Congressman Shot At Baseball Practice

[B-Man]

What Do The Congressional Shooter’s Facebook Pages Say About Him – And Society?

by Jennifer Van Laar

 

The Facebook pages of James T. Hodgkinson, the 66-year-old Illinois man who shot Rep. Steve Scalise and three others this morning, are made up almost exclusively of anti-Trump, anti-Republican, and pro-Bernie Sanders memes and videos going back at least into 2015.

 

Anyone who spends more than a few minutes on social media has seen these types of memes from the left and from the right, and we all have a few friends and relatives who seem to have a fixation on politics and a disturbing level of anger. Most likely, Hodgkinson was “that friend” for a few people.

{snip}

People are asking others to not “politicize” the shooting, but that’s just not possible. Hodgkinson went out looking for Republicans to kill. He wanted to kill them because of their politics. This is a political attack – and this is a man who was influenced by the incessant drumbeat of rhetoric which dehumanizes political enemies.

When a comic posts a photo where she’s holding the (fake) severed head of the president, when a Shakespeare play is modified to show the assassination of the president, when it is okay to mock the 11-year-old son of the president because of the T-shirt he wore, and all of these things are done without a second thought, without considering that these people are human beings who have thoughts, dreams, needs and desires just like you and I have, we have arrived at a point in our civilization where we really need to take a long, hard look at what we’re doing.

I can’t know for sure, but I would suspect that when James Hodgkinson stepped on that baseball field today he didn’t see Steve Scalise, Jeff Flake, and the rest of the GOP baseball team as people. (For God’s sake, there was a child there, and that didn’t stop him.) I suspect he saw them as evil, dishonest, greedy impediments to progress who needed to be eliminated for the greater good.

Bernie Sanders is not to blame for Hodgkinson’s acts. Neither is Kathy Griffin or any number of trolls who say crappy things or wish a horrible death on President Trump, Melania Trump, Barron Trump, or Republicans in general. This is squarely on Hodgkinson.

But, the environment of “other-ing” and dehumanization of anyone who disagrees with our politics definitely played a part, which is an attitude evident in the memes and postings on Hodgkinson’s Facebook pages over the last two years – and evident on the Facebook and Twitter timelines of many people.

“I don’t care what happens to that person. I hope they suffer and die a slow, painful death. They’re getting what they deserve for voting for [fill in the blank].”

That’s what James Hodgkinson’s Facebook page says about all of us.

[DC Tom]

Why isn't he being referred to as a terrorist? Killing (or at least trying) innocent people for political causes is the definition of terrorism.

 

One person's terrorist is another's freedom fighter...

[ExiledInIllinois]

No way any gun-regulation legislation is a viable subject these days, and I highly doubt the ACHA expands what awful job the ACA did for mental health coverage for policy holders, rather my guess it only provides less access...

 

I think apathy defines my stance on this story. Just something we have to live with, just hope you're not in the wrong place wrong time.

This.

 

Deal with it. CYA.

 

Happening everywhere. Is baseball practice for Congress a "work place violence thing." Practice and the nutjob did have an issue with the job they were doing.

 

The Left is doing it. Right is doing it. Now it is open season on "Congress Critters" as the anti-gov't peeps like to call them.

 

In my best Trumpebonics:

 

"SO sad!"

 

My apathy is showing too. Again, deal with it, CYA... Stay safe. It's a fact of life. Stay situationally aware. Should get you through @ least 1/2 of the by chance clusterphucks out there. The other 1/2 you are on your own.

[Pine Barrens Mafia]

 

That's complete bs. Extremism in religion or political beliefs can lead to a deranged person doing something as abhorrent as this. Just look at the guy who killed two people in Portland last month.

Also a Bernie voter.

[/dev/null]

DP Consulting? Good job linking your company to that nonsense.

