The Cycle of Violence This Saturday Night

Christ on a bike:

Donald Trump appeared to be the target of an assassination attempt as he spoke during a rally in Pennsylvania on Saturday, two law enforcement officials said. The former president, his ear covered in blood from what he said was a gunshot, was quickly pulled away by Secret Service agents and his campaign said he was “fine.”

A local prosecutor said the suspected gunman and at least one attendee are dead. The Secret Service said two spectators were critically injured.

Posting on his Truth Social media site about two and a half hours after the shooting, Trump said a bullet “pierced the upper part of my right ear.”

“I knew immediately that something was wrong in that I heard a whizzing sound, shots, and immediately felt the bullet ripping through the skin,” he said in the post. “Much bleeding took place, so I realized then what was happening.”

The attack, by a shooter who law enforcement officials say was then killed by the Secret Service, was the first attempt to assassinate a president or presidential candidate since Ronald Reagan was shot in 1981. It comes amid a deeply polarized political atmosphere, just four months from the presidential elections and days before Trump is to be officially named the Republican nominee at his party’s convention... (via Jill Colvin, Julie Carr Smyth, Colleen Long, Eric Tucker, Michael Balsamo and Michelle L. Price at AP News)

This is all happening in the moment and it's always too early to speculate even though a number of Far Right agitators on social media are already accusing Biden and "the violent Left" of being behind this shooting.

If there's anything I agree with on social media right now, it's THIS sentiment:

Mom can you come pick me up history is happening and I’m scared

— samuel catlin (@lint_ax) July 13, 2024

Seriously, America. Make this goddamn partisan madness stop.

For all my hatred aimed at donald Shitgibbon trump, the most I want to see done is him facing justice in a jail cell for all the crimes - the tax fraud, business fraud, and sexual assault - he's committed (and the ones he's allegedly done that he still needs to face in trial). Killing trump doesn't solve the reality that a willing and angry MAGA voter base will remain - and become even more angry and violent - and will be eager to turn trump into a martyr. Violence aimed at a group doesn't make that faction change their tone or their minds: It tends to radicalize them further, feeding into a cycle of violence aimed at the ones they blame.

Any form of political violence - street riot, bombing, targeted assassination - becomes self-defeating. I just wrote about what happened at Kent State: because the ROTC building had been fire-bombed, a lot of Americans in the middle class across the political spectrum actually felt the protestors were to blame and deserved to get shot by a panicked National Guard. Violence begets - and excuses - the reactionary violence that follows. 

The idea that a Propaganda of the Deed would rally a silent hidden faithful into a mass movement justifying your planned utopia never happens. Assassinating Lincoln didn't win the Civil War for the South; shooting Garfield actually pushed the federal government into genuine civil service reforms; killing McKinley never sparked a Socialist uprising in America; what happened to JFK didn't end the Cold War or change U.S. policy towards Cuba (whatever the hell it was that motivated Oswald (maybe), we still don't know for certain); and shooting Reagan never impressed Jodie Foster (I'm not being flippant here, that's kind of what Hinckley was trying to do).

All that's going to happen now is a family will have to cope with the tragedy of losing a loved one - whoever it was that died at the rally - and the MAGA faithful are going to stir themselves into a frenzy over which conspiracy theories will make them the angriest and more eager to act out.

The political violence we've been trapped in since 2016 - with trump's demagoguery of immigrants and liberals - and accelerated in 2020 - "Stand Back and Stand By" anyone? - remains a downward spiral this 2024. History - chaotic, fear-driven, violent - is happening, and it's not going to stop until more innocent lives are taken.

Families Belong Together Lakeland Rally w/Photos

As mentioned yesterday, I went to Lakeland's afternoon rally in support of the Families Belong Together effort that is protesting trump's inhumane policy of separating immigrant and asylum families (as well as throwing kids as young as NEWBORNS into chain-link-fence cages).

Most people I know in the area probably went to the Tampa rally - those tend to be bigger and more awe-inspiring - earlier in the day, but I heard via Twitter from Betty Cracker of Balloon Juice that it got interrupted by a late morning thunderstorm (welcome to Florida, lightning capital of the Northwest hemisphere (which should actually be a quadsphere not a hemi, but I digress)).

At our march it was mostly grey and threatening, ending up with a bothersome drizzle as we started walking through downtown Lakeland (all five blocks of it, sigh).

I figure we had around 100 people and between four to eight puppies.

I documented what I could with pics and video I am having problems downloading video off my phone damn the man below:

This fat boy looks familiar. I wore my Captain America shirt because it seemed appropriate.

I will work on getting the video uploaded.

I was too busy actually walking to get my smartphone out to record any of it, but we circled Munn Park a few times and performed a few chats.

