Narratives Surrounding the Trump Shooting

Since the Saturday evening assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania I have been rather struck by the mainstream media response as well as that of the DNC. For some odd reason they are kow-towing to the MAGA Republican line and seem almost apologetic as if they are to blame for this.

Pundits like Hannity as well as numerous GOP politicians like Lindsey Graham and Trump's VP-pick JD Vance (a person who rose to fame by fraudulently trashing and exploiting his roots) have come out swinging, insisting that it is the media and the Biden camp that are responsible for creating this climate of political violence. They have discredited and dehumanised Trump it is said and suggested that he's a fascist and that democracy itself is under threat.

Rather than come out swinging and stand by the truth of these claims, the Democratic politicians, academics, and media figures all seem to be acquiescing to this bogus narrative and are calling for the rhetoric to be toned down.
First of all, at the time of this writing we don't know what the gunman's motives were. For all we know he was to the Right of Trump and viewed him as a kind of traitor. One thinks of the Far-Right Israeli Settler who shot Rabin in 1995. So placing blame at this point is an exercise in speculation.

But if anyone is to blame for radicalising the political climate and fostering violence it is Donald Trump himself. The chickens came home to roost on Saturday night in Butler, Pennsylvania - I was at a family gathering about an hour from there. We all know the town as it serves as a shopping hub, especially for those that don't want to venture all the way into the Pittsburgh metro. A classic rust belt town, it is certainly a MAGA-hub.

Trump has allied with fascistic elements. The West Wing of his administration had ties to militia groups like the Proud Boys. The Neo-Nazis and groups like the KKK love him. Trump was responsible for the January 6 insurrection - a failed Right-wing coup that attempted to subvert the democratic process. Trump has called everyone names and reduced people to animal status. Just today as I was listening to the mealy mouthed coverage on NPR, I drove past multiple F--- Biden and Let's Go Brandon flags hanging along the highway. This is beside the 'Joe and his Ho gotta go' signs or 'F--- Joe Biden and the whore he rode in on.' These along with signs like 'Black Squirrels Matter' given an indication of the mindset around here. And let's not forget 'Stop Biden - Save America from Communism!' For the generation that grew up with 'Red Dawn' - that means something. The latter sign is along a highway not too far from Butler.

Even Republican leaders were calling Trump fascistic back in 2016 - until their spines turned to mush. JD Vance (his VP-pick) once referred to Trump as America's Hitler. Let's just say there's not a lot of integrity when it comes to these folks. They loved to trash Obama and Biden for their evolving views regarding homosexuality and other perversions. I guess Republicans can evolve too. Fascism isn't so bad after all it would seem. That Hitler guy - he did some good things.

Has Biden weaponized the judiciary? Please - it's all a joke. They waited until the election year to get anything going and they're focusing on side issues. The man is guilty of treason. And as far as weaponizing the judiciary, the American system is so broken that the only way for anything to be resolved is for it to end up in the Supreme Court which is now marked by utter corruption. History will not be kind to the Roberts Court and its corrupt justices and enablers. I can barely stand to listen to the arrogant Alito interrupt and talk over the lawyers addressing the court. Thomas who like Coney-Barrett is unqualified to sit on the bench usually keeps quiet. He's in way over his head.

But (we're told) it's Biden that needs to be called out for creating the climate of chaos and violence.

Are these people for real? Are they clowns? Are they literally that deluded? Trump and his movement fit the classic fascist profile - not the Hitlerian Third Reich but the fascism that emerged in places like Italy and Spain.

I have no wish to defend Biden or mainstream media outlets like CNN or NPR, but this is ridiculous. These people are unbelievable.

Biden for his part is a monster with a great deal of blood on his hands in Gaza and Ukraine. He hates Christ - but no more than Trump and his lot. The government has always lied and in a war culture like the United States, secrecy and lies win out.

But the Trump people and the GOP just lie about everything. It's not even half-truths and omissions. They just simply lie. With Trump, there literally is no truth in the man. He'll lie about whether it was raining across town. He'll lie about what he had for lunch. He'll lie about what he paid for something, what someone said. He just lies. I know people like this - they're drug people, low-life criminal types - people I try to avoid. I see them parked in front of the hardware store or local convenience mart and I wait until they leave.

Their morality is clear - the end justifies the means. Lie with abandon if it helps you win.

Sadly the Christian media (so-called) seems to also live by this ungodly creed. Christian websites are filled with lies right now - Trump ascribed his survival to the grace of God.

No he didn't. He said it was God or luck.

