Here is the ninety-second article in our Republicans on Parade series, featuring individuals who personify what the Republican Party has become. It is the first in almost six months. Today’s honoree is Trump supporter and White Supremacist Domestic Terrorist, James Alex Fields Jr. He is so honored for driving his car into counter-protestors against a Republican Alt-Right Nazi rally, murdering a woman for his Fuhrer and injuring several others.
A car plowed into a crowd of people peacefully protesting a white nationalist rally Saturday in a Virginia college town, killing one person, hurting more than a dozen others and ratcheting up tension in a day full of violent confrontations.
Shortly after, a Virginia State Police helicopter that officials said was assisting with the rally crashed outside Charlottesville, killing the pilot and a trooper.
The chaos boiled over at what is believed to be the largest group of white nationalists to come together in a decade. The governor declared a state of emergency, and police dressed in riot gear ordered people out. The group had gathered to protest plans to remove a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee, and others arrived to protest the racism.
Matt Korbon, a 22-year-old University of Virginia student, said several hundred counter-protesters were marching when "suddenly there was just this tire screeching sound." A silver Dodge Challenger smashed into another car, then backed up, barreling through "a sea of people."
The impact hurled people into the air. Those left standing scattered, screaming and running for safety in different directions.
The driver was later identified by police as James Alex Fields Jr. of Ohio. Police say Fields, 20, has been charged with charged with second-degree murder, three counts of malicious wounding, and one count related to leaving the scene. A bond hearing is scheduled for Monday…
From <Chicago Tribune>
I identified Fields, as opposed to the other terrorists, by labeling him with the symbol of his Reich.
Here are some CNN commentators discussing the hate crime.
Note how the Republicans tried to minimize their associate’s actions and blame the peaceful victims for this Republican Domestic Terrorism.
Fields could not deserve a parade more, so it’s time I dusted off the series. However, the cost was much too high.
RESIST!!
8 Responses to “Republicans on Parade – 8/13/2017”
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Her name was Heather Heyer. She was 32, a paralegal, a lifelong liberal. There are and have been vigils all over the country, maybe all over the world, to honor her memory. Damned right the cost was too high.
I watched the horrifying video of the car mowing into the crowd(s).
I’m stunned, numb, and deeply saddened by this tragedy, and for the state that our Country is in now.
“Move past white supremacy?” Wouldn’t that be convenient…for some?!
Due to the time difference I had the full story on the news yesterday morning, and without commenting the national A(ustralian)BC made it very clear what had happened: First they brought the heartbreaking news of a deadly attack by car – something everyone in Europe and Australia connects to the Da’esh – but made the circumstances in which it happened very clear: a white supremacist attack on left-wing protesters. Then the ABC referred to the KKK intimidation of (mainly liberal) students on the university campus in Charlottesville the night before, followed by Drumpf’s belated univocal response to the carnage, blamed the unrest “on many sides.” As I said, no comment was made at that time, but that wasn’t necessary. Like Lynn, I was fuming.
And as more came to light over the day, I haven’t stopped since. It was good to see that many people condemned what happened and Drumpf’s repeated “on many sides” in the little speech that had to be written for him first, causing the delay in response many criticized. But even a pre-written statement couldn’t prevent Drumpf from only paying attention to what matters to him; he again couldn’t help himself and had to repeat, i.e. emphasize “on many sides.” By then the WH must have known that the violence had already started on Friday night, when hundreds of white marchers with blazing torches appeared at the campus for a Ku-Klux-Klan type rally with David Duke, a former leader of the white supremacist Ku Klux Klan, present. The WH/Drumpf had their chance of denouncing white supremacists in general and especially the actions of James Alex Fields Jr. They could have extended their condolences to Heather Heyer’s family and friends when they did so for the occupants of the helicopter that crashed later that day in Charlottesville, but they didn’t. That says a lot, doesn’t it.
Yes, James Alex Fields Jr deserves a place in your Republican Parade, but so do the likes of Jack Kingston, trying to whitewash “and move on” what has happened. Sadly, for now we can only hope that Fields is joined behind bars by Drumpf and his cronies. And that Kim Jong-un shuts up for a while, so Drumpf can’t divert by retaliating.
Thanks all. Kudos to Lona. Hugs!
The fallout from Drumpf’s “on many sides” statement continues. Merck CEO Kenneth Frazier resigned from the pResident’s “American Manufacturing Council on Monday, saying he was taking a stand against intolerance and extremism.”, this in response to Drumpf’s comments. Of course Drumpf responded with a tweet (when doesn’t he?) which stated “”Ken Frazier of Merck Pharma has resigned from President’s Manufacturing Council, he will have more time to LOWER RIPOFF DRUG PRICES!”” And while I won’t get into “ripoff drug prices”, Drumpf is the last person who should be talking about ripoffs in such a manner as his whole life is one ripoff after another.
Of course the WH communications cabal continues to support in strong terms Drump’s statement. And one group, white supremacists, is happy with his statement. What is particularly galling to me is that some of the supremacists are from Canada (specifically Ontario). Paul Hunter, a CBC reporter in Charlottesville, spoke with a local church official who said that he and others saw a pickup truck with 5 helmeted men steaming towards the protest when a police car showed up. They did a dangerous and fast U turn almost hitting people on the sidewalk. Someone called out the license plate and asked someone to call police. The plate was from Ontario. So if anyone now thinks this is about a confederate statue, they are wrong. This hate has outgrown the statue.
Is this what Drumpf meant when he started his signature slogan “Make America Great Again”?
James Alex Fields Jr is just the current poster boy for the white supremacists and well deserving of a parade, as are all the other haters, but I really think that Donald J Trump, aka Drumpf, is even more deserving of a parade because of his encouragement of the white supremacists and his failure to denounce them. By failing to denounce them, he is in fact giving his support to them. The white supremacists are a part of his base, a base built on lies and extreme hate.
Lona, hope you don’t mind that I borrowed your “resist” sign. It is so appropriate for today.
“the largest group of white nationalists to come together in a decade.”
Apparently they forgot about the 2016 Republican convention.
Welcome Green Eagle!
Good point!