Out of the car traffic that passed us, I would say we had 30-50 people honking their horns in favor and only 3 people being total jerkasses: one middle finger, one couple shouting pro-trump crap out the window, and one attempt at a Coal Roll exhaust blast. ALL THREE OF THEM were driving the oversized supertrucks most people shouldn't drive unless they really do haul 16 tons around work. I had to explain to a couple protesting beside me what Coal Rollers were and why they were the perfect example of deplorable trump voters. This is purely anecdotal on my part, but I figure we had a 10-to-1 balance of pro-family pro-immigrant support over the hater coalition.

I hope everyone else's marches went well. I am linking to updates that were posted at Balloon Juice over the weekend.

Keep marching. Keep protesting. Those kids need to be reunited with their families as soon as fucking possible. Our immigration policy needs to open up to asylum seekers and honest families looking for safe homes to raise their kids to go to college and contribute to our United States. We need to listen to the better angels of our nature.

The Last Rally: Obama's Final Call To the Crowd to Vote

It was a thrill getting to see President Barack Obama, even if it was from a distance. It was great to hear him live, with the response and cheers of the crowd.

The rest of the rally, though, let me just note that getting into the baseball stadium at Kissimmee was a headache and getting out when the rally was over a complete damn nightmare. I swear to the Old Gods and the New that the Osceola County law enforcement don't know a damn thing about traffic control. Look, I know traffic in Florida sucks, but it's something about the Orlando drivers that are freaking psychotic sons of... grrrrrrr, I'm still in a mood.

Anyway. I documented the atrocities.

Told you. Traffic getting into the Osceola Heritage Park = headache

 They had us parked a fur piece away that required walking. I think I got my calorie burnoff for the week taken care of.

 And this was just the line to get in. It looped around outside the main gate about ten times.

The rally organizer who planned this: "Hey, let's have an outdoor rally in Florida where it's rainy weather like 750 days out of the year or so. Oh, it's only early November, surely the bad weather would have passed by now..."

The main gates into the ballpark. Secret Service checking everybody going in for any dangerous items like paper signs. Oh, wait, it's not a Trump rally, so those posters we were carrying in were likely not gonna scare anybody...

The was the crowd about 30 minutes into the rally, well before the main guests had showed. Unlike Hillary's rally last week, there were no lineups of guest speakers to keep the crowd stoked. We were all pretty much waiting for Stevie Wonder (wait, what?) and Obama himself...

I wondered why they were holding this rally at a baseball field that could only hold 20,000 or so instead of the larger football stadiums within Orlando's city limits. But then a familiar plane flew across the horizon a few miles away, and I understood that the baseball field was within range of the airport so that everybody can see Air Force One fly by...

Oh man, here's the video of it:

My smartphone camera isn't all that great with zoom and stuff, so it's too grainy to get a good view. But everybody else saw it and that's why you're hearing the cheers.

In the meantime, here's Stevie Wonder!

Stevie wrapped up his concert after a few songs - "Higher Ground" and "Superstition" were highlights - and then we waited for Obama to show. While it was a bit annoying that I was part of the late crowd that were forced to stand in the upper deck area for the entire rally, I was in an incredible spot to see the Presidential detail ride in from the airport:

At which point it was just a matter of waiting for the main man to show. In the meantime, Senator Bill Nelson - oh, hey, I seen that guy before! - made the introduction alongside candidate Pat Murphy to get the crowd pumped up. 

They talked about getting Murphy elected this Tuesday so that he could be part of the Democrats' attempt to knock Republicans out of control of the Senate. They made a solid case about how they'll actually do work - unlike being a no-show like Rubio - and vote on nominations for office rather than obstruct as the GOP promises.

And then it was time... to welcome... to the stage...

And then the rally ended to Bruce Springsteen music, and the parking lot filled with people refusing to stick to proper exit routes causing massive traffic jams to where it took more than an hour to get onto the main road. I swear, a place where there's just one gateway in or out is a bad place to host a rally. Rage rage rage.

(Edit: I originally thought Sunday was the last day to campaign. Obama is still campaigning this Monday)

Tuesday is it, folks. On the most election of our lives to stop Trump from destroying everything good and decent about our nation, and to stop Trump from wrecking the global economy and our strong standing among our allies.

Get the vote out, Florida. Vote for Hillary, vote for Murphy, vote for every Democrat on every ballot seat.

Get the vote out, America. Vote for Hillary. Vote for Democrats to the Senate and to the House and to your state legislatures and governorships. We need to break that obstruction and put into office people who will do their elected duties to serve the public trust.

VOTE THIS TUESDAY. Stay in line once you get to your precinct. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise. Don't get discouraged if you're there for hours. You can stand up against any suppression effort, you can make your voice known.

VOTE.

