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| Ralph Bristol |
…THE ‘ANTIFA’ EXCUSE
Many Trump supporters are trying to deflect the blame for Wednesday’s attack on the Capitol to Antifa, a political protest movement whose members have previously been blamed for the violence in what started as peaceful protests orchestrated by Black Lives Matters and their partner groups.
Most of the video and photos of the participants of the attack look more like the same people I see in the crowds at Trump rallies than they do like the alleged members of Anfita that I have seen in other protests that turned into riots. In fact, most of them look no different that the people I have seen at Tea Party rallies or at my Second Amendment IS Homeland Security rallies.
Authorities have arrested more than 50 people already and are looking for hundreds more. Yesterday, authorities identified some of the participants as adherents to the QAnon conspiracy theory, but none so far have been identified as Antifa members.
If it’s true that Antifa members and not Trump supporters are responsible for storming the capitol, overwhelming the Capitol Police force, and occupying and vandalizing House and Senate chambers and offices, it’s also true that the hordes of Trump supporters present for the rally and protest did nothing to stop them, after providing them the Trojan Horse in which to hide.
I did hear from Trump supporters who say they and others left the protest when others began to storm the Capitol, wanting to disassociate from that group. I hope you will eventually take that disassociation farther and come to regret your support for Trump’s efforts that crossed the line between constitutional and unconstitutional challenges to the certified results of an election.
When the future unveils the history of 1/6/21, I believe it will conclude that millions of patriotic Americans evolved into enemies of the Constitution by pledging loyalty to a president they mistook for a defender of the values of the Constitution against the onslaught of a socialist political and cultural tide, when in fact he was one of the Constitution’s biggest offenders, and did nothing to stop that socialist tide, but was instead its biggest enabler.
WHICH BRINGS ME TO the second most common criticism of my post. #2 was a combination of “You’re no longer a conservative,” and “this is why you’re no longer on the radio.”
I’ll take them in reverse order. Readers who actually listened to my last day on the radio before I was fired remember that I was fired for releasing internal communications discussing my latest request that the station get rid of the “must run” recorded commentary by a CNN medical doctor who was propagating the claim that President Trump suffered from “heart disease” because he took a pill daily to control his cholesterol level.
The irony never escapes me that I was fired for defending President Trump, but as I have learned repeatedly, ironies are frequently blessings in disguise. Although getting fired lowered my personal annual income from $200,000 a year to near poverty levels, it has blessed me with retirement, which had delivered many more rewards than even I imagined.
My brother Ray told me it would happen, and I was nearly ready to test his advice when I finally got fired on my fourth challenge to the station management’s rules, and decided to retire rather than looking for another job.
I have no regrets for defending Trump when the attacks against him were without merit, and I have no regrets for condemning his actions when I believe they deserve it. If I had remained on the radio for the duration of the Trump presidency, it is very possible that I might have been fired for a different reason, because the last two years of history suggests my ratings would have fallen significantly if I had continued to tell the truth, whether or not the truth was on Trump’s side.
I would have either had to sacrifice my honor or my ratings, and I can only hope that I would have sacrificed my ratings, which would likely have led to being fired. Fortunately, I was fired for defending Trump when he deserved it, so God spared me that test, and the reward was retirement, which is far more glorious than I imagined.
AS TO THE CHARGE that I’m no longer a conservative, I plead ignorance. I no longer know what “conservative” even means these days.
I’m happy to tell you what I believe in, and it’s something that has not changed and never will. I believe in small government, low taxes and personal freedom coupled with personal responsibility. I believe in paying your bills with your own labor because when you cannot, you subject yourself to the will of others, which denies you the freedom that my American soul seeks. I want every human on earth to experience the glory of the level of the independence I know.
Most important, I believe the U.S. Constitution is a divinely inspired plan for achieving independence, not in a year, or even a century or three, but over time, with changes in the design allowed only after years or decades of debate, to eventually create a society that gives every American the unmatched glory of true independence.
While socialism is one enemy of the U.S. Constitution and the independence it seeks, it is but one of many. All actions against the Constitution constitute a threat to its promise, no matter how well intended.
Unfortunately, even independence does not shield individuals from disaster, natural or political. Any number of natural or political events may threaten even the most independent person, but that person will also be more capable of surviving the threat. Eventually, the end will come, for all of us, but until then, I plan to live as independently as possible and preach the glory of independence to anyone who cares to listen. I don’t really care whether that makes me, in the eyes of the public, a conservative or something else.
FINALLY…
…to the occasional charge that my wife is responsible for my alleged political evolution, I have to plead “no contest.”
I don't believe I'm guilty, but I can’t deny that her contributions to my civic education and her critique of my public statements over the past 25 years have influenced my opinion, as have many others whom I consider defenders of the constitution.
I will leave it to history to judge whether those contributions have drawn me closer or farther from my reverence for the divinely inspired U.S. Constitution. I personally have no fear that both God and history will judge both Marianna and me with favor on that particular score.
Ralph Bristol is a former popular local conservative radio talk show host with Super Talk 99.7 (WTN 99.7) where he worked for 11 years. He is now semi-retired.
Rod's Comment: Thank you Ralph Bristol. Like Bristol I have been accused of no longer being a conservative and have been called a "traitor." My views have not changed. I still believe is small government, personal responsibility, rule of law, fiscal responsibility, and fidelity to the Constitution. The definition of "conservative," among enthusiastic Trump supporters has changed. It means one can embrace a war on free trade, big deficits, governing by executive order, reallocation of money contrary to Congress's intent and can argue a $600 handout to every American is insufficient and it should be $2000. President Trump has achieved some impressive conservative achievements but essentially Trumpism is not conservatism but a form of populism. It is a movement that appeals to peoples emotions rather than their reasoning. It has to stir up anger and have enemies to flourish. It thrives on resentment.
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