But the half-truth serves the purpose and narrative better. The BBC was interviewing some Tennessee congressman who was quoting Scripture and speaking of God's hand on America. It made me sick. Christian 'news' sites are filled with quotes from Franklin Graham, Greg Laurie, and other Court Evangelicals - the false prophets of our day.

I didn't stick around after church in order to hear things I would regret but I heard from family members and friends how Trump was being extolled by people - a 'wonderful man' according to their assessment.

All I can say is 'wow'.

Judgment is coming. Judgment is here. I watched 'Civil War' earlier this week. The characters are wretched and the language is atrocious - but all the F-bombs shouldn't upset anyone who is a Trump fan. After all their banners are filled with such talk, right? You can't go to one of his rallies without being immersed in that kind of thing.

I found the movie interesting in that it tried to depict how ugly things could get. It didn't elaborate on the difference between the factions which I know has frustrated some. But reading history you realize that whether it was The Thirty Years War or the Taiping Rebellion, these kinds of wars lose all meaning after awhile. They're complicated and ugly and the experience of individuals is like living in a blood-soaked fog.

We just moved one step closer.

Finally a few gripes....

Our Pennsylvania flags are at half-staff today - lowered for the firefighter who died at the rally trying to shield his family. His death was honourable to be sure - in terms of him being a father and husband.

But contrary to all the reports - he was not a godly man. If he was, he wouldn't have been at a Trump rally. In fact, I find it darkly ironic (even darkly poetic) that he was killed standing behind Trump - the false messiah he had hitched his wagon to.

I'm sorry he died but if he was a Christian he shouldn't have been there. As far as I'm concerned there are no Christians at Trump rallies. Or I should say, those that went should walk away horrified and repentant. The others should be subject to church discipline.

And the fact that he was apparently so ecstatic about Trump tells me that the Christ of the New Testament was not someone he was interested in. But God is gracious. I'm not presuming to judge the state of the man's soul as I cannot do that, but I will not try and put some kind of Christian veneer on his death. He died protecting his family but would everyone say the same if they were being shot at in a pornographic theatre? That's about how I think about it. There is a level of shame that is equal to honour in this case.

And I had to chuckle listening to Biden talk about how this violence 'isn't who we are'.

What's he talking about? Among the rich and developed countries of the world, none are as violent as America. The United States is characterized by gun violence. It's as American as apple pie.

While there haven't been any dramatic assassinations or even attempts in recent years, it's safe to say that America has a long history of it. Four US presidents have been assassinated - that's nearly 1 in 10. And of course we could mention all the assassinations and attempted murders during the post-war period. From the Kennedy brothers to figures like ML King and Malcolm X, to the attempts on Wallace, Ford, and Reagan - I'd say political violence is very much in keeping with US cultural norms.

Leaving aside the Christian response to all this for a moment, the real fault here - in all of this - lies with the Republican Party. They could have shut Trump down back in 2016 but they failed to do so. He developed a cult that has now taken over the party. It's not even the part of GW Bush anymore - let alone the corrupt and repugnant party that so antagonized Bill Clinton.

The media played their part - not in dehumanising Trump but in giving him a platform back in 2015 and 2016 that helped him rise. He made for great ratings and it's obviously he tapped into some dark, bitter, and ignorant veins that run across the American spectrum. Trump did not arise out of the thin air. The cesspool was there and it birthed him - for that's what he is. He is a living example of the imago dei degraded. He's hardly alone.

A lack of foresight, backbone, and even imagination allowed him to run roughshod over the party leaders. Clearly none of these people care about the country they profess to love. Their own status and self-interest come first and now they've brought ruin not just to their political faction but to the country and its culture. This is not to say that the Left has not wreaked its own havoc and it's clear that the Clinton campaign was tone-deaf, blind, arrogant, and elitist in 2016 and they lost because of it. But I don't care about them. It's the Trumpite movement that's making it so that I cannot go to church anywhere or fellowship or commune. I cannot worship with these people. I don't even want to be around them.

Ironically the immediate chain of causation goes back to someone that loathed Trump - the war criminal John McCain. He gave Sarah Palin a national platform and (if it's possible) she's almost like a dumber version of Trump. She played a key role in fomenting the Tea Party movement which created the climate for Trump to emerge. Sometimes maverick is just plain stupid and short-sighted. McCain gambled and helped wreck the country that he believed so strongly in that he was willing to bomb women and children on another continent in order to further its aims. Let's not pretend it had anything to do with 'defending' America. That's just nonsense - more lies.

The lies of the ruling class, the wars and economic ruin brought on by the likes Clinton, Bush, and Wall Street have torn society apart and the anger has brought forth monsters. There are more to come.