We May Never Know
We don't always get to understand the motives for political violence
July 15: Assassin’s motive … Biden asks for fewer shootings … GOP convention starts … NRA trial …
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Nothing good drives a 20-year-old guy to a rooftop slinging an AR-style rifle over his shoulder. But was it the rhetoric of Pres. Joe Biden that drove Tom Crooks there? Or anger that former Pres. Donald Trump wasn’t supporting a national abortion ban? Or something closer to the categories of Things That Drive Lonely 20-Year-Olds?
We don’t know. Which is weird. But understandable.
Traditionally in these cases, the shooter has enough friends, or left enough bread crumbs on social media, for us to know. At a minimum they left enough depressing crap on their own computer to assemble a vague picture of Why’d You Do It™. Even though we never really get beyond the superficial politics of it to grapply substantively with No Why’d You Really Do It™.
We usually have at least the political leanings by now. The racist screeds online. The threats.
But this time we don’t. And there’s a chance we never will. Generally speaking, humans need to be okay with the not-knowing of things. That doesn’t mean liking it, it means being able to move on, without it debilitating us. We don’t get to know everything, and never have. Refusing to accept that can be dangerous. And not just for personal stress levels.
There are obvious dangers in not having The Answers quickly, and certainly in the prospect of never getting them.
Like nature, self-important bozos who lack impulse control abhor a vacuum. Hell, a lot of them abhor everything. But when they have an information vacuum to fill, they’re more likely to get listened to when they vomit up their made-up, baseless, often obviously untrue theories that their very special brains allowed them to discern where the rest of us just weren’t up to it.
I think it’s important to signal that sometimes we just don’t get to know. Otherwise, we risk encouraging others to latch on to anything that feels like it scratches the itch to know.
And the last thing we need right now is more conspiracy theories taking hold.
On the upside, conspiracy theories are like flash fires. They seem to burn themselves out quickly. Remember when it seemed like everyone was succumbing to the idea that Democrats kept kid-torturing dungeons in the basements of pizza joints for the purpose of drinking their blood? Never mind that the worst thing Democrats do in pizza joints is add pineapple.
The other thing we have shielding us from conspiracy theories is attention deficit disorder. It already feels like forever since Trump got shot winged by a shard of teleprompter on Saturday. (Here’s my own conspiracy theory: The Deep State has decided just to say that Trump got shot because it’s not worth the agita of giving us the details of the teleprompter shard. I’m allowed this conspiracy theory because I mostly don’t give a shit.)
And if you already forgot what I was talking about, that’s evidence of what I was talking about: Our capacity to forget. And the Republican National Convention starts today. So we’ll have all kinds of new, depressing heiniousosity to focus on.
Meet Your Republican National Convention, America!
In case you’re wondering what the 2024 Republican National Convention will look like now that the Republican National Committee (RNC) has been co-opted by the Trump crime family, wonder no longer. They put their schedule online where internet weirdos like me can snark at it!
Today’s highlights include screenings of the new movie “Reagan” — excuse me, “REAGAN” — starring Dennis Quaid and John Voight.
Microsoft is giving a presentation on how AI affects “Women, Democracy, and Elections.” Here’s a TFN exclusive look at your moderator:
The official convention watch party at the “Drink Wisconsibly” pub kicks off at 12:45 in the afternoon. Because nothing celebrates the party of hard work and personal responsibility like day-drinking and watching TV.
Later in the afternoon, you’ve got “Celebrating the Asian American & Pacific Islander Electorate” and “Honoring the Italian American Commitment to Public Service.” Presumably followed by a panel on how bad diversity and inclusion are.
The bangin’ after-party rages on until 2am because, again, work ethic. Your musical hosts will be DJ Milk and Cooks who, yes, so white. Also, as of this morning, tickets still available! Which is weird because DJ Milk and Cooks posted that the “energy is tense but we’re still gonna rock the fuck out”.
Get some, Roger Stone!
Also on tap this week in Milwaukee are protests. Historically, it’s been Democrats who shat the bed by fascism-ing protesters (and even, inside the convention, Dan The Man Rather).
But Republicans are even older than Democrats and more than capable of shitting their own bed by cracking down on protesters. We’ll see what happens, and if you’re there, please be safe and thank you for your service.
Thousands of protesters from more than 100 organizations are scheduled to march today, representing causes ranging from LGBTQ+ rights to reproductive rights and Palestinian rights.
Rupert Murdoch’s New York Post, of course, is pissed that Milwaukee approved protest permit requests without applying the same heavy hand of bureaucracy that Republicans oppose when it seeks to, say, stop polluters. A total of 140 groups registered to protest, some of them presumably bogus based on tells such as calling themselves “Donald J. Trump.”
Officially, on the main stage, the theme for today is Make America Wealthy Again. The program will focus on how a Represident Donald Trump will save us from the economic prosperity the nation has enjoyed since the economy rebounded from COVID.
Presumably not reveling in Trump’s economic “plans” and/or rocking the fuck out with DJ Milk and Cooks will be Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME). She announced admitted she’s not voting for Trump. She’s voting for former Gov. Nikki Haley (R-SC). Of course, voting for the Haley-Nobody ticket instead of the Trump-Lickspittle ticket or the Biden-Harris ticket is about as useful as voting for the Milk-Cooks ticket.
It’s one of these classic purity gestures that announces to the world that you lack the brains to figure out which represident would be best for your country.
