The Fantasies Become Reality
Yesterday’s shooting rampage by James Hodgkinson in Alexandria, Virginia, is a watershed event. His rampage was just short of murderous due to both the heroic actions of Capitol Police Officers David Bailey and Crystal Griner and the lucky fact the Hodgkinson was, apparently, a poor shot. A massacre of breathtaking proportions was in the offing.
This event must NOT be seen as an isolated occurrence. Rather, it was an eruption of a large and repulsive undercurrent of leftist political violence simmering in our nation and throughout the world. What had been here-to-for leftist fantasies of violent insurgency became a bloody reality. And it begs a descriptor that I’ve had to use more and more frequently these days: SHOCKING BUT NOT SURPRISING. The fact that Hodgkinson would let his leftist rants bring him to attempt the murder of numerous innocent individuals is, of course, shocking. But given the recent undercurrent of violent “play acting” by leftists, it’s NOT surprising. For an addled mind, it’s not a big leap from the violent fantasies they see on TV and in print, to the real thing. And, this undercurrent of leftist violence is a wave that’s breaking at many places throughout our nation and throughout the world.
The recent video of Kathy Griffin, in which she holds up the SEVERED AND BLEEDING DECAPITATED HEAD OF OUR PRESIDENT is a perfect example. It’s hard to describe in words the DEPRAVITY of that video. And it was supposed to be a COMEDY! And, in the face of massive criticism, she offered only an insincere “apology” and went on to portray herself as a “VICTIM”! And remember, that video was not the result of just one unhinged entertainer; there was a whole production team and media executives involved. Didn’t ANY of the many people involved with the project see ANYTHING wrong with it????
Then there’s the current Public Theater production of Shakespeare’s “Julius Cesare” in which Cesare is made up to look like…President Trump. Cesare/Trump is, of course, STABBED to death at the play’s conclusion. This gratuitous overlay of Mr. Trump’s image on the assassinated character’s persona, is as depraved as Griffin’s video.
Then there is the leftist Irish magazine “Village” that featured a full page profile picture of Mr. Trump on the COVER with superimposed crosshairs centered on his temple. The caption reads: “WHY NOT?”!!!
Then there is Madonna’s speech to the Women’s March where she admitted that she has “thought an awful lot about blowing up the White House”! Although she later chants “choose love”, the violent undercurrent is undeniable.
Then there are the “protest rallies” that erupt in violence. Inaguration Day in DC was the scene of rioting by masked participants armed with knives and SLEDGEHAMMERS. In Berkeley California, the appearance of a right wing speaker was preceded by so much rioting the event had to be cancelled. At Middlebury College in Vermont , a conservative speaker and Professor were attacked by an angry mob. The professor required hospital treatment.
Then there is the overt violence of groups like Black Lives Matter with rioting and cop killings erupting like wildfires at the culmination of the Obama presidency last summer.
And, if you think all of these things are rare anomalies, they are not. Violence has ALWAYS been integral to leftist movements right from the very beginning. During the 20th Century 88 MILLION NONCOMBATANTS WERE MURDERED BY LEFTISTS. Stalin: 41 million, Mao: 45 million, Pol Pot: 2.2 million. (Please see my post, “Body Count”, from October 2, 2016, for details and references on these numbers).
Such carnage could happen again. Our nation and our world needs to confront violent leftist ideology and EXTINGUISH it. It has to stop. And it has to stop NOW. And, if we don’t stop it, not only will more innocent lives be lost, but the free and open societies that we have come to cherish will be victims as well.