Assassination Attempt - Secret Service - DEI

[Binger]

I have no idea who "most of us" includes. But it definitely excludes me.

This level of hatred, vitriol and hope for death is beyond the pale. Put me on the record of rejecting this rhetoric entirely. You can enjoy yourselves and listen to Tenacious D in your basements without me.

Yeah - This is so freaking dark.

I need a break - Ceeboo out!

Nobody is safe associating with sympathy for assassination, by any means. I am not. I understand, ceeboo. Be well.

[Some Schmo]

I think the only reason we are not beside ourselves with outrage is that most of us would be really relieved if the Donald were gone.

Let's also not forget the marked lack of outrage we always get after an AR-15 is used to mow down civilians. I'd have way more respect and acknowledge GOP outrage if it weren't only reserved for their orange clown.

The story here isn't that Trump was almost shot. The story is yet another easily acquired firearm by a nutcase was used to do violence. Trump being the target does nothing to make this more tragic than all the other incidents involving the illegal use of a gun. It's actually less tragic, because he didn't die. Unfortunately, someone else did.

At the very least, people making a huge deal out of this could spend the same amount of time remembering the actual casualties.

[Kishkumen]

I have no idea who "most of us" includes. But it definitely excludes me.

This level of hatred, vitriol and hope for death is beyond the pale. Put me on the record of rejecting this rhetoric entirely. You can enjoy yourselves and listen to Tenacious D in your basements without me.

This is a level of sanctimony that I have a hard time fathoming. I had no idea that you were so pearl-clutchy precious. I don’t have to hate a guy to admit that I would be relieved if he were to die.

[canpakes]

DEI has become the MAGA boogeyman for everything that goes wrong today.

BS!

It's pure grievance theater.

BS!

Attacking DEI every time a woman or a male POC makes a mistake is 100% racist and sexist.

Complete and utter BS!

Ceebs, do you believe that DEI is not a favorite target of conservative activists and legislators, as far as boycotts and eliminating existing programs go?

[canpakes]

I have no idea who "most of us" includes. But it definitely excludes me.

This level of hatred, vitriol and hope for death is beyond the pale. Put me on the record of rejecting this rhetoric entirely. You can enjoy yourselves and listen to Tenacious D in your basements without me.

This is a level of sanctimony that I have a hard time fathoming. I had no idea that you were so pearl-clutchy precious. I don’t have to hate a guy to admit that I would be relieved if he were to die.

Kish, you’re giving Binger the vapors, again.

I’m betting that there are at least 54 other folks who’d feel better knowing that Binger’s rapey, fraud-convicted candidate wasn’t inspiring the folks who threatened or assaulted them. Not that such things could be acknowledged within the MAGA mindset.

This is from 2020; the count has likely increased since then:

'No Blame?' ABC News finds 54 cases invoking 'Trump' in connection with violence, threats, alleged assaults.
President Donald Trump insists he deserves no blame for divisions in America.
By Mike Levine
May 30, 2020, 8:20 AM

President Donald Trump has repeatedly distanced himself from acts of violence in communities across America, dismissing critics who point to his rhetoric as a potential source of inspiration or comfort for anyone acting on even long-held beliefs of bigotry and hate.

"I think my rhetoric brings people together," he said last year, four days after a 21-year-old allegedly posted an anti-immigrant screed online and then allegedly opened fire at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, killing 22 and injuring dozens of others.

But a nationwide review conducted by ABC News has identified at least 54 criminal cases where Trump was invoked in direct connection with violent acts, threats of violence or allegations of assault.

After a Latino gas station attendant in Gainesville, Florida, was suddenly punched in the head by a white man, the victim could be heard on surveillance camera recounting the attacker’s own words: “He said, ‘This is for Trump.'" Charges were filed but the victim stopped pursuing them.

When police questioned a Washington state man about his threats to kill a local Syrian-born man, the suspect told police he wanted the victim to "get out of my country," adding, "That’s why I like Trump."

Reviewing police reports and court records, ABC News found that in at least 12 cases perpetrators hailed Trump in the midst or immediate aftermath of physically assaulting innocent victims. In another 18 cases, perpetrators cheered or defended Trump while taunting or threatening others. And in another 10 cases, Trump and his rhetoric were cited in court to explain a defendant's violent or threatening behavior.

