The Death of Debate
The latest episode of my 'The Elephant in the Room' podcast
America is bleeding out from within. In just the past few years, the U.S. has been rocked by political violence, extremist attacks, and assassinations that have pushed democracy to the brink. From right-wing radicals to left-wing extremists, the rhetoric of hate has turned deadly, fueling a surge in domestic terrorism and political assassinations. The killing of Charlie Kirk in Utah and the shocking assassination of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband are the latest wake-up calls, and neither side has clean hands. Hate has become a political strategy, amplified by social media algorithms, echo chambers of hearsay, and corrupt politicians who profit from division, rage bait, and literal blood money. I call this ubiquitous, parasitic, and autonomous system “The Hate Machine.” While the powerful get richer, ordinary Americans are left living in a democracy under threat—where both sides have stopped listening—and the political bloodshed must end.
The left is not blameless in terms of rhetoric but they are not, by and large, the perpetrators of murderous violence, so let's put the kibosh on that shit right now.
Maybe the people on the right should stop shooting each other. How about that? Just an idea I had. The alleged shooter, Tyler James Robinson, comes from a Republican family, though Tyler is not registered to any party. His father is a retired sheriff in Washington County, Utah. There are photos of Tyler and his family with guns. Tyler Robinson dressed as Donald Trump for Halloween: a devout supporter, it would seem, who donated to Donald Trump in 2020. Tyler, we know, hated Charlie Kirk because Charlie Kirk was not far enough to the right.
Some in a cult don’t care about the facts and jump to illogical conclusions. Grifting to turn grief into grievance, manipulating the many’s mourning, Donald Trump solicits rage in his cult following that he can exploit for violence—before there is any proof the left contributed to the shooting. The facts do not matter to Trump or his cult. That is irresponsible leadership from Trump. Republican members in Congress mimic their leader in jumping to conclusions whose only foundation is a pack of prior Trump lies. They are all ignoring recent history that tells us the shooters and bombers are deluded cultists. Gross irresponsibility of this magnitude is criminal malfeasance.
It is Trump who constantly and vociferously demonizes the left with his rhetoric. He does not seek to quench the Nation’s anger, to break with violence. He seeks to inflame any given moment, stoking the flames well before investigation uncovers any facts at all. It is he and Kirk that traded in vile, demonizing, and inflammatory rhetoric designed to incite violence. They both traded in an inflammatory speech to monetize the anger they created. The cult no longer has the intellectual ability to rationalize the moment.
These two people monetized their hostility like the money changers they are. They gaslighted the rest of us whenever a fire broke out, and they simultaneously fanned those flames while pouring gasoline on the fire.
History dictates that the shooter will be a Republican supporter. They are all angry white men with right leanings. EVERY ONE! If you do not see that, yours is a delusional world. Have you paid no attention at all to the political and racist violence of last decade? If so, you know the party of violence. I gathered a list for you. https://hotbuttons.substack.com/p/bilious-hate-mongering?r=3m1bs