This letter is to respond to Bruce Newport-Kilauano’s letter (TGI, July 9) calling for civility on “both sides” of the political spectrum.
At its heart, this is a nice sentiment. This is just a brand-new Fox News and right-wing media attempt to silence vociferous dissent to the vile policies of the Trump administration and his complicit GOP Congress.
Let me point out: No one called for civility in the nearly 10 times that Donald Trump incited violence at his rallies or when he called the white nationalists “very fine people” after Heather Heyer was run down while peacefully protesting in Charlottesville.
Also, right-wing media has repeated said that Rep. Maxine Waters called for violence against the DT administration. This is untrue if you look at the actual clips and texts of what she has said. She did state that it is fine to harass his minions over the latest child-snatching controversy.
In fact, if you do the research, the right has a near monopoly in America of violence against its political opposition. You don’t find many cases of “bleeding heart” or “libtards” picking up guns against those with whom they disagree politically.
We were polite when we found out the election had been thrown to Trump by Comey and Russia.
We were polite when he ratcheted up rhetoric against North Korea and then cozied up to NK dictator Kim John Un, which proved a farce just this weekend as NK has stated they have no plans to denuclearize.
We were polite as they rolled back regulations to hedge against climate change, clean air and clean water.
We were polite as he began a trade war with allies and threatened the Atlantic Alliance which has created greater world peace since World War II.
We were even polite way back when Mitch McConnell stole an appointment from Barack Obama for the Supreme Court.
Many of us hit our limits when we found out they were forcibly separating infants and toddlers from their parents for months and still have no viable plan to reunite them.
Now we’re facing a Supreme Court that is already ruling against working families. All indications are that women will lose access to safe and legal abortion. (No matter your opinion on abortion, facts do show that abortion is at a 40-year low when it is safe, legal and available. Abortions don’t go away if illegal. More women do die, though.)
I work in healthcare. They’re threatening taking away the right to get insurance with pre-existing conditions. I know the millions of people who will be devastated by this. They’re also talking about gutting or destroying entirely Social Security and Medicare. I’m keenly aware of how many of our kapuna only survive because of these two successful systems.
As a gay man, I got legally married in Hawaii in 2013. The new Supreme Court will try to take that right away from me based on all analysis.
All indicators and evidence are that our president is a witting agent of Russia, which is hostile to the US on every level. They meddled in our election in 2016 and are already doing so for 2018 and Congress nor the President have done anything to stop this. In fact, eight GOP senators met in Moscow on July 4 of this year to kiss up to the Kremlin.
There’s no story where fascism ever ended by a little more diplomacy, politeness and civility.
American democracy, your civil rights and mine are now on the chopping block.
I won’t pick up arms, but I’ll use my First Amendment right to free speech and protest to its legal limit. I’m not giving up the America I love without a fight. And if I drop a few “f-bombs” along the way, you’ll have to get over it. Remember, we’re fighting for your rights, too.
This isn’t really a fight of left versus right as it’s seemingly being played out worldwide. It’s really a fight of the oligarchs versus the working and lower class. It’s also a fight of autocracy versus democracy. I choose to fight for regular people and democracy. I kinda think Miss Manners would forgive me under these dire circumstances.
•••
Jason Blake is a resident of Puhi.
HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH! nice try. both sides are broken!
Thank you, Jason. Keep up the fight.
Please exercising your legal rights to vote to change laws you disagree. This is the Nation of Laws and Orders ( Not a nation with Jungle Laws )
During October 1962, Robert Kennedy recognized the the nuanced differences in two separate Soviet threats as an opportunity to save the world. His plan and argument prevailed against the more hawkish responses being offered by a Cabinet known as the “Best and the Brightest!” This required an intellect for language and a perspective on History as well as a trust in the experts and their briefings and even the translator who interpreted the threats. Can you imagine how such a moment would be handled today?
It’s not just a matter of being embarrassed by the stupendous celebration of ignorance taking place with it’s word salad statements and childish taunting, it’s the risk we all are placed in by the destruction of critically thought factual thinking from the top down. It has stopped being funny!
What a ridiculous letter! BS from start to finish! Let’s all hope poor little Jason gets psychological help for his misdirected anger problem?
No help. only pity, available for supporters of the fat orange, racist, sexist, bigoted, unfaithful, lying, ranting, and now, TREASONOUS, baby-man out to destroy democratic values for his profit and the rotten feeling arising in his gut!
Gordon, your response is in itself hateful and rude. Do you need to rethink your own behavior and maybe look at why you seem to hate?
Trump ran an uncivil campaign and continues to have no interest in civility and then the right want to call others on civility? Please clean your own house before you even start to criticize anyone else.
More leftist drivel…coupled with some outright falsehoods.
RG DeSoto
No list, no reasoned argument, just a labeling and a declaration that it’s all fake. Just like the fat, orange, ranting baby-man himself would do! What’s next? A little act of Russian lapdog treason?
Thank you Mr Blake. Well said.
Thank you Jason for your comments, all civil and all, about OUR predicament with the ruling junta now in office. We should all remember how civil the Donald was as a candidate.
The sad state of things when people use opinion over fact to continue the divide. Instead of adding to this, I would expect a news outlet to have a much higher standard. Not only is the author misguided but the Garden Island should be ashamed they even published this piece meant to widen the divide.
Thank you Jason. I am also focusing on participating in the coming elections. To turn political attention from the wealthy elite back to sharing the amazing wealth of this country among all our citizens, improving the lives of everyone.
Jason Blake – right on!
#impeach #treason #MAGAts
The hard Left just cannot come to grips with the reality that a majority of America voted Trump. And long before the election or Comey said anything. It wasn’t Putin, sorry bud. It was Hillary. Period. Talk about global corruption. Poor Haitians. Poor anyone that has come under her wrath. We’ve been fed enough of the liberal garbage that is destroying the moral value system that our country used to be founded on. We don’t want tax dollars spent on abortions. It’s murder, plain and simple bra! We don’t want social programs that run our country into the ground. We don’t want unchecked illegal immigration. We don’t want your political correctness that stifle free speech. And YES, speech you don’t like is also FREE SPEACH! We are responsible for our own actions and don’t expect the government to regulate or dictate what we can or can’t do. When will these people wake up? More government, more problems. It’s based off a little something called conservatism. Nowadays it seems to be the counter culture. Good luck Jason. And by the way, the Left has not been polite. Not once since the election. Only the complete opposite. Violent and resistant to anyone that voted for our President. Your President. #Walkaway. Trump 2020. Aloha
You guys have to be friends with the Russkies now! We don’t! HaHaHaHaHaHaHa!
and this guy works in healthcare? aka when you’re sick guy with this mindset will be taking care of you….lawd have mercy.
hey jason, check your closet for any republicans or russians before you go to bed, they might get you at 3 am witching hour
Hey man, the hunt is over, we’ve caught the witches! One has a phony comb over and is rather flabby! Yuck!
You write:
“[Maxine Waters] did state that it is fine to harass his minions over the latest child-snatching controversy.”
In other words you are saying that Maxine Waters is inciting people to break the laws of the state she represents in congress (http://www.stopstreetharassment.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/SSH-KYR-California.pdf), which is itself a crime:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brandenburg_v._Ohio
Brandenburg v. Ohio, 395 U.S. 444 (1969), was a landmark United States Supreme Court case based on the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The Court held that government cannot punish inflammatory speech unless that speech is “directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action and is likely to incite or produce such action.”
Or at the very least not a form of speech that is protected by the first amendment.
You have named yourself well!