Domestic Terrorism

59th Anniversary Of The JFK Assassination And Shock Still Reverberates!

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Today marks the 59th anniversary of the assassination of the 35th President of the United States, John F. Kennedy, in Dallas, Texas.

Anyone who lived through that horrible tragedy will never forget the thoughts and emotions at the time.

The JFK Assasination changed the course of American history, in many respects for the worst.

Right wing hate in Dallas, and anti Catholic sentiments, helped to set up the tragedy.

The debate over the details of the Kennedy Assassination remains, but the author had a chapter in his 2015 book, available in paperback since 2017—ASSASSINATIONS, THREATS, AND THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY: FROM ANDREW JACKSON TO BARACK OBAMA (Rowman Littlefield Publishers)—which covered all of the conspiracy theories, but coming to the conclusion, that the Warren Commission was correct in its assessment that Lee Harvey Oswald did it as a “lone wolf”!

As the years pass, the emotions engendered at the time remain, and this author is concerned that with the growth of domestic terrorism, the threat to President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, and other top government leaders of both parties is constantly growing!

Happy 80th Birthday, President Biden, A True Treasure To American Democracy!

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Happy 80th Birthday to President Biden, who has been a true treasure to American democracy!

When history is written of these times, the years after Fascist authoritarian Donald Trump attempted to destroy American democracy, the Constitution, and the rule of law, it will be recorded that Joe Biden came along as the savior of our heritage of freedom, joining with Abraham Lincoln in the Civil War in the early 1860s, and Franklin D. Roosevelt in the World War II era in the early 1940s!

Now, another 80 years after 1860 and 1940, Joe Biden committed himself to defy the dictatorial nature of Donald Trump, and restore faith in America and its heritage of freedom and democracy!

Like Lincoln and FDR, Biden has been subjected to relentless character assassination and ridicule, but like Lincoln and FDR, he has stood tall and proud and brave, and has committed his later years to his country!

Do not forget that Biden is finishing 50 years of public service, since he was elected to the US Senate a few weeks short of the minimum age of 30 in 1972!

And he has been a public servant in office for all of that half century, except for the four years after leaving the Vice Presidency, having chosen not to try to run for the Presidency in 2016, due to his deep mourning for his son Beau, who died in 2015!

Just as Biden suffered through the loss of his first wife and young daughter in a traffic accident weeks after his Senate election and before he took the oath, so he suffered again in 2015 with the loss of his older son!

But he rose from a low moment to serve his nation and the world, and save it from not just foreign terrorism, but the ever greater threat of domestic terrorism!

His record in office has been superb for his first two years, and was good enough to promote the least loss of power and influence in the past 90 years in a first term midterm election!

His decision whether to run or retire should be respected, and while reaching the age of 80 is a daunting number to have so much responsibility for the nation and the world, Joe Biden, despite some shortcomings at times, runs rings around Donald Trump in knowledge, ability, intelligence, and most importantly, compassion, empathy, and common decency!

May God bless him to a long life, and commitment to his nation and the world, as history records the greatness of this man!

Republican Attacks On FBI, IRS, Election Workers A Reckless And Dangerous Escalation!

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Republican Party leaders are escalating attacks on the FBI after the Department of Justice ordered intervention at Mar A Lago to retrieve national security documents illegally removed by Donald Trump when he left the White House.

Threats on the law enforcement agency and its agents make the Republican Party look like the party of lawlessness, chaos, and anarchy. This is all in the name of a former President who is promoting Fascist authoritarianism in his mission to regain power with the intention of destroying government institutions, with the help of the MAGA mob that can be seen as domestic terrorists, and Trump promoting their extremism.

But also, future potential House Speaker Kevin McCarthy is encouraging such action, with his promotion of conspiracy theories, along with a whole group of other reckless Republicans.

And Iowa Senator Chuck Grassley, who if reelected in November at age 89, would be President Pro Tempore if the Republicans become the majority in the US Senate, is asserting a preposterous claim. According to Grassley, the new Inflation Reduction Act of Joe Biden, which allows 87,000 new Internal Revenue Service employees, is going to lead to such new employees having the authority to use force, including assault rifles against small business owners and middle class tax payers to collect taxes!

This is pure insanity, and to think that the third and fourth ranking government officials that may arise after the midterm elections are attacking the federal government’s ability to do their jobs of public safety and tax collection, is an alarm bell for the future of extremism!

