More to Come

25 May 2016

Cogito Ergo Non Serviam

Violence Attends Trump Rally in New Mexico

Violence was in attendance at a Donald Trump rally in New Mexico last night. Protesters inside the convention center in Albuquerque disrupted the candidate repeatedly, and security removed each of them while Mr. Trump abused them from the podium. Outside, protesters threw burning T-shirts, rocks and plastic bottles at horseback-mounted police. The police responded with smoke grenades and pepper spray. This isn't the first outbreak of violence at a Trump campaign stop, nor will it be the last. At least, it won't be until and unless the candidate stops inciting violence.

What is particularly troubling about last night's affair is the racial overtones. Mr. Trump may not be a racist, but he does wave the banner of racial strife and intolerance at every campaign stop. The Trump campaign is, of course, very careful to spin the stories as poor little Donald being attacked by mean people. This is complete nonsense, and this excerpt written by Maggie Shepard, Nicole Perez and Dan Mckay from the Albuquerque Journalsums it up.

Protesters started gathering at about 4 p.m. and held a family-friendly tone for a while until Trump supporters started walking along a sidewalk adjacent to the protest area. It tuned into what one police officer called 'the gantlet [sic] of hate' as protesters threw water and water bottles and waved signs while yelling angrily and often yelling profanity and aggressive taunts.

A group of traditional native healers joined the protest and a passing Trump supporter yelled 'you're a wetback' at them.

'Socialism never, capitalism forever,' one Trump supporter yelled at the protesters.

And some passing supporters told the protesters to 'go back to Mexico.'

Others passing through the gantlet felt scared and intimidated including kids whose mothers covered their ears as they walked by protesters.

Police eventually routed the Trump supporters away from the gantlet.
It was only later when the protesters turned violent themselves. So, one must be clear. The pro-Trump people started the violence -- with or without the active support from the campaign.

Mr. Trump is appealing to the worst of a society that has tolerated lynchings and cross burnings for far too long. In the west, the racial divide between Spanish and English speakers is as fraught as the divide between black and white in the Old Confederacy. His calls to force Mexico to build a wall to keep its citizens from sneaking into America and for the forced deportation of 12 million undocumented aliens creates an anxiety among Latinos in America, and New Mexico is by proportion the most Latino state in the union.

There will be more of this kind of violence in the next six months. Mr. Trump's backers feel they are protecting their rights by trampling on those of others, and to be honest, the protesters against Mr. Trump include people who like to throw things at the police. It is only a matter of time before they discover that pulling the fire alarm as Mr. Trump walks to the podium offers a great deal of chaos and that marbles strewn across the pavement will stop a police riot squad in its tracks (or on its collective backside) and puddles of cooking oil are about as effective.

Meanwhile, some of the Second Amendment crew will turn up armed to some of Mr. Trump's affairs, and while the Secret Service will keep them out of events, the Service can't prevent them from being near-by. At this rate, someone may well get killed. Mr. Trump has the power to stop it. It is a test of his leadership ability to do so. One expects him to fail.

© Copyright 2016 by The Kensington Review, Jeff Myhre, PhD, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Ubuntu Linux.



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