You want safety? Don’t Vote for Republicans
On Friday Democratic Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Nancy Pelosi’s home in San Francisco was invaded and her husband Paul was brutally attacked by a wing-nut conspiracy theory devotee wielding a hammer. Fox News published an opinion piece entitled “Paul Pelosi attack should be a ‘wakeup call’ to Democrats on crime, but they won’t change: Leo Terrell” and gave air time to its author, Mr. Terrell. On air the commentators wildly spun the attack as a result of “soft-on-crime”, and had the unmitigated gall to suggest that the suspect might soon be “out on the streets”. I searched in vain for any Fox News mention that the attacker was eerily intoning, “Where’s Nancy?”, mimicking the calls heard in the U.S. Capitol during the insurrection on January 6, 2021. Any hint of condemnation of the widespread culture of violence nurtured by Donald Trump throughout his presidency? Not a peep—although one commentator mentioned a rise in violent crimes against political figures—as if such attacks arose out of nothing. Who, me?
Right wing media tout the January 6 insurrections as “Patriots” and “tourists” and treat the jail sentences of some of these people as terribly unfair to “good people”. Meanwhile, the January 6 Committee in the House of Representatives has firmly established the leader of the Republican Party and the darling of many Republican voters, former President Trump as the plotter and leader of the violent January 6 insurrection.
Where are the Republicans willing to denounce the culture of political violence nurtured for the last seven years by Trump and many of his followers? I have heard no Republicans (except Liz Cheney and Adam Kinzinger) willing to speak against the culture of violence nurtured by the Trumps, Jordans, and Taylor Greens of their own Party. Silence is acquiescence—and their silence is deafening.
Are local Republicans exempt from this hypocrisy? Watch the free hour-long Frontline documentary on YouTube, Michael Flynn’s Holy War. Recall that General Flynn and company brought his holy war to an audience of “thousands” in Post Falls just last month. There Flynn preached his unholy gospel of required impending violence to salvage his vision of “Christian” nationalism. Then recognize Flynn’s links with the Insurrection and a litany of conspiracy theories that continue to fuel the insurrectionists—and people like Paul Pelosi’s assailant.
Right wing media trying to capitalize on the bludgeoning of Paul Pelosi as just another example of crime they say they will control is a sickening hypocrisy as long as they refuse to acknowledge, call out, and quell the calls for political violence made by members of their own Party.
Wherever you are offered a choice—vote them out. If you haven’t filled out and turned in you Washington State ballot, do so today.
Voter information tips: See the progressivevotersguide.com for detailed recommendations. (Note: I personally favor Julie Anderson over Steve Hobbs for Washington State Secretary of State. Not only is she better qualified, but she is in favor of Ranked Choice Voting. Mr. Hobbs is not.)
To access the archives of my writing and the links found therein use the search function (the magnifying glass symbol) at either
https://jxindivisible.org or https://jerrysindivisible.substack.com/archive
Keep to the high ground,
Jerry
P.S. If one is still tempted to vote for a Republican in the November election recall that the Republican vision of “Freedom” for women and men in making intimate reproductive choices should involve, as Dr. Oz said in the recent debate, “women, doctors, local political leaders, letting the democracy that’s always allowed our nation to thrive to put the best ideas forward so states can decide for themselves.” So if you want “local political leaders” helping you make decisions in your doctor’s office and in your bedroom, by all means, vote Republican.