And also, election workers are being threatened all over the nation, as Republicans aim at insuring that their party will take control of election machinery and insure that only Republicans can win elections in the future!

The Republican Party has become a “clear and present danger” to American democracy and the rule of law, and has made the Midterm Elections of 2022 more urgent than any midterm elections in the past!

The Republican Party Declares War On Law Enforcement And National Security!

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The Republican Party, Donald Trump loyalists, and Fox News Channel have declared war on law enforcement and national security, threatening action to destroy the FBI, Department of Justice, and Department of Homeland Security, over the legitimate action of removing national security and other government documents wrongfully taken by Donald Trump to his Florida estate, Mar A Lago, when he left office 19 months ago!

It is shocking to see the reaction of a large slew of Republicans, including, among others:

Rick Scott
Marco Rubio
Ted Cruz
Rand Paul
Josh Hawley
Tom Cotton
Kevin McCarthy
Jim Jordan
Elise Stefanik
Newt Gingrich

They and numerous others are promoting violence and potential civil war, and it is clear that they have become the Fascist Party, with the desire to install Donald Trump as the dictator of the US, with the plan to wipe out these government agencies!

Death threats are emanating, with the fear that top government officials to the highest level, may be subjected to assassination threats, a horrifying thought!

Another January 6th is a possibility, an attack on the US Capitol or other government buildings by an armed mob, with domestic terrorism being inflamed further by Donald Trump and his minions!

The Donald Trump Nightmare Began Seven Years Ago Today!

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On June 16, 2015, two days after Donald Trump’s 69th Birthday, the New York Real Estate Mogul announced his candidacy for the Republican Presidential nomination for 2016.

The seven years since that day have been a literal nightmare, with Trump declaring war on all of his Republican primary opponents and promoting racism, nativism, misogyny, and supporting domestic terrorism in the pursuit of his goal of destroying American democracy and promoting authoritarian Fascism.

His four year term was easily the most corrupt and divisive Presidency in American history, and he was determined to force his will on the nation, as the first losing candidate to refuse to accept defeat, and encourage his supporters to attack the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

A cult has built up around Donald Trump which threatens stability and order, and Trump and his ilk remain dire threats to the future of American government and the world community at large, as he embraces authoritarian dictators and has undermined America’s allies around the world.

The future is tense and unpredictable, and the Republican Party has become a party of white supremacy, male dominance, and extremist right wing, working against the rights of racial and ethnic minorities, women, gays and lesbians, academic freedom in colleges and universities, and even public schools and libraries.

America is in the greatest crisis since the Civil War 160 years ago, and the future is not guaranteed to be one of democracy surviving.

Joe Biden Arguably Has Faced The Worst Set Of Crises Other Than Lincoln And FDR!

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Abraham Lincoln faced the breakup of the Union and the Civil War in his Presidency from 1861-1865.

Franklin D. Roosevelt faced the Great Depression, the growing threat of Fascism and Nazism, and World War II, from 1933-1945.

Other than Lincoln and FDR, the question arises which other Presidents faced crises on a level as dangerous and challenging as those two Presidents.

One could say George Washington facing the challenge of making the Constitution work, and the nation able to survive as a republic from 1789-1797.

One could say Harry Truman, facing the challenge of sudden elevation to the Presidency in a time when World War II was not yet resolved, and having to deal with the threat of the Soviet Union during the Cold War years from 1945-1953.

One could say John F. Kennedy, facing the threat of the Soviet Union, including the Berlin Crisis and the Cuban Missile Crisis, which dominated his time in the Presidency, from 1961-1963.

One could say George W. Bush, facing the challenge of the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001, and the dual wars fought during his Presidency in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Great Recession which developed in his last year in office, from 2001-2009.

One could also say Barack Obama, facing the challenge of the Great Recession, the worst economic downturn since the 1930s, and the constant domestic resistance from the right wing Tea Party Movement, and the growing extremism of the Republican Party, from 2009-2017.

But one could also argue that Joe Biden, facing the COVID 19 Pandemic; the growing epidemic of mass murders by firearms by domestic terrorists and mentally disturbed people; and the threat of nuclear war in the midst of the greatest foreign policy crisis (The Russia-Ukraine War) since the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962, is the greatest challenge and crisis other than Lincoln and FDR!

