At about 2:30 am, police in San Francisco responding to a call discovered that an assailant had broken into the San Francisco home of House speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and attacked her husband, 82-year-old Paul Pelosi, with a hammer, shouting, “Where’s Nancy?” The attacker apparently tried to tie Mr. Pelosi up “until Nancy got home” and told police he was “waiting for Nancy.”
Why isn’t this being called an assassination attempt? Pundits call the attacker a home invader or an intruder, but in fact he was trying to assassinate the Speaker of the House.
If we had called it an assassination attempt, as it was, then the other side wouldn’t have been able to pivot to “crime is everywhere.”
I still marvel that Republicans have the audacity to refer to Democrats as "radical". Um...exactly WHO is acting "radical" here?? Insurrectionists herding through the Capitol calling for Pelosi, defying laws, bringing our government to a screeching halt, how is this seen as anything but "radical". As seems to once again be the case, Republicans accuse others of the very things they themselves are guilty of. And as has been pointed out before, this is right out of the Nazi/fascist playbook. Only a party bereft of ethics, morals, or an ounce of any remorse or guilt could keep pulling off stuff like this. That's what we're facing, folks. Nothing phases them. Where is Republican outcry for an attack on a House Speaker?? Pursuit of power has blinded them to having any decency. But then, I think we knew this already.
*EDIT* In fairness, some higher profile Republicans have subsequently come out and condemned the attack on Pelosi, but the silence and/or tepid replies from some are certainly telling.
Heather, my mind is blown by your letter. OMG. Bryan Watson, you got it right! Assassination is exactly what DePape (do you BELIEVE his name???? “Of the Pope”) intended. To kill the Speaker of the House, second in line to become President if the VP cannot take over. I just can’t believe what is happening. I really hope our Fellow Americans get it and VOTE BLUE!
Thank you for this column. Thank you for introducing me to the term stochastic terrorism, though it sickens me to have to learn this. And until the MAGAt crowd and the Fox station that supports them acknowledges that this was an assassination attempt on the life of the Speaker of the House, I remain sickened by them. No, I will always remain sickened by them. This is the hell that Donald Trump and his evil sycophants have given us. Sending wishes for recovery to the octogenarian Paul Pelosi; thoughts of healing to the Pelosi family.
I moved from one of the most progressive communities in Massachusetts to a rural area south of the Mason-Dixon. I own and operate a multi-family complex that serves elderly residents with low and moderate incomes, almost all of who have limited education. In contrast, I am a 68 year-old atheist who has voted Republican once (against Ed King) with two graduate degrees.
Many of you mentioned your regret when hearing Hillary use the term “Deplorables” in the presidential debate, understanding that it would alienate a considerable amount of voters. Alas, you now echo those sentiments and paint much of the country with the same broad brush.
My take is that most of the people I meet in my rural community are generally good hearted but products of their upbringing: an insular culture, a bubble of influence dominated by FOX, silos of social media and religion that makes them both vulnerable to demagogues (politicians, tv news personalities and tv preachers). They have been ingrained with the notion “others” are a threat and they can only trust like-kind individuals while needing to “fit in”. Different isn’t welcomed, it is immediately suspect, a suspicion that I felt immediately upon arrival.
That said, people respond well to kindness and a helping hand. They want to make a life and a living and ensure their children and their children’s children have love, happiness, and prosperity. Republican politicians and FOX News personalities promise that but it is illusionary. Joe Biden’s empathy is real and he’s actually trying to do for all Americans what they need and want.
The problem is that there is a disconnect. Individuals who have been taught life is a zero sum game are easily manipulated by demagoguery that tells them that Biden and the Dems are giving all these “others” (minorities, gays, non-Christians, immigrants, transgenders, elitists) what should be “yours”.
By painting these individuals that are being manipulated with a broad brush you do what people like Trump, Hannity and the dark money want. You are telling them we are different, we are a threat to them, they are right to fear and loathe us.
