![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiY8NWVktjeYzmG3i2gBcNQQUs1BqNnBa4sS-tuSW8Qp-xqB-MFDA4s6cHKGLwNw1fSOTS1WAusMwyouuMVdhI2Y3MzEv-J1b8dh2gjF_M7k9BaOoH_EwRd8anmWIe4NoIsHR8LiR0JxIL9/w493-h330/1.11.png)
This is frightening. Republicans are feeling intimidated. And, justly so. This is part of the climate now. The culture has reached the point to where conservative guest speakers are disinvited or not invited to speak on college campuses. It they do appear, they are more likely than not to be shouted down. A person may spend four years in college and never be exposed to a conservative point of view.
Companies are kowtowing to Black Lives Matter. Maybe for Starbucks it reflects the company's values, but I suspect a lot of the time it is to buy off the radicals hoping their business will be spared destruction during a "mostly peaceful" riot.
People are fired from their job for supporting President Trump and actors who support Trump are blacklisted and business that advertise on conservative talk radio are boycotted or threatened into withdrawing sponsorship. Political correctness, wokeness and cancel culture is resulting in a society where civil discourse is not possible and only the "correct" point of view is tolerated.
Last month, seeing all of the Black Lives Matter signs in my neighborhood, I decided to order some "All Lives Matter" signs. I did. I intended to give them out to anyone who wanted one for free. The next day after ordering them, I went to First Tuesday and told some people I had them on order and asked if they would like one. I was a surprised that there were almost no takers. The next day I cancelled the order.
People told me they were afraid their house would be firebombed or looted or they may be assaulted. This lead to a further discussion of the current climate for political expression. Several people said while they had never thought twice about wearing a tee-shirt or baseball cap promoting their favorite candidate or point of view, now they avoided doing so for fear they may be physically attacked. Several told me they were not going to put a Trump bumper sticker on their car this year and they would not put a Trump yard sign in the their yard. For the first time ever they were afraid to show their political preference. I think this may be one reason Trump is down in the polls. Once people get afraid to tell people their political preferences they are probably not going to talk to pollsters either.
One result of this intimidation combined with riots and seeing people pulled from their cars and beaten and a surge in crime, is that gun sales are way up. 2020 gun sales up 95% and ammunition sales are up 139% over this time in 2019. About half of all sales of guns are to new first time buyers. Succumbing to intimidation may be prudent, but in today's environment so is being armed.
I fear that if Trump is reelected we will see a massive frenzy of violence. We saw the left throw a temper tantrum in 2016. It was mostly peaceful however. We saw grown adults wearing silly pussy hats and crying and venting. This time, I expect random shootings, people pulled from cars and beat and killed and arson and destruction. If we give in to the threat of violence we have lost our democracy. That is one reason, despite reservations about Trump's character and demeanor, I am likely to pull the lever for Trump.
We can be prudent and cautions in expressing our views, but where it most matters, we cannot give in to intimidation. And if attacked, we need to be ready to defend ourselves.
If any other member of the Republican Executive Committee or any other prominent Republican has received death threats or have been subject to vandalism or other forms of intimidation, please share it. Don't keep quite.
Top Stories
No comments:
Post a Comment