It’s hard to believe that an entire year has passed since the horrendously repulsive and dangerous farce known as Unite the Right took place in Charlottesville.
Watching it live on TV, first the late night torch march and then the daytime violent protests, hurt my heart so badly, there are no words strong enough to describe it. I was literally stunned to hear furiously angry people scream “Jews will not replace us!” as they stormed a public university, terrorizing students, visitors and citizens alike.
Because most people are not sick and demented, the majority of America and the rest of world, reacted with outrage. It seemed like they couldn’t sink any lower, but worse it got, with the death of Heather Heyer who was struck by a car through no fault of her own.
The death of an innocent woman should make even the most callous person question the legitimacy of their so-called rally and what it stood for, especially the organizer, Jason Kessler. Instead of being contrite, this piece of pond scum had the nerve to attack the victim’s looks and her weight and insult her memory, saying she deserved to die.
Such an act was so cowardly, so evil, and so off-the-wall, it drew criticism from his former friends and associates on the alt-right, leading to non-stop in fighting that has continued to this day.
The Christian Science Monitor did an exhaustive post that details it better than I ever could. Titled “Jason Kessler and the ‘alt-right’ implosion after Charlottesville” it attempts to make sense of a very trouble individual and his equally troubled life. While I agree that most of the sickos who took part in the rally have suffered greatly for it, that does not mean it has softened their position—far from it, some are even more bitter for being exposed and ridiculed.
Whatever sad attempt Kessler is making to have a repeat of Charlottesville, moved to a new venue in Washington, DC, is no less dangerous, no less disruptive, and certainly not a bit less harmful.
This isn’t about free speech. It’s about inciting violence, committing violence, disrupting public areas, terrorizing, intimidating, beating, and possibly even murdering more people! It is evil, it is immoral, and it should not be given a permit.
Kessler is a joke, yes, but there are lunatics on the fringes of society that can be used and manipulated by evil doers. Didn’t we see that last time? Haven’t we witnessed enough bloodshed and suffering and race baiting and hate crimes to last a lifetime?
It’s not illegal to have hateful ideas. It’s not illegal to share those ideas with others. But it is 100% illegal to storm the streets and disrupt decent society, with chants, and threats, and epithets designed to crush the spirits of decent, God-fearing, freedom-loving souls.
Unite the Right was a horrible mistake that never, ever had to happen. We can’t, as a society, pretend that we don’t know on the second go-round. A second rally should never take place and anyone who claims otherwise should be ashamed of themselves.
America is for everybody—men, women, and children of every color, race, religion and creed. Nobody has the right to take our freedom away. We have to protect it, protect ourselves and protect our nation by destroying evil, not through violence but through the courts, using the rule of law. I want to see every hate group bankrupted, disbanded, and de-platformed. Those who break the law, both man and God’s, must be held accountable.
No more hate rallies!
So glad you wrote this!
Thank you for the encouragement. I feel strongly that we must all speak out against this evil.
When rallies are held with the clear aim of inciting violence and instilling terror in others then they clearly cross the line from speech to conduct and they have no business being allowed. The Unite the Right thugs celebrate the death and destruction they cause. They are no better than the Brownshirts who are clearly their role models.
Absolutely, they are modeled after the Nazis and they worship them. Beyond anti-Semitism, that is so anti-American! How many soldiers and civilians were killed during WW2? Millions! Yet they worship the death and destruction, like you so astutely said. It just boggles my mind.
These are perilous times for our society.
Very much so, but I was encouraged to see that the second rally was nothing like the first.
This was such an important subject to write about! America is for everyone and hopefully they get the message loud and clear that we will not put up with hate in any form!
Hate should never be allowed to flourish. It’s sick and wrong.