Modern Day Zapruder

 The assassination of President Kennedy?

Yes. I'm old enough. Eight years old at the time. It was a frightening day, even though it took me a few years to understand its magnitude.  

We were sure what happened, but we needed to figure out why, how, and who.  

It became a kaleidoscope. Every time you looked through it, you saw the evidence and conjecture assembled and came up with a different answer. Lone gunman? Russian communists? Cubans? CIA? The mob? Every book, every investigation, every documentary led to other answers.

The famous Zapruder film, taken on a Bell & Howell home-movie camera by Abraham Zapruder, turned out to be a well-known piece of evidence for ALL THEORIES. What we were looking at? It may have cleared some things up, but mainly, it could be used to promote several theories,

And now we have our modern-day Zapruder footage. This rally was recorded, and it clearly shows that something happened, but it really doesn't clear everything up. Given what was happening, Trump's and the Secret Service's reactions seemed weird and strange. Why was Trump not covered completely in an active shooter situation, exposed as he popped his head up to fist shake and shouted, "Fight! Fight! Fight!" Where were the others hurt, and why do we not see them getting any attention?  

How did the shooter get that close? Especially when they were rallygoers trying to point him out to the police?

What about the shooter? What were his motivations? Was he really a registered Republican? A gun nut? A loner? Someone who gave $15 to a progressive group? 

Some answers may be found out with time. Others may never be found out.

What we do know is that it was a horrific incident, emblematic of the rot and danger in our political culture, in our gun culture, and in our social culture wars.

President Biden, Vice-President Harris, and other prominent Democrats have done a good job in reaching out with empathy and support for those involved and in condemning political violence as a whole.

Yes, legitimately so; there is a whole thing of the pot calling the kettle black. Not universally, but in vocality, Republicans (particularly MAGAs) have been quite violent in their rhetoric and in not being sympathetic when incidents happen - making for of Paul Pelosi after he almost lost his life to a political zealot, dismissing the kidnapping and potential execution of Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer, denying that January 6th insurrection was any more than just tourists, saying we should "just get over it," after school shootings, calling for the execution of their political opponents (in some cases, their own party, like with former Vice President Pence, and former Congresswoman Liz Cheney), posting memes of President Biden hogtied in the back of a pickup.  

Some Democrats and independents occasionally cross the line, but I'm sorry, never at the level and intensity of the other side. That's just a hard fact.

Please. Scrutinize my blogs, over 2,000 stories. Tell me where I call for violence.  

And no, stating that Trump is an authoritarian and a dozen other negative things is not calling for violence. I'm trying to call out what he actually is and emphasize what things would be like if he ever becomes president again. It won't be pretty; it will very likely signal the end of democracy, and I'm not going to lie about it.

But I've never advocated physical violence against him to anyone else. And yes, 99.99% of those I speak with and are on my side feel the same way.

I want Trump defeated at the polls - soundly. That is the only way to end the MAGA movement. I want his civil and criminal trials to go forward - we have a right to know these and to have them judged by a jury. If he is found guilty, I expect him to pay fines and be punished accordingly. I'm not desperate for him to go to prison, but I'm not against it if that is what his sentence dictates.

I wish Trump a speedy recovery (whoops! that may have already happened - he's back to playing golf). I grieve for the family of the person killed and for those who were injured. No one should have to risk their lives to attend a political rally.

I don't know everything that happened. We may never know.  

I pray that there is no more violence this election (or any election, for that matter).

That does not change what Trump is and the existential dangers he poses.

And I will not stop posting about it.