It was only a matter of time before the hatred that permeates this country escalated again into violence, this time in the nation’s capital.
On Wednesday, House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, the third ranking Republican in the House, and four others were shot by a rifle-wielding gunman at a baseball complex near Washington D.C. It occurred as about 20 Republicans were practicing for the annual bipartisan Congressional charity baseball game that was set for Thursday. As a show of strength and courage, the game was held as originally scheduled despite the shootings. Its origins go back more than 100 years, and the beneficiaries are the various charities that receive the money generated by the contest.
Thankfully no one was killed except the gunman, who died from wounds after a shootout with Capitol Police officers. Scalise was seriously wounded, and after being operated on, is still in critical condition in a nearby hospital.
Reports show that the gunman had repeatedly expressed his hatred of Republicans and President Donald Trump on social media and in letters to newspapers. Oddly enough, officials are trying to determine why the shooter came from his home in Illinois to Washington D.C. three months ago living out of his vehicle.
We feel that this was an incident waiting to happen, and the liberal news media is partly to blame. Since the election of Trump, not a news cycle has gone by that isn’t filled with anti-Trump reports spewing venom against the President, much of which is unfounded. There hasn’t been a single day without criticism coming from television network broadcasts, social media and large newspapers including the New York Times and Washington Post. They have whipped up a hate-filled frenzy that permeates the nation and has again manifested itself in violence.
The gunman was no stranger to politics. He had worked on the unsuccessful presidential campaign of Sen. Bernie Sanders, and had participated in anti-Trump marches. To us, it’s no secret why he traveled to the nation’s capital a few months before the shooting. He had made up his mind to turn his hatred into action and kill as many Republican leaders as possible. He obviously had a plan, and, according to reports, he would have killed several GOP members of Congress on Wednesday had it not been for the heroic efforts of two Capitol Police officers who shot him before he could carry out his scheme.
Perhaps this tragedy will bring about a change in the way the news is reported … or is supposed to be reported. It should be fair and balanced without including the personal opinions of news reporters and executives.
And maybe politicians and others who intensely dislike Trump, like Sen. Chuck Schumer and Rep. Nancy Pelosi, will quit their constant unjust railing against the President. He won the election more than seven months ago, and the beating he has taken since in the press and by liberal members of Congress is absolutely uncalled for. It hurts the country more than anything else. It is time to allow him to get on with governing the nation.
There are some positive indications of improvement. Most members of the House have shown signs of unifying as a result of the attempted assassination of some of their colleagues.
However, no matter how much we hope to see changes, we remain skeptical that any progress will be forthcoming.