nate33 wrote:closg00 wrote:MAGAT MTG posted a picture of herself shooting a snipers rifle after the killings became public, there isn't a more disgusting person in Congress.
Before you jump to conclusions on this, understand that, 5 days ago, Melissa Hortman crossed the aisle to side with Republicans in passing a bill stripping health care benefits from illegal immigrants, and immediately faced a lot of criticism from the left for doing so. I have no idea if this was politically motivated or not, but if it was, it appears that a left wing zealot would have more motivation to do this than a right wing zealot.
The alleged gunman had a stack of "No Kings" flyers in his vehicle.
Also, MTG made her post at 9:36AM in reference to the 250th anniversary celebration. I don't know exactly when the Melissa Hortman news story first broke, but the earliest article I can find had a time stamp of 9:43AM, after MTG's post. And the press conference about it was after 11AM. It's possible that some news outlets broke the story before MTG's post, but it's entirely possible that MTG wasn't even aware of it when she made her post. MTG has since made a post condemning the political assassination.
There's plenty of reasons to get riled up about why "the other side" is evil and horrible and "our side" is good and uncorrupted, but this doesn't really look like one of them. Find something better to get outraged about.
Nate, I think your advice to walk slowly and carefully into this was reasonable and good advice.
Having said that, and at risk of possibly violating that advice myself, I suggest you watch/listen to this...
You may already know Rick Wilson *was* a pretty right of center kind of guy, perhaps in spite of having written the book
Everything Trump Touches Dies. And since the GOP has become the Trump cult, is not a GOPer at this point in time.
The guy you do suggest might have been a left wing zealot was probably not a left wing zealot, but rather an anti-abortion crusader.
I would not be surprised to learn that he had been radicalized by stochastic violence.
I don't know that at this time.I certainly hope we learn more definitely about this in the near to medium future.
BTW, the rally that I nearly went to myself, in Culpeper VA, generated this little newsblip
https://www.nbcwashington.com/news/local/northern-virginia/man-accused-of-driving-through-crowd-of-protesters-in-culpeper/3936544/A man was arrested for reckless driving and is accused of intentionally driving into a group of people leaving a protest today, Culpeper police said.
A group named Culpeper Democrats on Facebook said it happened at their No Kings rally on James Madison Highway, which police confirmed.
The Culpeper Police Department said officers were monitoring the area as the protest ended when 21-year-old Joseph R. Checklick Jr. of Culpeper "intentionally" accelerated an SUV into the dispersing crowd.
At least one person was hit, according to police, but they said they hadn't received reports of any injuries.
In their Facebook post, the Culpeper Democrats group thanked the police department for its "quick response and for keeping our protest safe!"
Checklick is being held without bond at the Culpeper County Jail, police said, and additional charges could still be filed.
The Culpeper Police Department said this is an active and ongoing investigation and is asking witnesses to come forward.
and in SLC there was this
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/15/us/politics/no-kings-protest-shooting-salt-lake-city.html behind a paywall
or this
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/jun/15/no-kings-protest-salt-lake-city-utah-death-shootingA demonstrator who was shot on Saturday during Salt Lake City’s “No Kings” protest has died, Utah police said on Sunday afternoon.
The man, Arthur Folasa Ah Loo, 39, had apparently been shot by a man who had been part of the event’s peacekeeping team.
“Our victim was not the intended target,” Brian Redd, the Salt Lake City police chief, said, “but rather an innocent bystander participating in the demonstration.”
Arturo Gamboa, 24, was taken into police custody on Saturday evening on a murder charge, said Redd at a Sunday news conference. Ah Loo, who had been taken to the hospital on Saturday evening, where he died from his wounds.
Redd said a man in a brightly colored vest fired three shots from a handgun at Gamboa, inflicting a relatively minor injury to Gamboa but fatally shooting Ah Loo.
Two of the peacekeepers in neon vests allegedly saw Gamboa separate from the crowd of marchers in downtown Salt Lake City, move behind a wall and retrieve a rifle around 8pm, Redd said.
When the two men in vests confronted Gamboa with their handguns drawn, witnesses said Gamboa raised his rifle into a firing position and ran toward the crowd, said Redd.
That’s when one of the men in the bright vests shot three rounds, hitting Gamboa and Ah Loo, said Redd. Gamboa, who police said didn’t have a criminal history, was wounded and treated before being booked into jail.
dobrojim wrote:I will be interested in seeing how the national mood changes
in the wake of the demonstrations (and Golfy's BD parade) we are likely to see
on Saturday all over the country. Which side upholds
the best traditions of our country. Which side represents
the things that most Americans have made clear they
don't like.
So the early returns on the demonstrations on Saturday do not or should not bolster GOP optimism.
I think it's pretty safe to say that and leave it unattributed. Trump's military parade generated sparse interest.
At the same time there were estimates in the *millions* for the numbers generated at the
numerous No Kings rallies across the country, many in states that have been described as deep red.
