If you’re not already expecting and preparing for election violence surrounding the November political contests, you’d better get ready — and fast!
Top News Today :
Recent political threats and acts of violence are proof positive that the days of peaceful elections in the US — with candidates battling it out, accepting the results, shaking hands, then moving on — are dead. The American electoral process will never be trusted again thanks to Donald Trump and his false claims of a rigged election in 2020 combined with the deadly Capitol Hill insurrection in 2021. Or, in other words, certain citizens will always believe their favored candidate was cheated out of a win and will then stoop to violence to exact revenge against the political opposition.
Don’t believe it? It’s already happening.
Last week, 22-year-old Joshua Hall of Pennsylvania launched ‘election violence’ season by threatening to “beat the sh*t” out of Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell of California and then use an AR-15 to kill at least 3 of his congressional staffers.
“Joshua Hall made terrifying threats to the staff of a United States Congressman whom he disliked rather than attempting to effect change through any of the freedoms of expression that all Americans enjoy,” US Attorney Damian Williams of the Southern District of New York said in a statement. “These threats of violence endanger our public officials and thwart common decency.”
The threat against the life of a sitting member of Congress came on the heels of a violent attack against the husband of the Democratic Speaker of the House of Representatives.
On Friday, a crazed assailant broke into the San Francisco home of Speaker Nancy Pelosi and beat her 82-year-old husband, Paul Pelosi, into submission with a hammer.
David Depape was arrested at the scene after entering the Pelosi home and yelling “Where is Nancy? Where is Nancy?” Once he realized the House Speaker wasn’t home, he beat her husband mercilessly and fractured his skull out of frustration.
According to CNN, Depape was carrying zip ties and duct tape which police believe he intended to use to abduct and/or kill the House Speaker and/or her husband.
“This was clearly a targeted attack. The purpose was to locate and potentially harm the speaker of the house,” said John Cohen, a former counterterrorism coordinator and head of intelligence at the Department of Homeland Security. “This is a continuation of a trend that we have been experiencing over the past several years. It is a threat dynamic that has law enforcement extraordinarily concerned.”
“We are on a very slippery slope and I think the whole issue of security needs a fresh examination,” Rep. Anna G. Eshoo (D-CA) said. “This has to stop,” she added, referring to the propagation of inaccurate conspiracy theories and campaign ads that invoke hunting imagery that appear to be fueling fury toward lawmakers.
The recent threats and attacks have prompted the US Department of Homeland Security to issue a “heightened threat” alert for Americans to be on the lookout for domestic violent extremism. The rare warning from the DHS added that Americans should be prepared for domestic election violence before, during, and after the 2022 midterms — and that the threats could be prolonged.
“Potential targets of DVE violence include candidates running for public office, elected officials, election workers, political rallies, political party representatives, racial and religious minorities, or perceived ideological opponents,” the emergency DHS bulletin stated.
Experts are suggesting that it’s not a matter of IF there will be election violence, but when, where, and how much harm it will cause US citizens.
The heightened temperature causing ordinary citizens to act out with violent acts over political differences can easily be traced to propaganda and conspiracy theories.
Donald Trump, Fox News, and other ultra-conservative media outlets have been revving up their base with red-meat lies and propaganda that have served as a loud and forceful call to action. Groups like QAnon and others have also contributed by introducing conspiracy theories that call the truth and facts into question.
Now, certain Americans are preparing for election violence and to fight a nonexistent war that doesn’t need to happen but appears all but inevitable. Election workers are fearing for their safety and some voters are even expressing fear of going to the polls at all. According to officials, anything is possible.
So, keep your eyes and ears open and, as the DHS has warned, be prepared for a political and domestic war at any time and any place.
OK WASSUP! discusses the Top News Today:
Election violence and political war are inevitable.
NBC: Elon Musk, the new owner of Twitter, tweeted and deleted an unfounded anti-LGBTQ conspiracy theory Sunday morning about the attack on House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband from a website that has a history of publishing false information. Musk responded to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton when she tweeted out a Los Angeles Times story about how David DePape, the suspect in the attack on Paul Pelosi, had spread far-right conspiracy theories. Clinton tweeted the link to that story along with the message: “The Republican Party and its mouthpieces now regularly spread hate and deranged conspiracy theories. It is shocking, but not surprising, that violence is the result. As citizens, we must hold them accountable for their words and the actions that follow.” Musk wrote to Clinton at 8:15 a.m. Sunday, linking to a story published on a right-wing website called the Santa Monica Observer that questioned the circumstances… Read more »