“It’s a huge day in politics and MSNBC has pulled ‘Morning Joe’ off the air. They’re apparently worried the MJ crew might say something ‘inappropriate’ about the Trump assassination attempt. From CNN:”
“As I said repeatedly during the Russia hoax: unless and until everyone involved goes to prison, the behavior will only escalate.
What happened to the Russia hoaxers? Nothing, so they weaponized a virus against their own country. They burned down our cities. They stole an election. And when you committed the crime of noticing, they staged a fake insurrection and tried to jail YOU for calling out their lies.
But that wasn’t enough for them. And why would it be, when they never paid a price for their war on this country?
They raided Trump’s home, guns drawn. And nothing happened. So they arrested him and tried to put him in prison, and nothing happened to them.
And when all their previous failed efforts resulted in ZERO negative consequences for any of the orchestrators, what did they do?
They tried to murder Donald Trump. And then they lied about that and tried to blame YOU for their own eight-year-long operation to get Trump killed.
If you are a member of Congress or a Republican official, I want you to pay very special attention to what I’m about to say: you need to wake the F up.
Seriously. Wake up and pull your heads out of your own backsides. Your incompetence and cowardice are a major reason we find ourselves in this position today. Wake up, sack up, and grow a spine.
Stop sending letters. Stop issuing stern statements written by 22-year-old staffers. Stop all of it and start putting people in prison.
They will not stop escalating. They will not stop trying to kill us. They will not stop destroying the country until they start paying the price for their treason.
Put these people in prison, or lose your country—and maybe even your lives, given what these demons have shown they’re willing to do to gain and maintain power.
Until these people are forced to spend their lives in prison, the insanity will not stop. And your refusal to make that happen doesn’t make you a statesman. It doesn’t make you above it all. It makes you a coward.
So stop with the empty words and start doing your freaking job for once.”
“@NBCNews taking Morning Joe and @NicolleDWallace off air in a historic moment as Republicans prepare to nominate Donald Trump is an explicit admission that these are not news programs.
It’s outrage porn that NBC can no longer rely upon for publishable content in this moment in time.
“Hillary offers an extraordinary, concise example here of the type of incendiary fear-mongering that was normalized at the highest level of Democrat messaging on Trump.
– Trump will do away with elections
– Trump will do away with his opposition
– Trump will do away with a free press
– Trump is like Hitler
– Trump is an authoritarian dictator
– Trump is going to throw people he doesn’t like in jail
– Trump is publicly telling us he intends to do all of this
Amazing that she could jam all of this into 34 seconds.”
🔥 The first unanswered question, and the weirdest news so far coming out of the Trump Shooting, was this New York Times headline, which I screenshot so you wouldn’t think I was joking:
That’s right. The same Orwellian corporation that is trying to buy up everything in America that the government doesn’t already own —are you using that extra chair? We’ll take that, too. Well, that mega-corporation is bizarrely and unexpectedly linked to the same man who just tried to murder President Trump. The Times’ story explained that the shooter, while still an 18-year-old high school student, appeared briefly as an extra in a Blackrock commercial.
The Times reported that Blackrock pulled the ad, promised to cooperate with law enforcement, and said it will turn over any unpublished video that might still be available, just as you’d hope a responsible corporation would do. So that’s good, nothing to see here.
Now, I’m only asking. But what kind of connections does someone need to score a fun, easy, lucrative temporary job working as an extra in a Blackrock commercial? How did it all come together? How much did the shooter get paid? Was there a contract? Who signed it? The article didn’t say, and the New York Times doesn’t care.
It’s probably nothing. But it’s also sort of like finding out fifty years later that the JFK shooter was on the CIA’s payroll three weeks before the assassination. It’s one of those things that makes you go huh?
Neither this article, nor any others about the same story, identified the anonymous “local police officer” who, investigating bystander reports, climbed up the ladder to see for himself. According to reports, Thomas the Shooter pointed his gun at the officer, who apparently then experienced a rapid unscheduled dismount. Or maybe he just climbed back down, which makes much less sense, given that was the end of the officer’s involvement, as far as they tell us.
Either way, quickly, so fast it all happened before the officer could do anything, the story says after threatening the laddered officer, in the span of a few seconds, Thomas the Shooter returned to his ‘post,’ coolly aimed his rifle (not sniper gear), calculated the wind speed factors, and immediately took his shots, showing the kind of clear thinking under pressure normally attributed to combat veterans and not unemployed drifters. Then Secret Service agents blew Thomas’ brains out, and that was that.
But wait. How did that giant ladder get there? The article was 100% silent on that score. Are they telling us this unemployed 20-year-old brought a long gun and a giant ladder in his small car and then carried them from the parking lot to the building without anyone noticing? Or did Thomas perhaps set up his ladder ahead of time, like the day before the event? If so, how did security miss a stray ladder leaning against a building that also happened to be the closest elevated vantage to the rally?
If the young, unemployed drifter’s planning was sufficiently sophisticated that he placed the ladder ahead of time, how did he know security would miss the ladder, on which the entire plan depended? And how did he know the roof would remain unguarded? These seem like critical unanswered questions contradicting the FBI’s conclusion that Thomas “appears to have acted alone.”
