Posted on 03/15/2016 8:03:05 AM PDT by Kaslin
This past Friday, a left-wing mob shut down a Donald Trump rally in Chicago. Most Americans viewing what happened saw it for what it was -- another left-wing assault on the speech of those with whom they differ and on traditional American civility.
Not surprisingly, the media reporting has concentrated overwhelmingly on Trump for incendiary and inexcusable comments he has made at some of his other rallies that were disrupted by protesters. For example, he offered to pay any legal bills incurred by a man in the audience who sucker-punched a protester as he was being led out of a Trump rally.
Many have also noted the alleged assault by Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski, who was accused of trying to grab Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields' arm. (I say "alleged" because I have watched the video of the alleged incident four times but could not ascertain what actually took place.)
For the record, I have been relentless in my criticisms of Donald Trump, both in print and on my radio show, preferring any other Republican candidate. Based on his past, I have not had any reason to trust him as a conservative or as a Republican, and he has exhibited serious character flaws.
Nevertheless, truth must trump opposition to Trump.
And the truth is that the left-wing attack on Trump's Chicago rally had little, if anything, to do with what the incendiary comments Donald Trump has made about attacking protestors at his events. Leftist mobs attack and shut down events with which they differ as a matter of course. They do so regularly on American college campuses, where conservative speakers -- on the rare occasion they are invited -- are routinely shouted down by left-wing students (and sometimes faculty) or simply disinvited as a result of leftist pressure on the college administration.
A couple of weeks ago conservative writer and speaker Ben Shapiro was disinvited from California State University, Los Angeles. When he nevertheless showed up, 150 left-wing demonstrators blocked the entrance to the theater in which he was speaking, and sounded a fire alarm to further disrupt his speech.
In just the last year, left-wing students have violently taken over presidents' or deans' offices at Princeton, Virginia Commonwealth University, Dartmouth, Providence College, Harvard, Lewis & Clark College, Temple University and many others. Conservative speakers have either been disinvited or shouted down at Brandeis University, Brown University, the University of Michigan and myriad other campuses.
And leftists shout down virtually every pro-Israel speaker, including the Israeli ambassador to the United States, at every university to which they are invited to speak.
Yet the mainstream media simply ignore this left-wing thuggery -- while reporting that the shutting down of a pro-Trump rally is all Trump's fault for his comments encouraging roughing up protestors at his events.
That the left shuts down people with whom it differs is a rule in every leftist society. The left -- not classical liberals, I hasten to note -- is totalitarian by nature. In the 20th century, the century of totalitarianism, virtually every totalitarian regime in the world was a leftist regime. And the contemporary American university -- run entirely by the left -- is becoming a totalitarian state, where only left-wing ideas are tolerated.
Tens of millions of Americans look at what the left is doing to universities, and what it has done to the news and entertainment media, and see its contempt for the First Amendment's protection of free speech. They see Donald Trump attacked by this left, and immediately assume that only Trump will take on, in the title words of Jonah Goldberg's modern classic, "Liberal Fascism."
And if these millions had any doubt that Trump alone will confront left-wing fascism, Trump's opponents seemed to provide proof. Like the mainstream media, the three remaining Republican candidates for president -- John Kasich, the most and Marco Rubio the least -- blamed Trump for the left-wing hooligans more than they blamed the left. It is possible that in doing so Senators Cruz and Rubio and Governor Kasich effectively ended their campaigns and ensured the nomination of Trump as the Republican candidate for president. The combination of left-wing violence and the use of it by the other GOP candidates to wound Trump rather than label the left as the mortal threat to liberty that it is may clinch Trump's nomination.
And if the left continues to violently disrupt Trump rallies, they -- along with the total absence of condemnation by the Democratic Party and its presidential candidate -- may well ensure that Donald Trump is elected president. Between the play-Fascism of Trump and the real Fascism of the left, most Americans will know which one to fear most.
Like her girlfriend standing next to her??
Nevertheless, truth must trump opposition to Trump.
And the truth is that the left-wing attack on Trump's Chicago rally had little, if anything, to do with what the incendiary comments Donald Trump has made about attacking protesters at his events. Leftist mobs attack and shut down events with which they differ as a matter of course. They do so regularly on American college campuses, where conservative speakers -- on the rare occasion they are invited -- are routinely shouted down by left-wing students (and sometimes faculty) or simply disinvited as a result of leftist pressure on the college administration."
