A sad day for America
Rory Ryan
By Rory Ryan
The Highland County Press
Saturday, July 13, 2024 ought to be remembered as a very sad day for the United States.
Former President Donald J. Trump was just beginning his speech at a campaign rally in Butler, Pa., when an obviously deranged and overstimulated 20-year-old from the area opened fire with a rifle from a nearby rooftop.
President Trump was shot, a bullet barely missing a fatal strike.
“A fraction of an inch and he would’ve been dead,” Karl Rove said. “To survive that moment and react the way he did, it’s an iconic moment. But what worries me is: Is this one and done, or are we entering a period like from 1963 to 1981?”
Corey Comperatore, a 50-year-old former volunteer fire chief from Buffalo Township, Pa. and a father of two, was less fortunate. He dove on his family to protect them from the bullets, according to Gov. Josh Shapiro.
Shapiro described Comperatore as a dad who attended church every Sunday and loved his community and family. He was also an avid Trump supporter and "was so excited to be there with him last night."
"Corey was the very best of us," Shapiro said. "May his memory be a blessing."
Two additional victims at the rally sustained critical injuries.
After being shot, President Trump first ducked down at the lectern, and Secret Service agents quickly rushed to his side. As the agents were protecting the former president and planning his exit, he stood strong and courageous, raised his fist into the air to show his supporters he was only wounded, and rallied America to "Fight, Fight, Fight."
The attack occurred just two days before the start of the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee, where GOP delegates will formally designate Donald Trump as their presidential candidate to take on President Joe Biden in November.
On Sunday, Biden said, "There is no place in America for this kind of violence or for any violence for that matter. An assassination attempt is contrary to everything we stand for as a nation. Everything. It’s not who we are as a nation. It’s not America, and we cannot allow this to happen. Unity is the most elusive goal of all, but nothing is important than that right now — unity. We’ll debate, and we’ll disagree. That’s not — that’s not going to change. But it’s going to — we’re going to not lose sight of the fact of who we are as Americans."
Well, pardon me for saying so, but that's a bit like closing the barn door after the horses escaped.
The anti-Trump rhetoric of the past eight years has been more vicious and violent against the 45th president than any other president or presidential candidate in modern history. Bar none.
A social media post tied to a staffer of Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., is being scrutinized after it appeared to support the shooter’s assassination attempt on the former president. The now-deleted post captured by SuperTalk Mississippi News was on the page of Jacqueline Marsaw, a case manager and field director for the Mississippi Democrat. It read: “I don’t condone violence but please get you (sic) some shooting lessons so you don’t miss next time ooops that wasn’t me talking.”
Nice. What an idiot. Tax dollars at work.
One of Trump’s potential running mates (and not my first choice to join the ticket – I prefer Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina), Sen. J.D. Vance, R-Ohio, said, “The central premise of the Biden campaign is that President Donald Trump is an authoritarian fascist must be stopped at all costs. That rhetoric led directly to President Trump’s attempted assassination.”
There is more than enough evidence to support Vance's statement.
One of my favorite columnists, Victor Davis Hanson, posted the following on X:
"Since at least 2016, there has been a parlor game among Leftist celebrities and entertainers joking (one hopes), dreaming, imagining and just talking about the various and graphic ways they would like to assassinate or seriously injure Trump:
"By slugging his face (Robert De Niro), by decapitation (Kathy Griffin, Marilyn Manson), by stabbing (Shakespeare in the Park), by clubbing (Mickey Rourke), by shooting (Snoop Dogg), by poisoning (Anthony Bourdain), by bounty killing (George Lopez), by carrion eating his corpse (Pearl Jam), by suffocating (Larry Whilmore), by blowing him up (Madonna, Moby), by throwing him over a cliff (Rosie O’Donnell), just by generic “killing” him (Johnny Depp, Big Sean), or by martyring him (Reid Hoffman: 'Yeah, I wish I had made him an actual martyr.').
"Or should we deplore the use of telescopic scope imagery, given that the Left blamed Sarah Palin for once using bullseye spots on an election map of opposition congressional districts, claiming that such usage had incited the mass shooting by Jared Lee Loughner?
"Yet, recently, POTUS Joe Biden was a little bit more graphic and a lot more literal. In a widely reported call to hundreds of donors last week, Biden boasted, “I have one job, and that’s to beat Donald Trump. I’m absolutely certain I’m the best person to be able to do that. So, we’re done talking about the debate, it’s time to put Trump in a bullseye.
"In a bullseye?
"Then there is the question of the Secret Service and one’s political opponents. Given the tragic history of the Kennedys, why in the world did the Biden administration not insist that third-party candidate Robert Kennedy Jr. be accorded Secret Service protection? Because his candidacy was felt to be disadvantageous to Biden?
"And why just this April would the former head of the January 6th Committee and 2004 election obstructionist Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., introduce legislation ridiculously entitled, “Denying Infinite Security and Government Resources Allocated toward Convicted and Extremely Dishonorable (DISGRACED) Former Protectees Act” to strip away Secret Service protection for former President Trump and by this April current leading presidential candidate? Had Thompson’s bill passed, would that not have been confirmation for a potential shooter to feel his task was just made much easier?
