No one likes the idea of assassinating a President. No one. Anyone who lived through JFK, RFK will never forget. Anyone who lived through the attempted assassination of Reagan will never forget. Anyone who lived through the attempt on Trump will never forget. These weren’t just attempts to kill someone; they were attacks on democracy, civility, our culture.
This attempt on Trump, while thankfully a failure, is also filled with ironies.
20 year old Thomas Matthew Crooks used an AR-15 style rifle in attempting to assassinate the leader of the Republican party. This is the same Party that sees red when anyone attempts to control or reduce the sale or use of guns, wrapping themselves in the Second Amendment.
Which says: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Republicans, the NRA, etc… like to focus on the second half, “the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Before the last few decades, most Americans felt the first half, “a well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State,” referred to the people in the “militia” bearing arms.
The irony? Maybe if Republicans hadn’t pushed guns so hard and blocked any attempts to reduce their number or power, Crooks wouldn’t have had the AR-15 style rifle. Maybe the guy rarely mentioned in the news, whom Cooks did assassinate that day – husband, father, and firefighter Corey Comperatore – would still be a husband, father, and firefighter.
The Supreme Court recently ruled that “the President may not be prosecuted for exercising his core constitutional powers, and he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for his official acts.”
The ruling was in response to Trump’s actions resulting from the 2020 Election. Assassination used to be illegal in this country. It still is…for everyone but the President. Animal Farm – “All animals are equal, but some animals are more equal than others.” – is no longer fiction.
The irony? This ruling came out just a few days before someone tried to assassinate Trump.
Biden had just started using Trump’s technique of insulting his adversary. He called Trump a “con man”, a “felon” and a “liar” just days before Crooks pulled the trigger. This following Trump’s decades of hurling personal insults at anyone and everyone who… well, anyone and everyone.
For example: “will destroy the State,” “Very dishonest,” “disgrace”, “a major security risk”, “Crazy,” “A joke!” “rigged,” “RIGGED,” “totally rigged!” “a Terrorist Organization,” “SCUM,” “Anarchists, Thugs & Agitators,” “Corrupt,” “Wacko group,” “gutless Radical Left Wack Jobs,” “Dummy”, “Drug infested”, “Vermin,” “Crooked as can be.”
And let’s not forget his favorite: “Fake!, Fake!!, Fake!!!” – anything and everything.
The Irony? Until a few days before Crook’s shot, Biden was old school civil, courteous, even to Trump. And now he’s the one – not Trump – asking people to be civil, to tone down rhetoric in an effort to prevent further assassination attempts.
Crooks failed. But the ironies? They’re alive and thriving.