But what do I know? I’m just a lawyer, not an FBI assassination investigator. But as a lawyer, it’s waytoo early to say he acted alone.
Info will be trickling out as more is learned – and as always happens after these events. Definitely some security questions still to address and more background about the shooter, to the extent that it exists with regard to a motive.
Re the convention (via the Dispatch) … :
Even before Saturday’s assassination attempt, RNC officials seemed to be expanding the tent. On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was added to the speaking schedule after initial reports that he had been snubbed. A similar process played out with former Gov. Nikki Haley, who received an invitation to participate shortly before the shooting on Saturday evening. Yesterday, a Haley aide confirmed that she will be in Milwaukee this week and speak to the convention on Tuesday.
The Trump campaign itself has internally emphasized turning down the heat in the wake of the assassination attempt. Trump campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles shared a memo with staff following the shooting, urging them “to recognize the political polarization in this heated election” and warning that they “will not tolerate dangerous rhetoric on social media.”
“For me, the proximity of the act brought home not the unique nastiness of our political moment, despite the hype, but on the contrary, the universal truth of the human condition as it touches on politics: The politics and the politicians of this world are as ephemeral as the world itself.”
~ The psalmist tells us to put not our trust in princes. That can be hard to obey in times of cultural chaos and especially during a presidential election touted by all sides (as every presidential election in my 23 years in the United States has been touted) as the most consequential, make-or-break election in history, upon which the very future of civilization depends. But the awful events of Saturday remind us that this statement is true, not merely because our leaders are limited and flawed but also because, like the grass and the flowers of the field, they can pass in the twinkling of an eye. Only the Lord and the Word of the Lord remain forever. ~
~ The assassination attempt against Donald Trump on Saturday evening is a horrific moment for America that could have been much worse. But we can’t say it comes as a complete surprise. Political hostility and hateful rhetoric have been rising to a decibel level that far too often in the American past has led to violence and attempted murder. Some of us still remember 1968 all too well. ***
It’s nothing short of miraculous that Mr. Trump avoided death by a literal inch. The former President can’t help but think that Providence played some role in sparing him, as Ronald Reagan is said to have thought after he was shot and survived in 1981. The country was spared, too, from what could have been a furious cycle of retribution. …
… The shooter alone is responsible for his actions. But leaders on both sides need to stop describing the stakes of the election in apocalyptic terms. Democracy won’t end if one or the other candidate is elected. Fascism is not aborning if Mr. Trump wins, unless you have little faith in American institutions.
We agree with former Attorney General Bill Barr’s statement Saturday night: “The Democrats have to stop their grossly irresponsible talk about Trump being an existential threat to democracy—he is not.”
… One great risk is that the shooting in Butler, Pa., will cause some on the right to seek violent revenge. This is where Mr. Trump and the Republicans have an obligation—and a political opportunity—at their convention in Milwaukee and through November.
If they weren’t already, Americans after Saturday will be looking for stable, reassuring leadership. The photo of Mr. Trump raising his fist as he was led off stage by the Secret Service with a bloody face was a show of personal fortitude that will echo through the campaign. No one doubts his willingness to fight, and his initial statements Saturday and Sunday were notable and encouraging shows of restraint and gratitude.
His opportunity now is to present himself as someone who can rise above the attack on his life and unite the country. He will make a mistake if he blames Democrats for the assassination attempt.
He will win over more Americans if he tells his followers that they need to fight peacefully and within the system. If the Trump campaign is smart, and thinking about the country as well as the election, it will make the theme of Milwaukee a call to political unity and the better angels of American nature.
That leaves plenty of room for criticizing Democrats and their failed policies. But the country wants civil disagreement and discourse, not civil war. …
… One great risk is that the shooting in Butler, Pa., will cause some on the right to seek violent revenge. This is where Mr. Trump and the Republicans have an obligation—and a political opportunity—at their convention in Milwaukee and through November.
The baseless assertion that Republicans will seek revenge is irresponsible. It has not been the “right” who has incited violence and destruction. To deflect that notion upon the right is cause and effect for the left. And if anyone chooses to cite Jan 6 that is moot…we all know it was not the “right” instigating that “insurrection”!
I know of no one who puts their “trust in princes”. I do however know many who will stand against principalities of evil!
This mentality is why our country is falling apart. When bad actors suffer no consequences for their nefarious deeds, they never learn the lessons they need. People should realize this behavior will continue until someone actually pays a price for it.
With this DoJ and FBI in charge, I have zero confidence that will happen.
“The push to “cool down the rhetoric” is the final boss level of 8 years of gaslighting.
After spending nearly a decade calling us nazis, white supremacists, russian spies, extremists, racists, bigots, insurrectionists, fascists, and terrorists.
“Hopefully after the tragedy yesterday in Butler PA we can all recognize that unaccountable bloated bureaucracies continue to fail us as Americans.
Donald J Trump is alive today solely due to a bad wind estimate by an evil would be assasin. As the graphics show the full value wind of just 5mph was enough to displace the unconfirmed but likely light 55 grain bullet two inches from DJT’s intended forehead to his ear. DJT was not saved by USSS brilliance. The fact that USSS allowed a rifle armed shooter within 150yds to a preplanned event is either malice or massive incompetence. Clearly there was adequate uncontrolled dead space for a shooter to move into position and take multiple aimed shots. Watching the newsreel one can hear how proximate the shooter is by the very short time lapse between the crack of arriving bullet (supersonic) to the boom of muzzle blast (sonic).
