In the wake of yet another physical altercation at a Trump rally along with the amount of protesters shutting down a highway in Arizona over a Trump rally, I have to say enough is enough. Seriously, America...enough is enough.
I agree with both sides on one thing: our country is experiencing a real crap time. It's no secret that I'm not a huge fan of the current administration. No, I do not believe that he's the antichrist (and I think that anyone that supports that theory needs to re-read their Bible because he doesn't fit the bill). I'm not sure he qualifies for the worst President ever because, frankly, I think that the title might be relative. I think that people sometimes forget that Congress is much more involved in creating the mess that our country is in. Yes, executive order exists and yes, the President strongly influences things but he is not the sole reason that our country is in this mess. George W Bush isn't either. No one single President is responsible for this whole mess. It's been a long time coming.
But I digress....
At what point did it become okay to man handle protesters? At what point did it become okay for you to shut down a highway because you don't like someone? The answer to both of these is never. It is never okay to man handle a protester and it's not okay to put the lives of thousands at risk during a protest because you don't want people to attend a rally. Look, you don't have to like Trump or his supporters but they have a right to gather. That said, anti Trump protesters also have a right to be at his rallies. Why? Because it's a free country and that's what protesters do. They go to the source and voice their opinions.
So Trump says that people are being hired to come to his rallies and protest. Maybe they are. In fact, I wouldn't put anything past some of these people. So what. There are clear videos showing these people just wearing an anti-Trump t shirt or holding a sign. They aren't disturbing the peace. They aren't being violent. They're just there. It's the equivalent of an Atheist being in a church wearing a shirt supporting his beliefs. Should they riot and kick him out, punching him in the head? No, of course not. Why? He has a right to be there and he has a right to have his beliefs. The Trump campaign manager is seen grabbing a protester by the shirt collar just for being there. Is he punching anyone? Nope. Guess who is.... a Trump supporter. What does Trump say about this? Essentially he says, "Good for him." Support Trump's campaign or not, this is NOT okay. We should NOT be supporting punching people in the head for different beliefs. It's a slippery slope, folks. It's a slippery slope.
Anti-Trump-ers, you are just as guilty....shutting down a highway. Seriously. There are far more productive ways to express your beliefs than to shut down a highway. You are putting other people's lives on hold just for your own beliefs. Come on now.
People keep comparing the anti-Trump movement to Black Lives Matter, saying that both of these are violent. I don't believe this to be entirely true. Are there some in the BLM movement that were violent? Of course. There are also some anti-abortion activists that are violent. There are some in every movement that are violent but that doesn't mean the entire movement is violent. There are some pro-Trump-ers that are violent and some anti-Trump-ers that are. This isn't about labeling an entire movement because of a few people. What it IS about is what the heads of these movements are saying about this.... are they promoting this violence? Are they saying that this is okay?
Look, folks, I'm not going to tell you who to support. I'm not going to tell you that Donald Trump is wrong for his views. I'm not going to tell you that he's the best thing ever or the worst thing to hit our country head on. What I will say is this....Mr Trump, stop supporting these violent outbursts at your rallies. You are NOT supporting the Constitution by stifling people's right to protest. To those of us that were on the fence on who to choose, you are scaring the shit out of us by allowing us to think that if we don't agree with something you say, someone is being given the right to punch us in the head. This applies to every candidate but, Mr Trump, you seem to be relishing the fact that you're in the news over this. It's frightening to someone who likes your catch phrase but is still watching closely to see what you truly present as a plan.
I'll end by saying this: Our Constitution gives us the right to peaceful protest. Standing in a rally of someone you don't agree with is peaceful. Even voicing your opinion is peaceful. If a candidate can't handle those with different opinions being at their event and is promoting violence as such, please encourage him/her to stop the madness. Our country will not get better if we don't protect our Constitutional rights.
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