Hoping for One Brief Respite In This Year of Madness (and the Madness Yet to Come)

Was everybody seeing this stuff and acting as though they weren't? Was insanity just a matter of dropping the act? - Susanna Kaysen, Girl Interrupted

I may have mentioned before, I've always been sober. I think I've also clarified that I never said I was sane. Well, not fully sane or insane otherwise. I know I'm off-kilter, but still high-functioning and trying what I can to be helpful to the world.

There's a lot on my mind right now. Some of it is NaNoWriMo, it IS that time of the year after all, and while I'm doing what I can to finish enough chapters / sections of my superhero 'verse stories I'm still tempted with the idea of writing about this entire past year (and further back) of this year of madness we've all endured.

I've been helping out with the local Hillary campaign to Get Out The Vote to ensure enough voters are at the polls to make things matter. I've seen what happens here in Florida - 2000, 2010, 2012, 2014, now - when there's terrible turnout and only the crazy ones show up (to vote in crooks like Rick "Medicare Fraud" Scott). I feel I haven't done much, just canvass a handful of local neighborhoods, and I can only hope I'm part of a larger group of Pro-Hillary supporters who are doing what they can to ensure Florida does not flip to Trump.

That's been the maddening thing this whole time. Ever since he dominated the Republican polls back in 2015, it's been frustrating as hell to watch around 40 percent of everyone around me - on the media, the Intertubes, the real world - just get suckered into Trump's con game with him this massively corrupt black hole crushing everything into one big disaster.

In three days, maybe two now, this particular madness will end. The general election happens on Tuesday. There will be some finality to that when the ballots are truly finally in.

But I know the madness won't die. It will just turn into a different, nastier monster. Trump's ongoing - and unproven - cries of "rigged" elections that feed into the ongoing Republican efforts to suppress minority voters will see to that: even if a majority of voters on all sides accept the results of a Hillary win, there will be just enough of Trump's followers who never will. Worse, there will be enough Republicans in Congress and in the state governments who have already pledged to obstruct her in every matter - essentially expanding their current obstructionist habits - as though they will never see her as legitimate.

Of course, if Trump wins he and the Republicans will drop all pretense of "rigged" elections and declare it a great moral victory that will continue on the Grand Reagan Revolution of 1000 Years. The elections only count when Republicans win.

I so want this crazy to end this Tuesday, with a large enough victory - a resounding thrashing of the Republican party at all levels of government - to make the GOP Obstruction moot. It'd be nice to think that will happen. Instead I'm biting my nails over whether or not Hillary can even win (GODS HELP US IF TRUMP DOES) and whether or not the Democrats claim the Senate (to at least free up court and executive nominations). I'm stressing out over whether my own home state of Florida stays Blue after two election victories by Obama - the polling is saying one thing, the early growing turnout of Latinos is saying another - because if Hillary wins Florida it's a good sign Hillary's winning the whole Electoral College.

And I'm recognizing that the post-election will remain crazy either way: A Trump victory that will pretty much signal the end of the nation (He will raid everything for his own pocket, subvert every law, destroy every norm, and leave our economy a smoldering wreck before he's even sworn in); a Hillary victory that will signal escalation of hostilities with a Far Right that will never accept her in the Oval Office.

Madness. Takes it toll.

There is only one sane response to all this.

Go see Obama at a Florida rally. One last chance to see him standing there as President of the United States, to thrill in his rhetoric, to cheer with the crowds. As always a student of history and politics, this is a Must-Do before his tenure ends.

I hope to bring back pictures and videos.

A brief respite in the middle of the last days of insanity.

P.S. GET THE DAMN VOTE OUT FOR THE DEMOCRATS IN EVERY COUNTY AND EVERY STATE.

Big Event Today: Hillary In Tampa

It's one of those things you gotta do in your life if you're into history and politics.

You got to go see a Presidential rally at least once. Cross it off the bucket list, as it were.

So this Monday I get an email from Hillary's campaign saying "hey, RSVP for her rally in Tampa on Wednesday" and I'm all "wow I just happen to have that day off from work (gotta cover for Saturday) and this would be an awesome thing to do!"

So I went.

Eh, you know my leanings. If you've been reading this blog since 2007 you know I've leaned Democrat - even as I stand proudly as a Moderate ex-Republican - and this would be a chance to go stand around with 5,000 people or so.

I'm seeing, by the by, a bunch of pro-Trump people crowing about "poor turnout" at this event because Trump was here in Tampa a few days ago with "20,000" announced attendance and Hillary "oh boo hoo" was smaller at an announced 4,500. Let me make this clear: Turnout at the rallies does NOT equal turnout at the election places, and hilariously enough the early reports are that Hillary is WINNING turnout there.

So anyway, here's a slew of photos of me going to the rally.

I stopped off at the downtown library for Tampa-Hillsborough to make sure my tablet charged up, and because as a librarian I always make a visit to any library just to feel the ambiance.

