The shocking demonstration of racial violence and hatred this past week at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville demonstrates a dangerous trend.
To witness the scenes of hundreds of young white males in their teens, 20s, and 30s coming to Virginia, drawn there by white supremacy and white nationalism, and being associate4 with the Ku Klux Klan, neo Nazi and neo Confederate groups, was totally stunning.
It reminded one of Nazi Germany, and among the organizers and provocateurs were David Duke, Richard Spencer, Jared Taylor, and Jason Kessler, all right wing extremists who are antisemites, racists, nativists, and misogynists.
All of this was encouraged by the racist, nativist, miosogynistic, homophobia, and tones of antisemitism in the Donald Trump Presidential campaign, and his initial response to the tragedy was a disgrace, claiming that all sides were responsible for the horrendous violence, including the death of a wonderful young woman, Heather Heyer.
It was sickening to see right wing extremists attack Heather Heyer after her death for being single in her 30s and being overweight, a truly obscene display of how many of this ilk look at women in a very misogynistic and sexist manner.
Trump won the Presidency with a large white supremacist following in key locations, and his Alt Right aides Stephen Bannon and Stephen Miller remaining on his staff as one writes this is a cancer on the Trump Presidency, and another good reason to force him out of office as soon as possible, as he is a disgrace to the office he holds.
But meanwhile, what does one do about these young men with criminal intentions? How were they brought up to hate this much by their own families? This is a true sickness in our society, which portends large amounts of bloodshed and violence over the coming years. For sure, we must insist that the full measure of the law be applied against everyone who uses white nationalism and white supremacy as their mantra.
And it is good that Texas A & M prevents a similar rally in September, and the same should happen with the University of Florida, as this is not the First Amendment in play, but simply pure racial and antisemitic hatred, out to provoke violence and bloodshed.
Trump’s sudden meltdown this afternoon, attacking the victims of the white supremacists and equating both sides in the demonstrations as equals, led White House Chief of Staff General John Kelly to hang his head in shame and shock, as he realized Trump had become totally unhinged. This is further proof of just how mentally ill, and lacking in ethics and morality our President is, and he must be forced out of office for the good of the nation!
The Republican Party must, for its historical record and its dignity, stop pretending that what Trump says and does has no impact on them or the nation. They must show courage and moral authority, or else the GOP is dead!