The antidote to that is the type of empathy and broad based social benefit policies that Biden represents. Instead of all the time and energy talking about Trump we need to have repetitive messaging from Biden that he’s bringing Americans together and improving lives. And each of us have to provide individual examples of that reality.
Thank you for tonight’s note. I am terrified for my Orthodox neighbors in Los Angeles this weekend. I am glad to have your writings as a steady guidepost.
Assassinating your political opponents is one of the first steps in a fascist takeover. TFG has often suggested revenge against his political opponents if re-elected.
Ted Cruz has said that, if the Republicans take over the House in 2023, they will impeach Biden, even if there is no justification for doing so. He states that, contrary to popular belief, he feels that Trump’s two impeachments had no basis and were strictly political.
With this kind of whipping up of the base, it’s not surprising that anyone who does not publicly shout the big lie about the 2020 election from the rooftops is in physical danger from members of the public who have become convinced that they have a moral obligation to remove those who do not comply.
Thank you for the phrase 'stochastic terrorism'! It still rankles the mind as far back as Bill O'Riellys' repeated comments of 'Diller the killer', openly advocating (as you described) what eventually happened, and then blithely shrugging his shoulders, free from any responsibility for his advocacy however indirect. The same is going on today, a bit more refined, a LOT more blatant.
Going after family members is a mafia trait, a terrorist action, not something we as a nation have held up with pride before.
Yet here we are.
I visit some far Right sites, get a couple of newsletters from the new republican party, and pay attention to what's said between the trolls on social media. The misinformation is rampant and explosive. The fear is real, and Fox continues to feed it. Most won't watch anything that doesn't come from a Far Right source. Religions are being twisted to enhance the fear of "other" people. Only the Red god is true, all others are Satan in disguise.
People are convinced we're in a recession that will become a depression within months. They're scared enough to make it happen if there are enough of them.
There are illegal aliens handing out fentanyl to Trick or Treaters, Blacks are replacing whites in every sector of society, Biden will give Indians (never Native Americans) their land back and whites will have pay back rent for hundreds of years of occupancy, Putin is actually trying to save the US, but our news is being controlled by Obama and Hillary, COVID was made by the Chinese and secret cabals in the Democratic party spread it across the country, COVID is just a fake virus meant to scare people into wearing masks that have a powder in them to make people sheep. . .
There are days my jaw hurts from it hitting the floor. Conspiracy theories don't have to pass any test of logic, much less critical thought.
No, these people aren't necessarily the norm - at least I hope they aren't the norm - but they spread enough misinformation and fear that others start to doubt actual sources of information. That leaves the rest of us trying to disprove something that doesn't exist; there is no "there," there.
How the hell do we help enlighten people who have come to enjoy the darkness of fear and ignorance? I get the physiological concept of endorphins becoming addictive, whether through pleasure or fear, but I don't understand the willful choice to keep pressing the button marked "poison" when every single one of them truly knows right from wrong.
Locally, a Red Cap overhead me talking to a friend about moving to Costa Rica. We'd also been talking politics. He told me good riddance, America didn't need my kind. I let him know my interest in my homeland would not want, that I'd still be voting. He was shocked to learn that was a possibility. I think that's something they should hear more often. Americans may choose to leave the states for a safer place to raise a family, but our right to vote travels with us.
I keep reminding myself Italy got through their fascist phase. I just hope it doesn't get that far.
The attack on Paul Pelosi is a shot across the bow of democracy. The attacker was likely told, by whoever put him up to this, that Congresswoman Pelosi would be returning to San Francisco. Initial reports don't exactly paint the attacker as a genius at planning. I would not be surprised to learn this was a group effort.
Why isn’t this being called an assassination attempt? Pundits call the attacker a home invader or an intruder, but in fact he was trying to assassinate the Speaker of the House.
If we had called it an assassination attempt, as it was, then the other side wouldn’t have been able to pivot to “crime is everywhere.”
