I was interrupted writing yesterday to deal with some Libertarian Party drama – it seems the only person with the ability to send out our amendment proposal doesn’t want to do so without the blessing from the rest of the board. Except the whole point is to get our amendment out with proper notice while the incompetent board flounders and doesn’t give notice on their own. I’m still going to attend the convention, but I’m feeling less willing to take on the responsibility (and liability – they don’t have board insurance) if even “our side” isn’t willing to stand up to follow proper procedure.
To properly conclude yesterday’s post about the Charlie Kirk assassination – I am mostly concerned about the normalization of political violence. This happened at a public event to a high profile conservative speaker – how long until it escalates? We’ve already seen violence of this nature (or attempts) happen over the years, but nothing like the shocking display witnessed the other day.
Earlier this year, a MN state representative and her husband were murdered, and a senator and his wife left wounded in acts of political violence. Vance Boelter has been charged for these crimes.
One might argue that the murder of a health insurance CEO doesn’t count, but you really can’t argue that Luigi Mangione’s (alleged) attack wasn’t politically motivated.
Cody Balmer admitted to firebombing the PA governor’s home.
Just today, the Lt. Governor of Michigan received a “credible” bomb threat at his home.
And love him or hate him (or roll your eyes at him like me) we can’t ignore the multiple assassination attempts on Trump.
I can’t pinpoint the exact reason for the increase in violent action, but I have an idea – it’s the vitriolic, dehumanizing rhetoric used by politicians, our so-called “leaders.” I could summarize my thoughts but Lt. Col. Dave Grossman summed it up quite well in his book, “On Killing: The Psychological Cost of Learning to Kill in War and Society“:
It is so much easier to kill someone if they look distinctly different from you. If your propaganda machine can convince your soldiers that their opponents are not really human but are “inferior forms of life,” then their natural resistance to killing their own species will be reduced. Often the enemy’s humanity is denied by referring to him as a “gook,” “Kraut,” or “Nip.” In Vietnam this process was assisted by the “body count” mentality, in which we referred to and thought of the enemy as numbers. One Vietnam vet told me that this permitted him to think that killing the NVA and VC was like “stepping on ants.”
The greatest master of this in recent times may have been Adolf Hitler, with his myth of the Aryan master race: the Ubermensch, whose duty was to cleanse the world of the Untermensch.
The adolescent soldier against whom such propaganda is directed is desperately trying to rationalize what he is being forced to do, and he is therefore predisposed to believe this nonsense. Once he begins to herd people like cattle and then to slaughter them like cattle, he very quickly begins to think of them as cattle – or, if you will, Untermensch.
The dehumanizing rhetoric used (by both sides of the political aisle) is doing exactly this. Whether or not the intent is to cause violence, the dehumanization of political opponents leads to it.
I’ve long thought that we’ve been in a cold civil war for some time now – Charlie Kirk’s assassination seems like it could ultimately be considered the first shot that turns it hot.
Interesting Tidbits
Song of the day: Skeletons of Society by Slayer
How One Company Made It a Crime for Farmers to Replant Their Own Harvest – “For centuries, farmers followed the same rhythm: plant the seed, harvest the crop, keep some aside for the next season, and use the rest as food. That cycle carried on for generations—until it was broken. One corporation patented genetically modified seeds and turned to the courts to stop farmers from reusing what they had grown.”
Endangered mountain frog breeding program success after years of work – “After years of work, researchers from Southern Cross University have bred the endangered red and yellow mountain frog for the first time. Seven of the tiny frogs were released into the wild on Saturday, with more releases expected in the future.”
Fed up with drug users, street vigilantes are wielding Narcan ‘like a weapon’ – “Online commenters have called the alleged use of Narcan on unsuspecting victims a ‘new strategy for moving bums out of your way.’ Health experts say it could kill.”
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