My initial guess as to what DP stands for is not TSW safe

[ExiledInIllinois]

My initial guess as to what DP stands for is not TSW safe

But... PPP safe! :-)

[grinreaper]

My initial guess as to what DP stands for is not TSW safe

I certainly don't want to be on the receiving end of that.

[B-Man]

Heated Speech, Political Violence, and Red Flags Ignored

by Jim Gerharty

 

Three arguments to consider in the aftermath of Wednesday’s awful shooting attack on Republican lawmakers in Alexandria… let me know if you think they contradict.

 

First, attempting to limit political speech or rhetoric because of the potential to set off a mentally-unstable violent person is a fool’s errand, because we can never know what will set off a mentally-unstable violent person.

{snip}

 

Second, there has been a double standard on how our society deals with politically-motivated violence, and while there is so far nothing indicating this is a primary cause of the awful crime committed Wednesday, it is dangerous to cultivate a perception that certain kinds of political violence are justified or less wrong.

 

In light of Wednesday’s shooting, does anyone want to revisit the government and university response to violent mobs on Berkeley’s and Middlebury’s campuses? At Middlebury College, the administration punished 67 students with consequences “ranging from probation to official college discipline, which places a permanent record in the student’s file.”

 

That sounds somewhat serious, but remember what actually happened when Charles Murray visited campus: Most of the hatred was focused on Dr. Murray, but when I took his right arm to shield him and to make sure we stayed together, the crowd turned on me. Someone pulled my hair, while others were shoving me. I feared for my life. Once we got into the car, protesters climbed on it, hitting the windows and rocking the vehicle whenever we stopped to avoid harming them. I am still wearing a neck brace, and spent a week in a dark room to recover from a concussion caused by the whiplash.

 

That is a violent assault. This is not student misconduct, this is a crime.

 

In Berkeley, only one person was arrested during a violent riot, and police were explicitly told to have a ‘hands off’ approach:

If universities and local police authorities unwilling to address violent students and protesters, doesn’t that fuel the perception that some sorts of politically-based violence are acceptable?

 

 

Third, preventing future attacks like this requires less in the realm of adjusting political rhetoric and a lot more in the realm of getting law enforcement, the judicial system, and other authority figures to take violent and threatening behavior seriously before it escalates to a mass shooting. The Alexandria shooter is just the latest in an abominable string of shooters and dangerous criminals who have committed multiple serious felonies and raised one red flag after another, only to be ignored by “the system.”

 

Read more at: http://www.nationalreview.com/corner/448662/heated-speech-political-violence-and-red-flags-ignored

[ExiledInIllinois]

 

 

 

Repubs w/their stance on gun control won't win this one... It simply is a one-way road going off the rails of a crazy train. And the staple wounds are NOT healing. It will only get worse before people, the masses get fed up and you know what the ordinary peeps, hoi polloi do when they get "fed up." Just look @ the clown them and the Russians put in the Oval Office. Exhibit A.

 

CYA baby, this ship is sinking. Was listing, now sinking. Rats jumped off a long time ago.

 

:-(

[B-Man]

 

 

Repubs w/their stance on gun control won't win this one... It simply is a one-way road going off the rails of a crazy train. And the staple wounds are NOT healing. It will only get worse before people, the masses get fed up and you know what the ordinary peeps, hoi polloi do when they get "fed up." Just look @ the clown them and the Russians put in the Oval Office. Exhibit A.

 

CYA baby, this ship is sinking. Was listing, now sinking. Rats jumped off a long time ago.

 

:-(

 

While I will applaud any reference to Bugs and Daffy................

 

You do realize that the rest of your post is gibberish.

 

Slow down and think . Complete sentences are a bonus to anyone's argument also..............

[ExiledInIllinois]

 

While I will applaud any reference to Bugs and Daffy................

 

You do realize that the rest of your post is gibberish.

 

Slow down and think . Complete sentences are a bonus to anyone's argument also..............

I know... Not intended for you... Just stream on consciousness.