The law enforcement sniper (unclear if USSS) in newsreels was clearly overwhelmed as his face came off his rifle instead of doing his job to kill the shooter. Clearly they were watching the shooter but apparently have a no “first shot” policy. The only positive action was an apparent 488yd shot by one USSS sniper which despatched the assasin but after the assassin launched at least 5 rounds, wounding DJT and killing and severely others in the crowd.
In my old business of providing Diplomatic Security in two active war zones we were expected to execute the basics or we would be fired. Clearly USSS failed at the basics of a secure perimeter and once shots were fired their extraction was clumsy and left DJT highly exposed to follow on attacks. It looked like they had never drilled together because those responses should be effectively autonomic. Will there be accountability? That’s not the Washington way.
Unserious and unworthy people in positions of authority got us to this near disaster. Merit and execution must be the only deciding factors in hiring and leadership, not the social engineering priority of the day. Sadly nothing in Washington reflects that any longer. DJT is right to question the competence of those protecting him because yesterday they failed in almost every way. Nature abhors a vacuum and there are always other options.
Most importantly, as Americans let’s come together and run a proper valid election so we can get back to what matters a merit based society that judges on character and skill. Nothing else.”
(Images from a SEAL sniper instructor at Red Sky LLC)
This is why CO has Polis for governor…and all those other Dems in charge in our state….this guy is now trying to CHA….despicable….and he isn’t the only Dem who has said such and then “deleted” their vitriol
As lawmakers in both parties and the political world react to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, a Colorado lawmaker is apologizing for his tweet on the night of the shooting.
“The last thing America needed was sympathy for the devil but here we are,” posted Democratic Rep. Steven Woodrow from Denver.
The tweet quickly wracked up close to 2 million views and thousands of comments, almost all extremely negative.
“You monster,” wrote one user. “Resign,” demanded another. “You have unmasked yourself as an enemy of America and the American people. Time to resign.” “You sir are a worthless POS.”
Woodrow deleted his social media account not long after, and told CPR News in a text message Sunday that he condemns the attempt on Trump’s life in the most forceful of terms.
“My message, as inarticulate as it was, is that acts of violence like this are awful and only make it more likely that Trump now wins. We must always resolve our differences peacefully at the ballot box—not through violence. I know people are hurting, and apologize that my words caused additional pain,” Woodrow texted.
Putting trust in the princes of this world is very much different than asking our Lord to guide and direct certain people in those positions. Man will fail us but our Lord will definitely not.
“Donald J Trump is alive today solely due to a bad wind estimate by an evil would be assassin.” (@ 1:41)
I have to say there was a lot more at work in that.
That said, responsibility needs to be investigated, from lapses in Secret Service/FBI practices to the possibility of others who may have known about this shooter’s plans.
But until we know more, for a fact, we don’t know.
For now, we all breathe a sign of relief, thanking our God that that what could have been so much worse wasn’t. And maybe take at least a mini break from the vitriol for our own spiritual welfare if nothing else.
“We gotta turn the rhetoric down. We gotta turn the temperature down in this country. We need leaders of all parties, on both sides, to call that out and make sure that happens so that we can go forward and maintain our free society that we all are blessed to have.”
—Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on NBC’s TODAY, July 14, 2024
But: From what we know right now — barring any new information that may be come forth and can be actually verified in the future — it is the shooter himself who was directly responsible for this act.
~ Senator J.D. Vance, who joined former President Donald J. Trump’s 2024 ticket on Monday, once described his new running mate as a kind of “cultural heroin” — and privately feared that he could be “America’s Hitler.”
That was nearly a decade ago, when Mr. Trump’s political ascent coincided with Mr. Vance’s rise as the author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” his memoir of growing up poor in rural Kentucky and Ohio. ~
He’s young (39) and very new to Washington, but will have some clout in some of those swing states & the Midwest.
Yesterday’s tremendous and underrated statement from Melania Trump:
“A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion—his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband’s life—his human side—were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.”
“We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again.”
“Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment—until death—is at serious risk.”
We read JD’s book Hillbilly Elegy. Middletown borders Hamilton to the north and I share the Hamiltucky moniker 😊 I believe him to be refreshingly honest in a political world of distrust. Good choice.
Love the statement from Melania Trump. She will be a breath of fresh air in the WHITE House.
JD Vance is a solid pick I think. Husband bought some of his books a couple of years ago, and we were impressed. Vance certainly has a different background from Trump. His wife is an American born child of Indian immigrants . And he’s only 39, with a young family. Nice .
“BREAKING: A police counter sn*per team was *inside* the building that Thomas Crooks shot from *during* the sho*ting according to the New York Post.
This just keeps getting more insane.
According to sources who spoke with the Post, Crooks was literally climbing on top of the building where the “watch post” for the sn*pers was located.”
