I’m sick at heart about the targeted assassinations in Minnesota. As everyone surely knows by now, a gunman dressed as a police officer entered the home of Melissa Hortman, a top Democratic legislator, and murdered her and her husband Mark. The same gunman attempted to kill State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who are hospitalized.
Both legislators were leaders of their party, the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party, which functions as the Democratic Party. Both houses of the legislature are almost evenly split between Democrats and Republicans. Both legislators championed humane, liberal policies.
Governor Tim Walz asked the people of the state not to attend “No Kings” demonstrations for fear that the gunman might attack them.
This is not normal. Sure, we have a history that includes lots of political violence, including the assassination of Presidents and Presidential candidates and outspoken activists like Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Medger Evers, and Malcolm X.
Every time something like this happens, we say “never again,” but then it happens again.
Our politics are hyper partisan, polarized, and inflamed. Almost all gun limits have been stricken down by the zealots on the Supreme Court. We have a President who encourages violence, who failed to call out the national Guard on January 6, 2021, who called the perpetrators of violence against law officers that day “patriots,” and who pardoned all of them, including those who brutally assaulted law officers. Trump has also speculated about pardoning the militia members in Michigan who planned to kidnap and murder Governor Whitmer.
This is one of those days when I fear for the future of our democratic experiment. I can’t think of a silver lining.
Can you?
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Putin’s Agent Orange, who is MAGAs antichrist, is moving forward to reach his final goal. He’s angry it wasn’t on his birthday, which he obviously wanted.
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The partisanship and inflammation come from one side. Normal? This IS normal for Trump’s fascism, when he labels political opponents scum and people who hate their country.
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Minnesota must not cower, lest doing so encourages the evil to repeat itself in another state. Then another, then another, …, until no more “No Kings.”
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If you wonder why Republicans in state governments and in Congress aren’t opposing Trump, then you don’t know the level of threats that they receive each day warning what will happen if they oppose Trump. Democrats are also receiving daily threats.
These assassinations in Minnesota serve to show just how very real the threats are.
The threats don’t originate only with extremist domestic individuals and groups, but are also part of the disruption programs being conducted by foreign enemy nations…all thanks to the Internet and “social media”.
And now AI enters the picture.
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This is how one scenario starts.
Then later someone dresses up in a police uniform and calls at a Republican lawmaker’s house.
Then someone carries out another act of violence, and someone else from the opposition side retaliates.
At some stage more random shootings, followed by shoot outs between opposing groups, and after that there are the IEDs.
All on the watch of a president and a court incapable and unwilling to unite a nation.
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This is the second crime I have heard of in which a policeman was either involved or imitated. I see a real problem developing outside of partisan politics. Trusting a uniform to be a peace officer is the most important part of police work. This is why SWAT teams bursting through doors and masked ICE agents create such a dangerous climate.
We now have loose cannons, almost exclusively on the right wing, who are willing to impersonate a policeman to commit the most heinous crimes. The blood of these political leaders is smeared all over the right wing, which glorified Kyle Rittenberry and supported other gun-toting thugs.
Yesterday as I stood by 41A and watched the demonstration, I noticed three cars that drove deliberately by the group again and again. Two of them made their car backfire repeatedly. It was obvious that they wanted to imitate shots being fired to see if the crowd would get nervous. Another drove by in a van big enough to accommodate several snipers. Luckily, its intent was to wave a flag with trump holding an assault rifle.
Rambo Trump and the Miller Nazis have already begun to ruin the nation. We cannot take it and remain the same.
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