 

I am not going to change you and you won't certainly change me.

[B-Man]

I know... Not intended for you... Just stream on consciousness.

 

I am not going to change you and you won't certainly change me.

 

 

Very true sir.

 

 

 

THIS IS CNN: Jim Acosta of CNN Spreads Fake News About Trump’s Visit to Congressman Steve Scalise.

 

 

 

 

CNN hasn’t exactly covered itself in glory the last 24 hours.

[B-Large]

This.

 

Deal with it. CYA.

 

Happening everywhere. Is baseball practice for Congress a "work place violence thing." Practice and the nutjob did have an issue with the job they were doing.

 

The Left is doing it. Right is doing it. Now it is open season on "Congress Critters" as the anti-gov't peeps like to call them.

 

In my best Trumpebonics:

 

"SO sad!"

 

My apathy is showing too. Again, deal with it, CYA... Stay safe. It's a fact of life. Stay situationally aware. Should get you through @ least 1/2 of the by chance clusterphucks out there. The other 1/2 you are on your own.

 

I did want to add I hope those injured are okay and make a full recovery.

[Azalin]

CYA baby, this ship is sinking. Was listing, now sinking. Rats jumped off a long time ago.

 

 

You'd better hope not. A constitutional amendment is a constitutional amendment. Start redefining them, and you've set a precedent.

[B-Man]

WHAT WAS YOUR FIRST CLUE, EXPERTS?

 

Extremism Experts Are Starting To Worry About The Left.

 

 

 

 

 

MARK LEVIN: The Left Has Made Political Violence Mainstream.

[Joe Miner]

Well, at least there's this.

 

http://fusion.kinja.com/bigoted-homophobe-steve-scalises-life-was-saved-by-a-qu-1796135276

[B-Man]

Report: Hodgkinson had a list of GOP congressman on him during the attack

 

 

The Daily Caller reports that shooter James Hodgkinson had a list of names on him when he carried out his attack on GOP congressmen:

 

The list was written out on notepad paper and found in the shooter’s pocket, according to multiple sources with intimate knowledge of the situation, who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitivity of the investigation. The list of names included Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks, South Carolina Rep. Jeff Duncan and Arizona Rep. Trent Franks, The DC has confirmed.

 

 

 

The Caller notes that Reps. Brooks and Duncan were at the practice when Hodgkinson opened fire. It’s not clear from the story if there are more names on the list or how many

 

This list is a small detail but it’s one that adds to the suggestion that this was planned out to some degree.

[DC Tom]

Report: Hodgkinson had a list of GOP congressman on him during the attack

 

 

The Daily Caller reports that shooter James Hodgkinson had a list of names on him when he carried out his attack on GOP congressmen:

 

 

 

The Caller notes that Reps. Brooks and Duncan were at the practice when Hodgkinson opened fire. It’s not clear from the story if there are more names on the list or how many

 

This list is a small detail but it’s one that adds to the suggestion that this was planned out to some degree.

 

 

Clearly it's a list of Republicans who are at fault for this tragedy. [/MSNBC]

[B-Man]

STEVE SCALISE REALLY NEEDS TO STOP WEARING THOSE SHORT SKIRTS.

 

Scott Pelley of CBS: It’s time to ask whether [Wednesday’s] attack was foreseeable, predictable, self-inflicted:

 

[Deranged Rhino]

So much talk about the event and the political ramifications of it... not enough about what Scalise himself stood for. For example, Scalise was one of the loudest voices in Congress leading the charge against human trafficking - something we all can get behind:

 

http://scalise.house.gov/press-release/combatting-human-trafficking

 

If there's a positive that can be taken from this, besides more unity:

 

http://thehill.com/blogs/ballot-box/337845-top-dem-buys-pizza-for-scalise-staffers

 

... perhaps this violent act can be turned into a positive and Scalise can get some more momentum behind his anti-human trafficking legislation.