The building, the AGR International Inc. factory in Butler, Pennsylvania, was being used by local police as a “watch post” for sn*pers to scan for threats as the former president spoke onstage only 130 yards away,” the Post reported.
Crooks was reportedly spotted at the building 26 minutes before the incident.”
dj @ 12;28pm – He will win over more Americans if he tells his followers that they need to fight peacefully and within the system.
Is that from the WSJ article or your words? Either way it points to part of the problem with politics today. How do we “fight peacefully”? Why use words like that. How about all candidates replace “fight” in their literature to “work”. I’m tired of seeing “I’ll fight for you in Washington”. I want people who will work for me.
I realize none of them are going to duke it out, but it’s time to tone down the language.
Wandering Views 
The first step in recovery is admitting you have a problem.
https://x.com/ByronYork/status/1812813381599895615?t=UcSNRQ7gEGWUPOkxgnhfLw&s=19
“It’s a huge day in politics and MSNBC has pulled ‘Morning Joe’ off the air. They’re apparently worried the MJ crew might say something ‘inappropriate’ about the Trump assassination attempt. From CNN:”
cnn.com/2024/07/14/med…
LikeLiked by 3 people
https://x.com/seanmdav/status/1812687528324952228?t=8vHJYSbEiHCJtla3a9nc6A&s=19
“As I said repeatedly during the Russia hoax: unless and until everyone involved goes to prison, the behavior will only escalate.
What happened to the Russia hoaxers? Nothing, so they weaponized a virus against their own country. They burned down our cities. They stole an election. And when you committed the crime of noticing, they staged a fake insurrection and tried to jail YOU for calling out their lies.
But that wasn’t enough for them. And why would it be, when they never paid a price for their war on this country?
They raided Trump’s home, guns drawn. And nothing happened. So they arrested him and tried to put him in prison, and nothing happened to them.
And when all their previous failed efforts resulted in ZERO negative consequences for any of the orchestrators, what did they do?
They tried to murder Donald Trump. And then they lied about that and tried to blame YOU for their own eight-year-long operation to get Trump killed.
If you are a member of Congress or a Republican official, I want you to pay very special attention to what I’m about to say: you need to wake the F up.
Seriously. Wake up and pull your heads out of your own backsides. Your incompetence and cowardice are a major reason we find ourselves in this position today. Wake up, sack up, and grow a spine.
Stop sending letters. Stop issuing stern statements written by 22-year-old staffers. Stop all of it and start putting people in prison.
They will not stop escalating. They will not stop trying to kill us. They will not stop destroying the country until they start paying the price for their treason.
Put these people in prison, or lose your country—and maybe even your lives, given what these demons have shown they’re willing to do to gain and maintain power.
Until these people are forced to spend their lives in prison, the insanity will not stop. And your refusal to make that happen doesn’t make you a statesman. It doesn’t make you above it all. It makes you a coward.
So stop with the empty words and start doing your freaking job for once.”
LikeLike
Nice to see Dems toning down the rhetoric as Biden suggested.
Apparently they weren’t talking about their rhetoric..
https://x.com/libsoftiktok/status/1812649946610373093?t=BFp2QAZPHc3cSdlC94-PfA&s=19
“Meet Kenneth Gucker, former CT State Rep (D). He’s very upset that the sh**ter missed.
He’s running again to try to win the District 138 seat from a Republican in the CT House this November.
Remember this Connecticut!”
LikeLiked by 3 people
😁
https://x.com/beinlibertarian/status/1812525103470563480?t=5j_fZcyD5X1kMflLha2lXQ&s=19
LikeLiked by 1 person
Truth.
https://x.com/mattgaetz/status/1812845869760139697?t=-j7axOFBnYIFXlX4Wgpl0w&s=19
“@NBCNews taking Morning Joe and @NicolleDWallace off air in a historic moment as Republicans prepare to nominate Donald Trump is an explicit admission that these are not news programs.
It’s outrage porn that NBC can no longer rely upon for publishable content in this moment in time.
Stunning, really.”
LikeLiked by 3 people
https://x.com/julie_kelly2/status/1812849580398051554?t=OF3HhYsoV-yv7KlDWRtfuw&s=19
“HUGE NEWS: Judge Cannon just dismissed documents case based on unlawful appointment of Jack Smith.”
LikeLiked by 5 people
How could we get here? they ask…..
We’ll let Hillary explain….
——
“Hillary offers an extraordinary, concise example here of the type of incendiary fear-mongering that was normalized at the highest level of Democrat messaging on Trump.
– Trump will do away with elections
– Trump will do away with his opposition
– Trump will do away with a free press
– Trump is like Hitler
– Trump is an authoritarian dictator
– Trump is going to throw people he doesn’t like in jail
– Trump is publicly telling us he intends to do all of this
Amazing that she could jam all of this into 34 seconds.”
https://x.com/WesternLensman/status/1812506524297929115?t=BuKRS1XREl5Z3FpIMyZjEw&s=19
LikeLiked by 5 people
https://x.com/kyledcheney/status/1812848096914690190?t=uc5TY879AYJGUTcYjvyvAA&s=19
“BREAKING: Judge Cannon has dismissed the Trump documents case, citing violation of appointments clause:”
😀
LikeLiked by 4 people
🔥 The first unanswered question, and the weirdest news so far coming out of the Trump Shooting, was this New York Times headline, which I screenshot so you wouldn’t think I was joking:
That’s right. The same Orwellian corporation that is trying to buy up everything in America that the government doesn’t already own —are you using that extra chair? We’ll take that, too. Well, that mega-corporation is bizarrely and unexpectedly linked to the same man who just tried to murder President Trump. The Times’ story explained that the shooter, while still an 18-year-old high school student, appeared briefly as an extra in a Blackrock commercial.
