Yesterday evening, an organized mob action disrupted, with
some minor violence, a planned rally in Chicago for leading Republican
presidential candidate Donald Trump. The
disruption was promoted via social media.
It is politely being called a “protest” by its defenders, but it was
nothing of the sort. Many Trump haters
were inside the building and began their disruption there; they were not just peacefully
protesting outside. People have a right
to peaceful protest, but not a right to disrupt and prevent others from
speaking. This was massive criminal
behavior that the Chicago police seemingly did little to stop. Watching this on TV one could see among the
protesters sombreros, “Muslims Against Trump” t-shirts, Mexican flags, and Bernie
Sanders posters, among other things.
Trump haters say this was democracy in action, and that Trump
brought this on himself by his condoning of violence against his opponents. But that is a lie. Rightly or wrongly, he has only condoned
violence, on a few occasions with off-hand remarks in the heat of the moment, against
violent disrupters at his rallies who are assaulting and attacking his supporters. That is self-defense. He has not suggested or encouraged his
supporters to roam the streets causing trouble for others. Trump holds rallies, and the anti-Trump mob
comes to him, to prevent him from speaking and to assault his supporters. These neo-fascists are attacking him, not vice
versa. Conservatives and Republicans do
not do that to their opponents, they have not disrupted Clinton and Sanders rallies,
and they are tired of others doing it to them. Disruption, intimidation, assault, and battery are tactics increasingly used by neo-fascist leftist groups such as Code Pink, Occupy, and Black Lives Matter. Of course, they are only following the guidance of Barack Obama, who famously urged his supporters to "get in the faces" of their opponents and "punch back twice as hard." But most Americans I suspect have had enough of this.
To blame Trump and his supporters for defending themselves inside
their own rallies against violent agitators who come to disrupt their events is
too much. But that is the liberal smear
right now. Even worse, I am very, very disappointed
to see that Ted Cruz has joined in that very smear, desperately seeking to
score cheap political points by siding with those who hate free speech and who seek
to silence their political opponents.
This anti-democratic mob action to deprive the leading
Republican presidential contender of his right to speak to his own supporters at
his own rallies will likely only help Trump in public opinion and hurt the anti-democratic
liberal fascists. I have not been
a Trump supporter, but after years if not decades of failed Republican Party
leadership I very much understand his appeal on some specific positions as
well on his apparent willingness to politically fight hard for his convictions.
And all this should hurt Ted Cruz as well, whom I have
supported for president, who should know better than to side with the neo-fascist
mob. Who will stand up with him when the
mob next comes for him?
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