Hilariously, after reportedly being not invited to the RNC, Haley herself now has a speaking slot tomorrow. At which she’ll presumably tell her voters to vote for Trump. Except Collins, I guess?
And if you’re inclined to do nothing but obsess over the polls this week, keep a few things in mind.
First, Republicans are going to squander and tarnish the good vibes Trump got by getting one of his ears pierced. That’s not a prediction, that’s a comment on what’s already happening.
As the New York Times reports, Republicans aren’t portraying the shooting as an aberration around which to rally fence-sitters. Instead, “leading” Republicans, including Trump Jr., are painting the assassination attempt as part of the fabric of Democratic opposition. In other words, they’re blowing a chance to rally everyone around Trump. Because they can’t resist a single opportunity to be persecuted.
In theory, Republicans could have used the shooting to bolster Trump’s claim that “They” are coming for all Americans, and that “I’m just standing in their way.” (Never mind that Trump literally did not stand in the gunman’s way Saturday; three non-Trump people were shot and either killed or seriously wounded. Stand in their way better, sir!)
Also keep in mind that candidates often get a convention bounce, especially if they’ve been shot nicked in the ear. So here’s a handy writeup from Salon about what the polls do/don’t mean. Because even if the polls weren’t epically shitty these days, in any election year, remember that even though the energy is tense, we’re still gonna rock the fuck out.
Biden Addresses a Super-Fucking Weary Nation
Pres. Joe Biden in a national address last night shared details of his call with former Pres. Donald Trump on Saturday, after his assassin failed to kill Trump. Biden’s speech confirmed reports that both he and Trump are, in fact, still alive.
Biden has asked for reviews of the security for this week’s Republican convention, and for Saturday’s Trump rally in Pennsylvania.
Last night’s remarks were only the third time Biden has used the Oval Office for a national address. He asked for Americans to “cool it down,” while emphasizing that “The stakes in this election are enormously high.” Not cooling it down, Biden said “[T]his election is going to shape the future of America and the world for decades to come.” But, y’know, chill! Also: Super important. But no biggie.
Biden said the way to prevent a Trump represidency is at the ballot box, not with violence. Or arresting him in a timely fashion. Or enforcing the 14th Amendment. Or exercising the vast new powers granted to the White House by the Supreme Court.
“There’s no place in America for this kind of violence, for any violence, ever,” said Biden, who has endorsed a place in America for other kinds of violence, such as violent police responses to non-violent protest.
After the shooting, Biden canceled today’s scheduled visit to the Lyndon B. Johnson presidential library, where he was going to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. The event was canceled to avoid public campaigning so soon after the Trump assassination attempt and to signal national unity with the party that opposes civil rights. And to avoid reminding everyone that the people who commit American violence against non-violent protesters end up as history’s bad guys.
The Biden campaign will resume tomorrow with public events designed to make people forget that Biden forgets things.
Time-Honored Kind of American Violence Reportedly Working in Ukraine
CNN spoke with both Ukrainian soldiers on the front, and military analysts, and the consensus appears to be that the U.S. decision to let Ukraine strike military targets inside Russia is working. U.S. military aid had been conditioned on not expanding the war into Russian territory.
Pres. Joe Biden has eased off of that, allowing for some strikes — well short of, for instance, lobbing bombs on the Kremlin or one of Russian Pres. Vladimir Putin’s secret party dachas. But even the ability to target only some Russian military sites behind the front lines is having a two-fold effect.
It’s allowed Ukraine to stave off the expected Russian capture of Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-biggest city. And it’s raising hopes that, if military aid keeps coming, Ukraine might actually recapture some lost territory.
Earlier this month, Poland began considering Ukraine’s request to help shoot down Russian missiles in Ukraine air space. But yesterday, the Kyiv Post reports, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, um, shot that idea down.
Stoltenberg said Polish military action would constitute NATO entering the war. “We will not become part of the conflict,” Stoltenberg said, clarifying that NATO member-nation arms dealers will continue to be part of the conflict.
Crime Watch
MENENDEZ A jury begins deliberations this week over whether Sen. Robert Menendez (D-NJ) is innocent of corruption or super-innocent of corruption. Because obviously he got those gold bars the same way you and I got ours.
MURDER For the first time, Big Oil and Big Ag have used rising seas to murder an entire species from the continental U.S. Remember the Key Largo tree cactus? I hope so, because now it’s gone. May its memory be a blessing. The plant still exists outside the U.S., but here in the land of less tree, rising seas and intense storms have combined to kill it entirely. As recently as 2011, 150 of them were still clinging to life by clinging to a barren rock in the Florida keys, just five feet above sea level. The good news is you can still visit them in Puerto Rico, the Bahamas, and Cuba.
NRA Arguments begin today in a civil case to determine the future course of the National Rifle Association (NRA). New York State Attorney General Letitia James is asking the court to appoint an independent monitor to keep an eye on things in the corrupt organization. In the first phase of the trial, a jury concluded that the NRA was ripped off of millions of dollars by then-CEO Wayne LaPierre, even though the entire point of the NRA is that they all have guns to defend themselves from thieves.
TCB
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Go get ‘em, kids. You got this.
One of my least favorite cliches: "There’s no place in America for... [that thing that just happened and happens with regular frequency *in America*]." I can see the "place" **right there - with my eyes**!
Assault Weapon Shootings To Gun Lobby Politicians: Follow The BLOOD MONEY TRAIL with this map.
https://thedemlabs.org/2024/07/15/assault-weapon-shootings-to-gun-lobby-politicians-follow-the-blood-money-trail/