The Times reported that Blackrock pulled the ad, promised to cooperate with law enforcement, and said it will turn over any unpublished video that might still be available, just as you’d hope a responsible corporation would do. So that’s good, nothing to see here.
Now, I’m only asking. But what kind of connections does someone need to score a fun, easy, lucrative temporary job working as an extra in a Blackrock commercial? How did it all come together? How much did the shooter get paid? Was there a contract? Who signed it? The article didn’t say, and the New York Times doesn’t care.
It’s probably nothing. But it’s also sort of like finding out fifty years later that the JFK shooter was on the CIA’s payroll three weeks before the assassination. It’s one of those things that makes you go huh?
LikeLiked by 3 people
🔥 The second unanswered question arose from a passel of articles ironically intended to resolve a different question. The Hill ran the story headlined, “Local police officer reportedly encountered alleged Trump shooter seconds before shots fired.” They want us to know that law enforcement did notice the shooter. But wait. There’s more.
Neither this article, nor any others about the same story, identified the anonymous “local police officer” who, investigating bystander reports, climbed up the ladder to see for himself. According to reports, Thomas the Shooter pointed his gun at the officer, who apparently then experienced a rapid unscheduled dismount. Or maybe he just climbed back down, which makes much less sense, given that was the end of the officer’s involvement, as far as they tell us.
Either way, quickly, so fast it all happened before the officer could do anything, the story says after threatening the laddered officer, in the span of a few seconds, Thomas the Shooter returned to his ‘post,’ coolly aimed his rifle (not sniper gear), calculated the wind speed factors, and immediately took his shots, showing the kind of clear thinking under pressure normally attributed to combat veterans and not unemployed drifters. Then Secret Service agents blew Thomas’ brains out, and that was that.
But wait. How did that giant ladder get there? The article was 100% silent on that score. Are they telling us this unemployed 20-year-old brought a long gun and a giant ladder in his small car and then carried them from the parking lot to the building without anyone noticing? Or did Thomas perhaps set up his ladder ahead of time, like the day before the event? If so, how did security miss a stray ladder leaning against a building that also happened to be the closest elevated vantage to the rally?
If the young, unemployed drifter’s planning was sufficiently sophisticated that he placed the ladder ahead of time, how did he know security would miss the ladder, on which the entire plan depended? And how did he know the roof would remain unguarded? These seem like critical unanswered questions contradicting the FBI’s conclusion that Thomas “appears to have acted alone.”
But what do I know? I’m just a lawyer, not an FBI assassination investigator. But as a lawyer, it’s waytoo early to say he acted alone.
LikeLiked by 4 people
Info will be trickling out as more is learned – and as always happens after these events. Definitely some security questions still to address and more background about the shooter, to the extent that it exists with regard to a motive.
Re the convention (via the Dispatch) … :
Even before Saturday’s assassination attempt, RNC officials seemed to be expanding the tent. On Wednesday, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis was added to the speaking schedule after initial reports that he had been snubbed. A similar process played out with former Gov. Nikki Haley, who received an invitation to participate shortly before the shooting on Saturday evening. Yesterday, a Haley aide confirmed that she will be in Milwaukee this week and speak to the convention on Tuesday.
The Trump campaign itself has internally emphasized turning down the heat in the wake of the assassination attempt. Trump campaign managers Chris LaCivita and Susie Wiles shared a memo with staff following the shooting, urging them “to recognize the political polarization in this heated election” and warning that they “will not tolerate dangerous rhetoric on social media.”
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Carl R. Trueman via World:
“For me, the proximity of the act brought home not the unique nastiness of our political moment, despite the hype, but on the contrary, the universal truth of the human condition as it touches on politics: The politics and the politicians of this world are as ephemeral as the world itself.”
LikeLiked by 2 people
https://wng.org/opinions/45-miles-north-of-pittsburg-1720991677?mkt_tok=NzEwLVFSUi0yMDkAAAGUVT9wuYNqwcR3W_1cnpgwGj1VaNCe7AbrvBhRiz3dhIBSdQJKuT07N3WkVIG8fjOZC075aG63p0YX14Hnr_k3Ke0P7bapi6Ex8JlmrJxr9Q
~ The psalmist tells us to put not our trust in princes. That can be hard to obey in times of cultural chaos and especially during a presidential election touted by all sides (as every presidential election in my 23 years in the United States has been touted) as the most consequential, make-or-break election in history, upon which the very future of civilization depends. But the awful events of Saturday remind us that this statement is true, not merely because our leaders are limited and flawed but also because, like the grass and the flowers of the field, they can pass in the twinkling of an eye. Only the Lord and the Word of the Lord remain forever. ~
LikeLiked by 3 people
And from the WSJ:
~ The assassination attempt against Donald Trump on Saturday evening is a horrific moment for America that could have been much worse. But we can’t say it comes as a complete surprise. Political hostility and hateful rhetoric have been rising to a decibel level that far too often in the American past has led to violence and attempted murder. Some of us still remember 1968 all too well. ***
It’s nothing short of miraculous that Mr. Trump avoided death by a literal inch. The former President can’t help but think that Providence played some role in sparing him, as Ronald Reagan is said to have thought after he was shot and survived in 1981. The country was spared, too, from what could have been a furious cycle of retribution. …
… The shooter alone is responsible for his actions. But leaders on both sides need to stop describing the stakes of the election in apocalyptic terms. Democracy won’t end if one or the other candidate is elected. Fascism is not aborning if Mr. Trump wins, unless you have little faith in American institutions.