I still marvel that Republicans have the audacity to refer to Democrats as "radical". Um...exactly WHO is acting "radical" here?? Insurrectionists herding through the Capitol calling for Pelosi, defying laws, bringing our government to a screeching halt, how is this seen as anything but "radical". As seems to once again be the case, Republicans accuse others of the very things they themselves are guilty of. And as has been pointed out before, this is right out of the Nazi/fascist playbook. Only a party bereft of ethics, morals, or an ounce of any remorse or guilt could keep pulling off stuff like this. That's what we're facing, folks. Nothing phases them. Where is Republican outcry for an attack on a House Speaker?? Pursuit of power has blinded them to having any decency. But then, I think we knew this already.
*EDIT* In fairness, some higher profile Republicans have subsequently come out and condemned the attack on Pelosi, but the silence and/or tepid replies from some are certainly telling.
The Governor of Virginia??? Please, give me a break.
Good wishes to Nancy Pelosi, the wife, not just the speaker, and all the friends and family.
Good wishes also to the struggle of love against hate.
Can we please stop referring to conspiracy “theories “?
They are not theories, they are sick fantasies.
Paul Pelosi and Salman Rushdie: the Ayatollahs are different but the results are the same.
Heather, my mind is blown by your letter. OMG. Bryan Watson, you got it right! Assassination is exactly what DePape (do you BELIEVE his name???? “Of the Pope”) intended. To kill the Speaker of the House, second in line to become President if the VP cannot take over. I just can’t believe what is happening. I really hope our Fellow Americans get it and VOTE BLUE!
Thank you for this column. Thank you for introducing me to the term stochastic terrorism, though it sickens me to have to learn this. And until the MAGAt crowd and the Fox station that supports them acknowledges that this was an assassination attempt on the life of the Speaker of the House, I remain sickened by them. No, I will always remain sickened by them. This is the hell that Donald Trump and his evil sycophants have given us. Sending wishes for recovery to the octogenarian Paul Pelosi; thoughts of healing to the Pelosi family.
I moved from one of the most progressive communities in Massachusetts to a rural area south of the Mason-Dixon. I own and operate a multi-family complex that serves elderly residents with low and moderate incomes, almost all of who have limited education. In contrast, I am a 68 year-old atheist who has voted Republican once (against Ed King) with two graduate degrees.
Many of you mentioned your regret when hearing Hillary use the term “Deplorables” in the presidential debate, understanding that it would alienate a considerable amount of voters. Alas, you now echo those sentiments and paint much of the country with the same broad brush.
My take is that most of the people I meet in my rural community are generally good hearted but products of their upbringing: an insular culture, a bubble of influence dominated by FOX, silos of social media and religion that makes them both vulnerable to demagogues (politicians, tv news personalities and tv preachers). They have been ingrained with the notion “others” are a threat and they can only trust like-kind individuals while needing to “fit in”. Different isn’t welcomed, it is immediately suspect, a suspicion that I felt immediately upon arrival.
That said, people respond well to kindness and a helping hand. They want to make a life and a living and ensure their children and their children’s children have love, happiness, and prosperity. Republican politicians and FOX News personalities promise that but it is illusionary. Joe Biden’s empathy is real and he’s actually trying to do for all Americans what they need and want.
The problem is that there is a disconnect. Individuals who have been taught life is a zero sum game are easily manipulated by demagoguery that tells them that Biden and the Dems are giving all these “others” (minorities, gays, non-Christians, immigrants, transgenders, elitists) what should be “yours”.
By painting these individuals that are being manipulated with a broad brush you do what people like Trump, Hannity and the dark money want. You are telling them we are different, we are a threat to them, they are right to fear and loathe us.
The antidote to that is the type of empathy and broad based social benefit policies that Biden represents. Instead of all the time and energy talking about Trump we need to have repetitive messaging from Biden that he’s bringing Americans together and improving lives. And each of us have to provide individual examples of that reality.
Hear the crickets? The silence of the GOP on this assassination attempt speaks volumes. Silence is complicity.
