By Lafe Tolliver, Esq
Guest Column
Yes, it is despicable that a gunman was able to access a secured area and take a possible deadly aim and shoot at the former president. It should never have been able to happen and, after the investigations, the errors committed will be glaring and protocols changed to prevent such a breach of security happening again.
It is an oddity or simply fate that the shooter was rejected from his high school rifle club because he was a bad shot! Let that sink in. Let’s all be thankful that he was a bad shooter and was drummed out of the club!
An inch closer from the ear and Trump would be in eternity waiting for his judgment day. As a result of that close brush with the Grim Reaper, will Trump have a “come to Jesus moment” or just chalk it all up to he being, “The Chosen One” as he has described himself in Biblical terms?
Already, his jaded communications team is fund raising from the chilling moments that Trump could have been assassinated on live television. Nothing like making money in the moment.
Such an ad would possibly read like: “Trump took a bullet for you! He is your protector and defender! Now is your time to show your support for this valiant warrior and send your best gift of at least 50 dollars so we can end the Biden Crime Family rule in the White House! Don’t wait! Operators are standing by!”
To say that America is in the throes of a monumental political correction is an understatement. Depending upon what information silo you go to for your “news”, the combatants…America v. America…are engaged in a titanic struggle for the soul of this county.
If the GOP Maga faction wins, Trump will, as he has repeatedly promised, release the flying monkeys (remember that scary scene in the movie, The Wizard of Oz?) to wreak havoc on Obamacare, the federal judiciary, women’s rights, civil rights, and a civil service to be flooded by vetted flunkies who have pledged undying loyalty to Dear Leader.
If the Democrats go with and win (including the House and Senate), Biden will have to “pack the court” with 3-4 centered jurists, continue support for both NATO and Ukraine and, in my opinion, serve only two years and resign to allow Kamala Harris to preside over the final two years so she can earn her “chops” and ease the fears of White America of a Black woman being commander in chief.
As the late H. Rap Brown stated back in the 60’s and early 70’s, “Violence is as American as cherry pie.”
In America, which has more guns that its numerical population, guns occupy a mythic status in American history and folklore. Without the gun and the fictionalized American Western and its progeny of the American television diet being bloated with cops and robbers and murder stories, would we have so many mass murders where the number one weapon of choice is the gun, or the AR-15 rifle?
Will this “ear shot” of the former president push him over the top in the polls with half of America seeing him as a resurrected John Wayne/Davey Crockett/Wyatt Earp/Have Gun Will Travel personality?
Too early to tell and despite the commendable comments of President Biden speaking to the nation about the need to lower the thermostat on the vitriolic political talk. However, there is one thing that we have yet to see and that is the moral megaphone of the churches in America denouncing the nigh explosive situation of people taking sides against each other.
I have yet to hear any moral outrage or moral teaching from the major denominations chastising either side for their over-the-top hyperbole regarding the other side being of the devil and of being of no account.
In the past, Americans have defaulted to the teachings of the scriptures in regards to loving thy neighbor as thyself and to do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Those two maxims were benchmarks in charting some moral guidelines.
No more. It is a free-for-all in the political wrestling arena and the person who can gouge out more eyes than the other is deemed the champion!
In my humble opinion, America is quickly losing its moorings about cordially interacting with each other and seeking the good of its neighbors. When either side can assail the other side with non-factual gibberish and it goes unchallenged, we are in a moral quicksand.
Again, it bears worth repeating: Trump is only an avatar of the crisis in much of this country. He was astute enough to sniff the putrid air of bitterness, discontentment, anger and rage coming from parts of White America; and he harnessed that bile into a political movement that started even before the birther lies about Barack Obama.
Sadly, millions of affected and disillusioned Americans bought into the Big Lie, knowing that it was a lie, but it allowed them overt coverage to vent their rage against those “others” and it propelled Trump into the White House.
Is it deja vu all over again?
By the way, my take on JD Vance being the VP selection? JD Vance name is now synonymous with the word, “hypocrite.” A politico who just sold his soul to the devil to be around the center of power. How sad…how crass.
Let’s not forget…Vance’s wife is a daughter of Indian immigrants, something some MAGA Neanderthals are apoplectic about. They are forecasting about Hindu shrines being secreted into the White House Rose Garden! Go figure.
Contact Lafe Tolliver at tolliver@juno.com