-------------------------
This is why I like Dennis Prager - even if I disagree with him, he is an honest man. He admits his faults and mistakes, and he clearly identifies where he may have a conflict of interest in a matter. He does this because he understands, in his bones, that we will all have to answer for our actions and choices in life, and that among other things, G-d wants us to be truthful.
--------------------------
"Tens of millions of Americans look at what the left is doing to universities, and what it has done to the news and entertainment media, and see its contempt for the First Amendment's protection of free speech. They see Donald Trump attacked by this left, and immediately assume that only Trump will take on, in the title words of Jonah Goldberg's modern classic, "Liberal Fascism."
And if these millions had any doubt that Trump alone will confront left-wing fascism, Trump's opponents seemed to provide proof. Like the mainstream media, the three remaining Republican candidates for president -- John Kasich, the most and Marco Rubio the least -- blamed Trump for the left-wing hooligans more than they blamed the left. It is possible that in doing so Senators Cruz and Rubio and Governor Kasich effectively ended their campaigns and ensured the nomination of Trump as the Republican candidate for president. The combination of left-wing violence and the use of it by the other GOP candidates to wound Trump rather than label the left as the mortal threat to liberty that it is may clinch Trump's nomination.
And if the left continues to violently disrupt Trump rallies, they -- along with the total absence of condemnation by the Democratic Party and its presidential candidate -- may well ensure that Donald Trump is elected president. Between the play-Fascism of Trump and the real Fascism of the left, most Americans will know which one to fear most."
-----------
All that I can say about this is:
Sadly, about half do not. The TV tells them it is Trump who is the problem, and the low-info crowd nods in total agreement.
meme? um, I think it's called fact. at least thus far. you want to use a poll to prove votes? really? likely voters, registered voters? I remember when FR used to look closely at polls to judge their credibility before hopping on one to use as proof of fact.
I have voiced my opposition to Trump on here many times. I will state again that he is 69 years old and where in the past 69 years can someone show me the conservative causes that he has championed? As a matter of fact, before running for President, I can show you many left wing causes and candidates that Trump has supported.
However, with that being said, Prager has hit the nail on the head. I think the other three Presidential candidates (including my own favorite Cruz) would have been a lot better served by condemning the left wing fascist who were trying to suppress free speech this past weekend instead of trying to score cheap political points. As Prager correctly points out, the left wing fascists have been doing this for years on college campuses and this is just an extension of that. While Trump has made incendiary and provocative comments on the stump, in no way does that mean that protestors have a right to disrupt his free speech. Answer free speech with more free speech, period. Not the suppression of free speech.
You are correct. Disrupting a speech is not freedom of speech, but you know for the left it is “Freedom of speech for me, but not for thee
They blame the person who hit, but not the disruptive protestor who likely issued fighting words before being hit.
The left is going to get Trump assassinated and start a shit storm and then Obama is going to cancel the Election and declare martial law. Transforming America, is exactly what Obama and Soros are doing.
“That the left shuts down people with whom it differs is a rule in every leftist society.”
True that. And Hillary and Obama totally agree with it, while the media gives them cover.
He most certainly did. Perhaps he was too quick in adding that Trump’s incendiary rhetoric heats things up but that is true as well.
More than half of Cruz’s comments post protest were against the protesters, but you will never see that here.
He said he’d consider it... close enough.
Could you rephrase that?
Sorry. He had no business using the situation to throw in criticism of Trump. The leftist agitators do this to all kinds of people - conservative students, professors, actors - and long before Trump tossed his hat in the ring.
The common denominator is they want to shut down viewpoints they don’t like. And Cruz should have stuck to condemning that.
Well, you may not like it but he had every right to criticize Trump.
Before he did, he had totally condemned the protesters.
Guess what, Ted Cruz is running against Trump and has every right to criticize Trump’s rabble rousing bombast.
Sorry, there are times to put the partisanship aside and stand together against a common enemy. If Cruz wins the nomination, the same nimrods are going to be coming after him. Doesn’t matter how nicey-nice Cruz speaks.
I’ll refer you to post 25, which hits the nail squarely.
OH yeah. Two sentences of Cruz’s comments.
Whoop-de-friggin-do.
Doesn’t change that he did what was pretty much use the victims of a left-wing terror attack to get in a cheap shot at Trump.
What a sack of infectious human waste.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.