“Great Replacement Theory” A Ticking Time Bomb Promoted By Republicans

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The Republican Party, Fox News Channel and other extremist right wing media, and specificially Tucker Carlson, have been promoting a hateful, conspiracy laden theory, the “Great Replacement Theory”, warning of the future America where the white population, by demographic change, will become a minority by 2040.

That should not be an issue to all stable, decent people, who know one does not judge anyone by race, religion or skin color.

But sadly, it is being utiized to alarm and terrify and propagandize unstable people to think it is acceptable to strike out and promote mass murder, as happened in Buffalo this past weekend, but has occurred many other times over recent years with lack of any gun regulations.

It is not just African Americans who are becoming victims of crazed mostly young white men, but also Jewish Americans, Latino Americans, Asian Americans, and Muslim Americans, with Jews and African Americans most often threatened. And also, hate has spread to gays, lesbians, and transgender Americans!

It is also an attack on immigration, when America has always been a nation of immigrants, and with the aging of the population, there is a dire need for more immigrants for the labor force and economic growth!

It portends high levels of violence and bloodshed, and even the danger of open civil war!

It is domestic terrorism at its worse, much more prevalent and dangerous than even foreign terrorism!

Foreign terrorists are applauding how Americans are undermining themselves from within!

41st Anniversary Of Ronald Reagan Shooting, And Growing Threats To Presidency By Enemies, Foreign And Domestic!

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It has been 41 years since Ronald Reagan was shot on this day in 1981, the last time an American President has directly been threatened by a would be assassin.

It has been 59 years this coming November 22 since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

This author and blogger published his study of Presidential Assassinations and Threats entitled ASSASSINATIONS THREATS AND THE AMERICAN PRESIDENCY: FROM ANDREW JACKSON TO BARACK OBAMA (Rowman Littlefield, 2015, Paperback 2017), and is still very concerned about the constant potential threats to whoever is President, Vice President, and other top officials of the US government, including members of Congress.

Domestic terrorism is widespread, and has been encouraged by many of the followers of Donald Trump, culminating in the US Capitol Insurrection of January 6, 2021.

Overseas terrorism and threats are also realities that require greater protection of the President, Vice President, and other federal officeholders in exponential ways more than ever before.

Republicans Are Now The Party Of Anarchy And Support Of Domestic Terrorism: Mind Boggling!

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The Republican Party has now become the party of anarchy and chaos, and support of domestic terrorism, absolutely mind boggling!

Not only did much of the party in Congress support denying Joe Biden his Electoral College win!

Many have chosen to ignore the reality of the January 6 Insurrection, a domestic terrorism that caused death, injuries, and destruction at the US Capitol, and just want to move on!

And now, eight Republican Senators have opposed putting mask opponents on a “no fly list”, who have committed the equivalent of domestic terrorism against airline employees and passengers innumerable times on domestic and foreign flights!

Such unruly passengers on aviation flights should face arrest and imprisonment, but more than that!

They should be barred from EVER again being able to use any airline for any flights anywhere!

But these eight Republican Senators—Rick Scott and Marco Rubio of Florida; Mike Lee of Utah; Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming; Ted Cruz of Texas; Kevin Cramer of North Dakota; James Lankford of Oklahoma; and John Hoeven of North Dakota, think otherwise, which is astounding beyond belief!

This is recklessness and lack of concern for public safety beyond the pale!

Senators Ted Cruz And Rand Paul Support Undermining Of America’s Public Health And Economy!

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Republican Senators Ted Cruz of Texas and Rand Paul of Kentucky are the most obscene, disgraceful members of the US Senate, a legislative body that has too many members who are outrageous in their behavior!

Both of these Senators ran for President in 2016, and both were very scary, and have gone along with all of the evil perpetrated by Donald Trump!

And now, both, besides having no issue with Donald Trump and the January 6 Insurrection on the US Capitol, have had the gall to support the Ottawa, Canada truckers site over the issue of vaccinations. Both were “hoping” it would spread to America and cause traffic jams at the Superbowl in Los Angeles (a total failure in that regard), and also to Washington DC for the State of the Union address by President Joe Biden on March 1, and also undermine economic stability in other cities.

What is wrong with these people? They want to undermine America’s public health and economy!

So let us call a spade a spade—Ted Cruz and Rand Paul are seditionists, traitors, domestic terrorists in their advocacy of turmoil, and they should face arrest and prosecution for undermining the national interest!

They are also attempting to harm our great and stable neighbor and partner, Canada, with which we share the largest peaceful land boundary now for more than 200 years!