop. It is akin to turning on the lights to see the roaches scurrying away. What we need more of is people who at least might get heard to tell these people to cease and desist their BS. People will get and are getting hurt by following the words of these folks. Keith

        Liked by 2 people

  11. I hope Tim Michells is in the front line of the group with pitchforks and finds he’s facing a Democrat with an AR15. It seems the press on the right wing side has something to answer on that charge of bringing the press to gutter level.

    Liked by 2 people

    • I’d rather there not BE a Democrat with an AR-15 OR a group with pitchforks. Sigh. I just wish people would learn to accept their differences, compromise, and respect one another. Is that really so hard for us humans to do? If so, then I think the human experiment is proving to be a failure on a massive scale. The press has been a large part of the problem at least since Trump entered the picture, and today they continue to stoke the fires … not just Fox, but the mainstream media as well. Sigh. 🐺

      Liked by 3 people

  12. Peacemakers would be nice, but the ultimate goal of the present GOP is a civil war, knowing that more gun-owners, and particularly gun owners willing to shoot their fellow citizens, are Republican fanatics and sympathizers.
    Being Canadian, with no real stake in America’s future, I can look at the American predicament with unshaded eyes.
    How easy was it for Trump to bring a bunch of weaponized racists to Washington on Jan. 6th. Luckily the weapons were not used, BUT THEY WERE THERE AND READY TO BE USED.
    All these stories in the news about calls for violence, they are more than threats. Right now the line has not really been crossed, but people are coming closer and closer every day! The South has never really stopped fighting the Civil War . You have told us that. It will not take much to restart a war that one side sees as incomplete. The Republicans have convinced themselves they cannot lose this time.
    When one side is willing to use violence, if the other side does not respond in kind, they will lose. And the Republicans are counting on American citizens to take their time before they respond with violence. By that time they act it will be too late. Remember, lives don’t matter to Republican leaders. They think their wealth will keep them safe. I would rather they do not get the chance to prove me right!

    Liked by 4 people

  13. I think many candidates believe that their talk and acts of violence rally many of their supporters. And then you add the easy access to guns on top of this move towards violence, and it is a dangerous situation.

    Liked by 4 people

    • Exactly … they do rally the supporters who take them literally and go out seeking revenge. As you say … any Tom, Dick, or Harry can pick up a gun these days … and then, disaster strikes and the Republicans get yet another opportunity to send their damn useless “thoughts and prayers”, or call for more guns as the solution! Oops … sorry … didn’t mean to slip into a rant. 😷

      Liked by 3 people

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