We agree with former Attorney General Bill Barr’s statement Saturday night: “The Democrats have to stop their grossly irresponsible talk about Trump being an existential threat to democracy—he is not.”
… One great risk is that the shooting in Butler, Pa., will cause some on the right to seek violent revenge. This is where Mr. Trump and the Republicans have an obligation—and a political opportunity—at their convention in Milwaukee and through November.
If they weren’t already, Americans after Saturday will be looking for stable, reassuring leadership. The photo of Mr. Trump raising his fist as he was led off stage by the Secret Service with a bloody face was a show of personal fortitude that will echo through the campaign. No one doubts his willingness to fight, and his initial statements Saturday and Sunday were notable and encouraging shows of restraint and gratitude.
His opportunity now is to present himself as someone who can rise above the attack on his life and unite the country. He will make a mistake if he blames Democrats for the assassination attempt.
He will win over more Americans if he tells his followers that they need to fight peacefully and within the system. If the Trump campaign is smart, and thinking about the country as well as the election, it will make the theme of Milwaukee a call to political unity and the better angels of American nature.
That leaves plenty of room for criticizing Democrats and their failed policies. But the country wants civil disagreement and discourse, not civil war. …
LikeLiked by 2 people
Sure. Unity.
With the people who just tried to kill Trump, and the people whose rhetoric led to it.
Hard pass. I don’t want to be affiliated with such people, much less be buddy/buddy with them.
Those people need to be called out and reprimanded, not coddled.
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… One great risk is that the shooting in Butler, Pa., will cause some on the right to seek violent revenge. This is where Mr. Trump and the Republicans have an obligation—and a political opportunity—at their convention in Milwaukee and through November.
The baseless assertion that Republicans will seek revenge is irresponsible. It has not been the “right” who has incited violence and destruction. To deflect that notion upon the right is cause and effect for the left. And if anyone chooses to cite Jan 6 that is moot…we all know it was not the “right” instigating that “insurrection”!
I know of no one who puts their “trust in princes”. I do however know many who will stand against principalities of evil!
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This mentality is why our country is falling apart. When bad actors suffer no consequences for their nefarious deeds, they never learn the lessons they need. People should realize this behavior will continue until someone actually pays a price for it.
With this DoJ and FBI in charge, I have zero confidence that will happen.
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https://x.com/julie_kelly2/status/1812798213985886477?t=w-c3ot0UtzMN8RIhhhA_AA&s=19
“Also a reminder that the only people recently killed during events of “political violence” have been Trump supporters.
And at least 5 who committed suicide under the torment”
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Unity with this?
https://x.com/greg_price11/status/1812870638580687142?t=pzKk7iIOsmXV_nOGLfX2pg&s=19
“Jack Black went on stage with his band over the weekend and his bandmate said “don’t miss Trump next time” to laughs from the audience.
A month ago, he was a featured speaker at Biden’s fundraiser in Los Angeles.
“We must come together” indeed.”
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Here’s the video….
https://x.com/ClownWorld_/status/1812877049947906344?t=UqRQzJIVaQm9kluKDNOXmQ&s=19
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Just a reminder that 9 Dems had previously introduced legislation to take away Trump’s secret Service detail. Thankfully it failed.
https://x.com/jsolomonReports/status/1812808402449420600?t=rIJMkbKbcV-_ZhMkXp22sw&s=19
https://justthenews.com/nation/states/center-square/9-house-democrats-tried-block-secret-service-protection-trump-if-he?utm_source=mux&utm_medium=social-media&utm_campaign=social-media-autopost
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I heard that Trump followed Ben Carson on social media yesterday. Folks are wondering if that is a clue.
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It’s almost like the violence mostly comes from one side….
“100 MILLION PlSSED OFF REPUBLICANS.
0 CITIES DESTROYED.
Imagine that.”
https://x.com/TONYxTWO/status/1812553099950592216?t=s7FS6Mwkyd-wNKIA5cL94w&s=19
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They’re lying already.
Zero confidence…..
https://x.com/amuse/status/1812670380525707723?t=5ZEb4DNLETCHELxBdqq0XA&s=19
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https://x.com/CarpeDonktum/status/1812658893559832679?t=JjkXzPOQlUHpNE3mM2yBsQ&s=19
“The push to “cool down the rhetoric” is the final boss level of 8 years of gaslighting.
