Democrats should grow some balls on guns. In debates or ads they should ALWAYS ask any Republican opponent POINT BLANK why they support arming terrorists over defending America. Not poll tested bullshit like “gun safety” or “universal background checks” but “why do you vote to give terrorists guns?”
We should also not be shy about linking our opponents to terrorists when they routinely encourage them on Twitter and endorse white nationalism. Let’s also stop saying “domestic” or “mentally ill” or “lone wolf” when describing these people.
Are they are part of a sophisticated global network of ideological aligned fellow travelers? Check. Do they commit mass violence to instill fear and attack our freedoms? Check. Are they being supported by state and non state actors? Check. The only difference with Al Qaeda is that they are frankly the more clear and present danger and they hate Jews and women for different reasons.
Let’s be real and let’s get tough. The suburbs won’t be crying over single payer plans if they are rightly terrified their mall, or place of worship, or school is next. This should be one of our top issues going forward. Breaking up terror networks and disarming terrorists.
It is problematic that many Americans LIKE this violence.
The anti-abortion crazies like Scott Roeder and John Salvi did not commit their crimes in a vacuum, Although mainstream Christian churches distanced themselves from the crimes, the anti-abortion rhetoric never stopped. In pulpit after pulpit, millions of churchgoers heard weekly exhortations about the evils of abortion — they heard that abortionists were murderers and that they had (and have) a moral duty to do whatever is needed to stop it. Mr. Roeder and Mr. Salvi took those commandments literally.
When Mr. Trump began his attacks on “the squad” a few weeks ago, his approval ratings among his base INCREASED. I share your revulsion for this violence.
It isn’t just our opponents who we must confront. We MUST also confront the deplorables among us who implicitly or explicitly support this terrorism. When we hear somebody in a bar, restaurant, or cafe talking about “those illegals”, we must get in their face and say things like “Excuse me. Who do you mean?”
I understand that “Jihad” is a loaded word, so perhaps there’s a better one. The point is that like or not the war has already begun. The blood is already flowing. The concentration camps are already built. We MUST not let the bigotry, racism, and misogyny of these deplorables go unchallenged. We should NOT be “courteous” to them, we should not “respect” them. This is not a debate society.
I’m not advocating violence against them. I am advocating loud, in-your-face, rude, and confrontational speech. I like it that Kellyanne Conway is forced to leave restaurants. I like it that Sarah Sanders was forced out of the Red Hen restaurant. The MAGA hat IS a symbol of hate and an icon of White Supremacy.
This transcends politics.
Also I think Nazis should get the death penalty instead of Burger King and I want to use the full post-9/11 statutory power of the federal government to destroy and disrupt these Nazi terrorists before they can kill again. Sorry ACLU, I love you, but it’s time to take the gloves off. You were wrong in Skokie and wrong today. As for the NRA, you’re either with us or with the Nazi terrorists. Let’s roll.
You do seem to give them more credit for organization and official support than I would.
Juliette Kayyem has an excellent op-Ed on why there are no lone wolves and how deeply sophisticated and interlinked these nationalist networks truly are. Right now on a web site called 8chan they are celebrating these shooters and plotting the next one.