Reaping what you sow

The recent shooting at a Republican softball practice in Virginia is an action that has been long-predicted by conservative pundits like Rush Limbaugh, Michael Savage, and Mark Levin. While the actual event could not be predicted, the act could and was.

Since Donald Trump’s election as president, the left has been in a vitriolic fury. While it was expected of Republican voters to grudgingly accept Hillary Clinton’s election as president, Trump’s upset displayed the left as a totally different animal.

Since the election, we have heard almost nonstop how Trump is stupid, Trump is a traitor, Trump destroys democracy. Trump should be impeached. Trump should die. None of this, of course, with a shred of proof, but anyway. The machine of the left, which includes Democrat congressional leaders and the manstream media, have signaled their intent to not only oust Trump from office but to ruin his businesses.

According to Camille Paglia, an avowed liberal writer, the Democrat Party “asserted no moral authority as the party spun out of control in a nationwide orgy of rage and spite” that has continued unabated since the election. Chuck Shumer, who lost his seat as Senate Majority Leader when Reid retired, failed to take a leadership role by issuing words of caution and restraint. Rather, the Democrats, aided and abetted by a compliant media (or the other way around), continued impugning half the nation as racists and homophobes. Former Attorney General Loretta Lynch made a video plea for more marching, blood, and death in the streets.

The media apparently took this as a signal to unleash a full-fledged campaign to eliminate Trump. They started in on a now obviously false (unless you are a desperate liberal) Russian collusion charge against Trump. They are now reduced to trying to prove obstruction of justice despite their own liberal legal scholars saying there is nothing there either.

The media has egged on, or at a minimum not condemned, violent protests against Trump and his supporters across the country. There is an off-Broadway play sponsored by the New York’s Public Theater that depicts Trump as Julius Caesar, who is assassinated at the end reportedly to much glee. In another situation, a comedienne has a picture taken with a mock-up of a beheaded Trump. None of these acts earn more than a passing hand slap, just enough to keep the great unwashed public from abandoning the media.

All of this is finally coming home to roost. The recent shooting at the GOP softball practice is placing focus on the media’s role in the shooter’s act. Not only was he a volunteer in Bernie Sanders’ Presidential campaign, he either didn’t want to hit many people or he was a lousy shot. After a reported 50-60 rounds fired from less than 100 yards, he managed to hit four people.

Oddly, we haven’t heard much, other than a token protest, about the need for gun control. Perhaps it is because they don’t have any way to try to pin this shooting on a “deranged conservative” like they normally do. This guy was squarely in the extreme left wing category.

Anyway, back to my point. The media is rightly getting some blame for this shooting. But their position is, Goofy style, “Hey we just wrote some things. We never intended for anyone to act on our rhetoric. It isn’t our fault. Yuk, yuk.”

Their rhetoric is intended to inflame, as is readily evident to even the most casual observer. As Chris Salcedo observed in his daily radio show, “This deranged man was the product of the steady drumbeat of hate” coming from the media and the Democrat party.

Violent attacks have been occurring regularly against Trump supporters since the election. However, these had until last week been limited to verbal and physical assaults. These have often been groups against one or young attacking old, but generally without serious injury.

That is no more. A line had been crossed. A civil society ends when that civility is breached by violent attacks with intent to kill on those with whom you disagree. The fact that is was GOP lawmakers under fire served to bring a much greater amount of publicity than might otherwise be seen, but regardless, unless the media and Democrats change their rhetoric this is most likely only the beginning.

Sadly, this one act could be the trigger that conservative pundits have predicted will cause a civil war promoted through violence. Hopefully cooler heads will prevail. As for the left, you may come to regret what you have sown.

Tom Riggins’ column appears every other Friday. He may be reached at news@lahontanvalleynews.com.