After spending nearly a decade calling us nazis, white supremacists, russian spies, extremists, racists, bigots, insurrectionists, fascists, and terrorists.
The arrogance is off the charts”
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“You called me a “threat to democracy” and you tried to have me fired for not taking that poison shot.
No. We’re definitely enemies.”
https://x.com/JesseKellyDC/status/1812853293401448889?t=APYWuBa2yerlWiuklclJeg&s=19
—-
https://x.com/POTUS/status/1812840802902495628?t=RPzzZuE5eRajUYN_ProPlA&s=19
“While we may disagree, we are not enemies.
We are neighbors, friends, co-workers, citizens, and – most importantly – we are fellow Americans.
We must stand together.”
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Oh, it likely won’t take long for the campaigns to ramp up in earnest once again. But let’s take a breath and see where this all goes?
Republicans Look to Reset Their Message on Unity
and:
Democrats Shift Their Messaging, Too
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We can (and do) disagree strongly on issues, on policy.
But words and how we express those differences matter. Especially as believers.
And yes, many (probably all of us if we’re honest) have been guilty of putting too much trust in this world’s princes from time to time.
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https://x.com/realErikDPrince/status/1812538250931642534?t=1Y_PhcHluNhc4OxniQTBcQ&s=19
“Hopefully after the tragedy yesterday in Butler PA we can all recognize that unaccountable bloated bureaucracies continue to fail us as Americans.
Donald J Trump is alive today solely due to a bad wind estimate by an evil would be assasin. As the graphics show the full value wind of just 5mph was enough to displace the unconfirmed but likely light 55 grain bullet two inches from DJT’s intended forehead to his ear. DJT was not saved by USSS brilliance. The fact that USSS allowed a rifle armed shooter within 150yds to a preplanned event is either malice or massive incompetence. Clearly there was adequate uncontrolled dead space for a shooter to move into position and take multiple aimed shots. Watching the newsreel one can hear how proximate the shooter is by the very short time lapse between the crack of arriving bullet (supersonic) to the boom of muzzle blast (sonic).
The law enforcement sniper (unclear if USSS) in newsreels was clearly overwhelmed as his face came off his rifle instead of doing his job to kill the shooter. Clearly they were watching the shooter but apparently have a no “first shot” policy. The only positive action was an apparent 488yd shot by one USSS sniper which despatched the assasin but after the assassin launched at least 5 rounds, wounding DJT and killing and severely others in the crowd.
In my old business of providing Diplomatic Security in two active war zones we were expected to execute the basics or we would be fired. Clearly USSS failed at the basics of a secure perimeter and once shots were fired their extraction was clumsy and left DJT highly exposed to follow on attacks. It looked like they had never drilled together because those responses should be effectively autonomic. Will there be accountability? That’s not the Washington way.
Unserious and unworthy people in positions of authority got us to this near disaster. Merit and execution must be the only deciding factors in hiring and leadership, not the social engineering priority of the day. Sadly nothing in Washington reflects that any longer. DJT is right to question the competence of those protecting him because yesterday they failed in almost every way. Nature abhors a vacuum and there are always other options.
Most importantly, as Americans let’s come together and run a proper valid election so we can get back to what matters a merit based society that judges on character and skill. Nothing else.”
(Images from a SEAL sniper instructor at Red Sky LLC)
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This is why CO has Polis for governor…and all those other Dems in charge in our state….this guy is now trying to CHA….despicable….and he isn’t the only Dem who has said such and then “deleted” their vitriol
As lawmakers in both parties and the political world react to the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump, a Colorado lawmaker is apologizing for his tweet on the night of the shooting.
“The last thing America needed was sympathy for the devil but here we are,” posted Democratic Rep. Steven Woodrow from Denver.
The tweet quickly wracked up close to 2 million views and thousands of comments, almost all extremely negative.
“You monster,” wrote one user. “Resign,” demanded another. “You have unmasked yourself as an enemy of America and the American people. Time to resign.” “You sir are a worthless POS.”
Woodrow deleted his social media account not long after, and told CPR News in a text message Sunday that he condemns the attempt on Trump’s life in the most forceful of terms.
“My message, as inarticulate as it was, is that acts of violence like this are awful and only make it more likely that Trump now wins. We must always resolve our differences peacefully at the ballot box—not through violence. I know people are hurting, and apologize that my words caused additional pain,” Woodrow texted.
Putting trust in the princes of this world is very much different than asking our Lord to guide and direct certain people in those positions. Man will fail us but our Lord will definitely not.
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Tone it down?
By all means, you guys first….
https://x.com/DC_Draino/status/1812621954073161872?t=X5J34Nte4Ya7V4gokl5KjQ&s=19
“Remember when Leftists made an entire Broadway play portraying the assassination of President Trump?!
These people are sick”
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The shooter alone is responsible for his actions, but those who conspired with him are also responsible for the act itself.
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Ben Carson would be a great choice I believe Janice. Whomever is chosen may the Lord guide and protect.
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Re. 10:15: Notice that not only are the accusations about Pres. Trump totally false, but the Dems themselves have engaged in most of them.