This is where the line got to from the park, with the library in the distance, I'd say about four blocks away. The line would eventually snake all the way around this parking garage towards the Performing Arts center I believe.

While standing in line I bumped into a platoon - eight or nine women - who where in Tampa for a professional college administration association's conference. They were in from New York, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and they had gotten last-minute emails like I did. They were thrilled they were getting a chance down here to see Hillary.

 I asked one to get a photo of me. Selfies only do so much.

 Vendors out selling gear. The conference ladies were upset nobody was selling "Nasty Women" t-shirts.

A break in the line. It's called a traffic stop.

You can see where the rally is set up in the Curtis Hixon park. Nice water fountain.

I dunno if I'm in any trouble posting pics of the Secret Service sniper teams on the rooftops.

 As with any rally, the opposing candidate's fanbase will have their hecklers in force. I have to admit this one had put some effort into it. The others were uninspiring and in some ways more vulgar than this. One woman went around with a sign saying "My DOG Has a Vagina Does That Qualify Her For President?" I was sorely tempted to shout back "Your dog is more qualified than Trump" but I didn't want to start a ruckus on a good day.

Here's all the camera crews setting up for the day. To my knowledge nobody at the Hillary rally shouted insults or threats at them. Unlike what happens at a Trump rally...

This is where I ended up facing the stage. A good number of families circled this part, a lot of mothers showing up with daughters - and a few sons - in tow.

This is a historic thing. People talk about seeing Presidents or candidates when they were younger. My dad talked a few times about growing up in DC and being in one of the inaugural parades for Eisenhower.

Tampa's Congresswoman Kathy Castor, doing warm-ups for the crowd while Hillary's stuck in traffic (she was in Lake Worth earlier this day).

I'm swinging around to get pictures of the crowd, and pictures of downtown Tampa. You notice anything about those buildings? Trump did not build a single one of them (the one he failed I think got knocked down to make way for someone else's tower).

 I think that's Mayor Bob Buckhorn. Hugely popular in Tampa.

Hillary at the podium!!!

And yes, this is a problem nowadays at political rallies and historic events. I'm getting phone-blocked trying to use my tablet to do exactly the same thing. I know I was blocking people who were behind me (I tried apologizing...).

There we go, clearer view. Had to wait a few minutes.

 And here's the security phalanx to escort Hillary and the other VIPs back to the airport to wherever Hillary needed to go to next. I asked the cops "Smile please" but I think only a couple of them did. Ah well.

And that's just the photos. Here's the video clips!

Good Lord. I'M ON FILM. How did that happen? Anyways, for all those eight regular readers of this blog, now you have a face and a voice to go with these rants.

I know I'm in shadow: the sun was just starting to get behind me. If I ever get a video editor program that can clean things up, I might try to brighten this enough to make me more FABULOUS... ahem,

Here's me walking into the fenced-off part of the event. Ooh, water! Yes, this is an outdoor event in Tampa even in late October, this was a hot day. Thank God for the cool breeze coming off the nearby river. When I say Oops at the end it's because I almost lost the bottled water cradled in my other arm.

Showing you the early crowd - this was about an hour before the event actually started - and to show you downtown Tampa in the distance.

I have to apologize on this one: We were about five or six other speakers getting onto the stage and we were all getting pumped up that the next speaker was Hillary! They asked us to sing "HAPPY BIRTHDAY" for her and everything! And then... Instead it was someone else coming onto the stage so I paused the recorder just as they were saying "Academy Award nominee..." so I'm going oh great another celeb but then they finished saying "Angela Bassett." And this is actually good because Ms. Bassett is from the area - grew up in St. Pete - so I switched the camera back on. This explains the interruption. Sorry.

I can get a better clip of Ms. Angela Bassett getting the crowd fired up. Give me a second, here we go:

via GIPHY

Oh. That's Ms. Bassett firing up Trump's car. Anyway.

So after a few more guest speakers, including a great speech from US Citizen/Chef Jose Andres - one of the chefs who famously quit working for Trump because of Trump's anti-immigrant rants - here is Hillary walking out to the crowd!!!

I didn't include the whole speech or anything. You ought to get that from any of the news feeds out here. Lemme link one of them here.

Anyway. That's been my day. Long drive back on I-4, bleh. Got home and spent a lot of it getting these videos uploaded to share. After this, there's work to be done. Well, AT work, doing my job as a librarian. And also getting some volunteer hours in with the local GOTV efforts with Hillary's campaign people in Polk County.

It's more than just showing up at rallies, people. It's showing up TO VOTE. Everybody's got to do that, especially everybody voting for Hillary and for sanity.

Let's do it.

Just one last thing, though. Hillary, seriously, when you're campaigning for re-election in 2020, do everyone a favor in Florida and do these rallies INDOORS. It's called AIR CONDITIONING AND IT EXISTS FOR A REASON.