When three Kansas men were on trial for plotting to bomb a largely-Muslim apartment complex in Garden City, Kansas, one of their lawyers told the jury that the men "were concerned about what now-President Trump had to say about the concept of Islamic terrorism." Another lawyer insisted Trump had become "the voice of a lost and ignored white, working-class set of voters," and Trump's rhetoric meant someone "who would often be at a 7 during a normal day, might ‘go to 11.'"

Thirteen cases identified by ABC News involved violent or threatening acts perpetrated in defiance of Trump, with many of them targeting Trump's allies in Congress. But the vast majority of the cases – 41 of the 54 – reflect someone echoing presidential rhetoric, not protesting it.

ABC News could not find a single criminal case filed in federal or state court where an act of violence or threat was made in the name of President Barack Obama or President George W. Bush.

The 54 cases identified by ABC News are remarkable in that a link to the president is captured in court documents and police statements, under the penalty of perjury or contempt. These links are not speculative – they are documented in official records. And in the majority of cases identified by ABC News, it was perpetrators themselves who invoked the president in connection with their case, not anyone else.

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Politics/bla ... d=58912889

[Jersey Girl]

Isn't it about damn time that "we the people" started holding some of these federal institutions accountable and to a level of expectation?

How?

[Gadianton]

I watched the video. Megyn Kelly's self-righteousness and faux outrage is really something. There were a couple valid points though.

Steuss had answers to the questions that nobody on the panel knew anything about but admitted were the central failures. That's interesting. You don't need facts to throw a fit, just talking points. This is exactly what I mean when I say there is no Res Ipsa anywhere on the right. Megyn has 2 million subs. She should be able to get someone who can research the topic and know at least half as much about it as Steuss does prior to running the show. They reacted to a couple video clips, admitted they didn't know anything about what happened, and then discussed their impressions of this director who is putting inclusion above all else with no real facts to back that up. They don't need anything else because their viewers are already onboard ready to re-tweet.

The former service guy, Chuck Marino, even said he's worked with lots of competent women, and carefully contradicted Kelly's ignorant assumptions that the job necessarily requires certain physical characteristics that most women don't have. Only that one 6'2" woman acquaintance of Kelly's gave her pause: maybe she qualified. Chuck made it clear that he's worked with lots of women who met the physical requirements and skill requirements to do the job. And so Kelly's main point that sexy skinny girls like her -- giving herself a big pat on the back -- are unqualified out of the gate was shot down by Marino. From there, the questions become, was there incompetence? If so, were the women who were hired incompetent due to DEI or other factors? I can tell you right now, my wife would have seen that guy before he ever got to that building and would have been making a huge deal out of it. She's got like 20-15 vision, can hear a pin drop in my shop no matter how much other noise I'm making, and multi-tasks all of this with everything else she's up to. Anything bad going on around the house she knows about and is texting me and I never have any idea, or I think I do and end up being wrong about half of it. Unfortunately, a couple things have been real tragedies.

Let's talk about some other factors for a moment. The first factor is "normalcy". Let's compare this example to the last time a president or official got shot at and see how those agents surrounded the VIP. It's really hard to prepare for tail events. Perhaps recruiting former special forces veterans with significant combat experience is a better bet. How much does the secret service pay compared to private contractors? The other factor is the American way of doing things as cheap as possible. Do Republican's want to triple the Secret Service budget? Would they have have wanted to before the fact?

One thing I'd put money on, is that some of those key failures securing the perimeter won't happen again for a long time, those holes will be plugged up quick, and DEI review will be a minor consideration if a consideration at all in fixing that problem.

[Gadianton]

How?

Trump will put unqualified loyalists in charge who won't hesitate to refuse to certify elections or investigate and prosecute Biden's family etc. Everything will be about cementing Trump's protection and power, and not fixing real problems. But he won't need to fix problems, he just needs to hype people up, just like J--D Vance always said.

[Kishkumen]

Nobody is safe associating with sympathy for assassination, by any means. I am not. I understand, ceeboo. Be well.

I, for one, am not expressing sympathy for the reprehensible act of assassination. You must be referring to someone else’s comments.

So, we have learned that the con-man rapist son of a slum lord is able to attempt the overthrow of our country and yet his fans think those who would be relieved if an act of God removed him from the planet are “too dark.”

We surely live in topsy-turvy times.

Or maybe people don’t know what an act of God is?

[Gadianton]

Or maybe people don’t know what an act of God is?

They do. At least Christian Nationalists do. God killing people right-wingers don't like one way or another is something they understand very well and participate in, like, constantly.