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I’ve heard that the VP pick has come down to J.D. Vance or Marco Rubio. I hope that it’s the former…
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“Donald J Trump is alive today solely due to a bad wind estimate by an evil would be assassin.” (@ 1:41)
I have to say there was a lot more at work in that.
That said, responsibility needs to be investigated, from lapses in Secret Service/FBI practices to the possibility of others who may have known about this shooter’s plans.
But until we know more, for a fact, we don’t know.
For now, we all breathe a sign of relief, thanking our God that that what could have been so much worse wasn’t. And maybe take at least a mini break from the vitriol for our own spiritual welfare if nothing else.
“We gotta turn the rhetoric down. We gotta turn the temperature down in this country. We need leaders of all parties, on both sides, to call that out and make sure that happens so that we can go forward and maintain our free society that we all are blessed to have.”
—Speaker of the House Mike Johnson on NBC’s TODAY, July 14, 2024
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But: From what we know right now — barring any new information that may be come forth and can be actually verified in the future — it is the shooter himself who was directly responsible for this act.
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J.D. Vance it is!!!
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An interesting background
~ Senator J.D. Vance, who joined former President Donald J. Trump’s 2024 ticket on Monday, once described his new running mate as a kind of “cultural heroin” — and privately feared that he could be “America’s Hitler.”
That was nearly a decade ago, when Mr. Trump’s political ascent coincided with Mr. Vance’s rise as the author of “Hillbilly Elegy,” his memoir of growing up poor in rural Kentucky and Ohio. ~
He’s young (39) and very new to Washington, but will have some clout in some of those swing states & the Midwest.
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dj, how about taking a cue from JD and come into the fold… 😉
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Yesterday’s tremendous and underrated statement from Melania Trump:
“A monster who recognized my husband as an inhuman political machine attempted to ring out Donald’s passion—his laughter, ingenuity, love of music, and inspiration. The core facets of my husband’s life—his human side—were buried below the political machine. Donald, the generous and caring man who I have been with through the best of times and the worst of times.”
“We all want a world where respect is paramount, family is first, and love transcends. We can realize this world again. Each of us demand to get it back. We must insist that respect fills the cornerstone of our relationships, again.”
“Let us not forget that differing opinions, policy, and political games are inferior to love. Our personal, structural, and life commitment—until death—is at serious risk.”
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We read JD’s book Hillbilly Elegy. Middletown borders Hamilton to the north and I share the Hamiltucky moniker 😊 I believe him to be refreshingly honest in a political world of distrust. Good choice.
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Vance will be the first VP with a beard in over a century.
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Ty, I’m always waiting and watching 🙂
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Love the statement from Melania Trump. She will be a breath of fresh air in the WHITE House.
JD Vance is a solid pick I think. Husband bought some of his books a couple of years ago, and we were impressed. Vance certainly has a different background from Trump. His wife is an American born child of Indian immigrants . And he’s only 39, with a young family. Nice .
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The Biden administration has finally authorized secret service protection for RFK Jr. That’s very good news.
https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/secret-service-protection-robert-kennedy-jr-trump-assassination-attempt/
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About time. That should have been aa no brainer given the family history. Nice to see Biden using his for a change.
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At least it’s nice to see that Biden can occasionally be shamed into doing the right thing.
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This just reaffirms my opinion that Vance was an excellent choice.
https://x.com/JackPosobiec/status/1812941982177894657?t=2Oh3a7pW-Fz6qhhCxQSIjA&s=19
“Karl Rove melting down
Rupert Murdoch melting down
John Bolton melting down
What does that tell you?”
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The more we know, the worse it gets. This is Uvalde level incompetence by law enforcement.
Note the video shows the gunman before he fired, and that civilians are poi ting him out.
https://x.com/CollinRugg/status/1813010391942984128?t=HEtEr9Xv1QvHNP8zeWQZGw&s=19
“BREAKING: A police counter sn*per team was *inside* the building that Thomas Crooks shot from *during* the sho*ting according to the New York Post.
This just keeps getting more insane.
According to sources who spoke with the Post, Crooks was literally climbing on top of the building where the “watch post” for the sn*pers was located.”
The building, the AGR International Inc. factory in Butler, Pennsylvania, was being used by local police as a “watch post” for sn*pers to scan for threats as the former president spoke onstage only 130 yards away,” the Post reported.
Crooks was reportedly spotted at the building 26 minutes before the incident.”
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Charlie Kitk at the convention is telling it like it is for young people in the USA. He gets it!
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The convention is very moving. Sobering is the stark contrast between the two parties.
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Trump just came on the stage and our power went off! Here we sit in the dark. Coincidence?
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Here Janice.
https://x.com/ClayTravis/status/1813034046932590930?t=zGcBCtLcYTRk82hrbBElCg&s=19
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Thank you!
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dj @ 12;28pm – He will win over more Americans if he tells his followers that they need to fight peacefully and within the system.
Is that from the WSJ article or your words? Either way it points to part of the problem with politics today. How do we “fight peacefully”? Why use words like that. How about all candidates replace “fight” in their literature to “work”. I’m tired of seeing “I’ll fight for you in Washington”. I want people who will work for me.
I realize none of them are going to duke it out, but it’s time to tone down the language.
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Peter, WSJ quote
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