"But in a wider sense, if the common referent day after day on the Left is that Trump is another Hitler (cf. a recent The New Republic cover where Trump is literally photoshopped as Hitler), then it seems reckless not to imagine an unhinged or young shootist believing that by taking out someone identical to one of the greatest mass murderers in history, he would be applauded for his violence?
"Finally, the idea, if true, that bystanders spotted a 20-year-old on a nearby roof with a gun, a mere 130 yards from Trump, and in vain warned police of his presence, is surreal. Is it all that hard for the Secret Service to post a few agents on the tops of a few surrounding buildings closest to the dais, or at least coordinate with local law enforcement to do the same? That is a no brainer. Whoever made the decisions concerning the proper Secret Service security details for presidential events should be immediately fired."
Read more of VDH's comments at https://x.com/VDHanson/status/1812434677312983429.
All of the vicious and violent anti-Donald Trump rhetoric must end. Now. It should never have gotten to this point. The media are complicit. So is Hollywood. So are many far-left Democrats.
Joe Biden (or whoever writes for him) chose this weekend's words with care and caution – for a change. How long will that continue before they go back to the vicious and violent rhetoric?
Rory Ryan is publisher and owner of The Highland County Press, Highland County's only locally owned and operated newspaper.
Comment
A Divided Nation Fanned By Radical Views
We are too far down the road of divisive rhetoric to make a u-turn towards unity. There may be a pause. But it will not last. It will not end on November 5th. The major media will continue to make mountains out of molehills. The trend I see increasing.
Why so negative?
The baby boobs, er, I mean baby boomers had their chance.... And here we are... I don't know why old fogeys are always so dour and negative. They are the ones who have been, or have supposed to have been, the care takers of our Republic the past 30 years. How we lookin'? As for me, I'm with my fellow Marine. I'm with my fellow Ohioan, my brother from Appalachia: Corporal J.D. Vance. I hope his 2 years in the Senate didn't corrupt his smart and rational mind. You see, the less time in D.C., the better leader one is. That's my opinion based on various and sundry facts and observations since Reagan beat Walter Mondale in the year of 1984. (I was in 3rd grade that year and J.D. Vance was infant. He was in Middletown. I was in an elementary school using coal for heat.)
The Media
It's now almost two months after the attempt on Trump's life. David mentioned the major media stirring the pot, making mountains out of molehills. If what you read or hear sounds shocking, stop and think about it before you lock it in. We should remember that the "medias'" real goal is to sell advertising. Well, not all media. This publication might be one of the few that does an excellent job of keeping opinions on the opinion page.
I was waiting for a 72-hour grace period
I fell short of my goal of waiting 72 hours after an assassination attempt before criticizing the progressive Democrats. Oh well. They have already broken the truce. Biden was in full mumbling denial of his with Lester Holt. Some CBS anchor named Brennan, was trashing Pres. Trump. Along with ABC's Martha Radish (yes radish, not Raddatz. For obvious reasons), they were criticizing Pres. Trump for raising his fist and yelling, "Fight, Fight, Fight!" Right after he took one off the ear. He wanted to reassure his friends and his Americans that he was all right. He did his job without fail, to the mainstream media's disapproval. For me and for millions of true Americans, it was the most inspiring thing I have ever seen. Period. Those progressive news people are out of touch, and they have been for... ever... The man just got shot in the ear, and there were 6 or 7 more bullets that whizzed past him. I loved Trump's response, and so did my fellow Americans. Then there's the 5 civilians that were struck during the assassination attempt. I pray the victims will be comforted and that they will always be in our thoughts every time that event is brought up. The "sad day" for me was yesterday. Monday, July 15th. That's when I heard the term "Assassination Attempt" while I was watching the news. I cringed and gasped each time I heard that term. I guess I thought that I would never hear that term during my adult life. The Democrat Party has a lot of explaining to do. But they're not going to give in to their radicalism. And that's sad. They are so full of spite, and full of lust for power and money, and it's deplorable. I want to say to the Democrat party, "200 years. It was a good run. Well not really that "good". With all the slavery, the Confederacy, the Klan, Jim Crow, segregation, socialism, and the over-spending. But Harry Truman was legit. Along with Sam Nunn, John Glenn, Harold Ford Jr., and when Bill Clinton worked with Newt Gingrich, that was ok." But time is up. You hedged your bets on Biden-Harris. And you spouted out too much vitriol and way too much anti-American ideals, and casted out Judeo-Christain traditions. It's time for the smart and rational Americans to fix our problems. My Country is worth saving. And my Redeemer lives.
Excellent and obvious observations
Yes, I am so remorseful for the family of Corey Comperatore. Continued prayers for all that were affected by this act of disturbed violence. Two other gentlemen were seriously wounded. Those 3 men were there, at the rally, to take part in their freedoms and promote democracy. And they got shot for it. It was a sad day... Yes, many high-profile progressive and democrat leaders have fanned the flames of hatred and stupidity the past 8 years. That makes me mad. President Trump showed us his determination and devotion to turn this Country around. He is not afraid of the progressive forces aligned against him. Drain the swamp, build the wall, make America great again, etc... whatever simple slogan Trump has, he means it. And he's coming. And we love and respect him for it. I also appreciate and I'm very thankful for all the mentions of God, from guests, citizens, hosts, and leaders on the news network I've been watching the past 2 days. I am hopeful for better days to come. When the better man is elected President again.