Thank you for tonight’s note. I am terrified for my Orthodox neighbors in Los Angeles this weekend. I am glad to have your writings as a steady guidepost.
Assassinating your political opponents is one of the first steps in a fascist takeover. TFG has often suggested revenge against his political opponents if re-elected.
Ted Cruz has said that, if the Republicans take over the House in 2023, they will impeach Biden, even if there is no justification for doing so. He states that, contrary to popular belief, he feels that Trump’s two impeachments had no basis and were strictly political.
With this kind of whipping up of the base, it’s not surprising that anyone who does not publicly shout the big lie about the 2020 election from the rooftops is in physical danger from members of the public who have become convinced that they have a moral obligation to remove those who do not comply.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2022/08/16/trump-speeches-extreme-agenda-2024-bid/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ted-cruz-impeach-biden/2022/01/04/afc3f7ac-6da0-11ec-aaa8-35d1865a6977_story.html
Thank you for the phrase 'stochastic terrorism'! It still rankles the mind as far back as Bill O'Riellys' repeated comments of 'Diller the killer', openly advocating (as you described) what eventually happened, and then blithely shrugging his shoulders, free from any responsibility for his advocacy however indirect. The same is going on today, a bit more refined, a LOT more blatant.
Going after family members is a mafia trait, a terrorist action, not something we as a nation have held up with pride before.
Yet here we are.
I visit some far Right sites, get a couple of newsletters from the new republican party, and pay attention to what's said between the trolls on social media. The misinformation is rampant and explosive. The fear is real, and Fox continues to feed it. Most won't watch anything that doesn't come from a Far Right source. Religions are being twisted to enhance the fear of "other" people. Only the Red god is true, all others are Satan in disguise.
People are convinced we're in a recession that will become a depression within months. They're scared enough to make it happen if there are enough of them.
There are illegal aliens handing out fentanyl to Trick or Treaters, Blacks are replacing whites in every sector of society, Biden will give Indians (never Native Americans) their land back and whites will have pay back rent for hundreds of years of occupancy, Putin is actually trying to save the US, but our news is being controlled by Obama and Hillary, COVID was made by the Chinese and secret cabals in the Democratic party spread it across the country, COVID is just a fake virus meant to scare people into wearing masks that have a powder in them to make people sheep. . .
There are days my jaw hurts from it hitting the floor. Conspiracy theories don't have to pass any test of logic, much less critical thought.
No, these people aren't necessarily the norm - at least I hope they aren't the norm - but they spread enough misinformation and fear that others start to doubt actual sources of information. That leaves the rest of us trying to disprove something that doesn't exist; there is no "there," there.
How the hell do we help enlighten people who have come to enjoy the darkness of fear and ignorance? I get the physiological concept of endorphins becoming addictive, whether through pleasure or fear, but I don't understand the willful choice to keep pressing the button marked "poison" when every single one of them truly knows right from wrong.
Locally, a Red Cap overhead me talking to a friend about moving to Costa Rica. We'd also been talking politics. He told me good riddance, America didn't need my kind. I let him know my interest in my homeland would not want, that I'd still be voting. He was shocked to learn that was a possibility. I think that's something they should hear more often. Americans may choose to leave the states for a safer place to raise a family, but our right to vote travels with us.
I keep reminding myself Italy got through their fascist phase. I just hope it doesn't get that far.
Pax and Samhain blessings, everyone.
The attack on Paul Pelosi is a shot across the bow of democracy. The attacker was likely told, by whoever put him up to this, that Congresswoman Pelosi would be returning to San Francisco. Initial reports don't exactly paint the attacker as a genius at planning. I would not be surprised to learn this was a group effort.
Horrifyingly, I think that the attempted murder of Mr. Pelosi was but the beginning.
Thank you again for your analysis. I bid good bye to Twitter.com after 11 years. Deactivated my account and tossed forever. So long Chief Twit. 🙏🏽