It's interesting. My question is getting a number of both downvotes and upvotes and for the moment is even. But no replies. So I'll go on.
In my view, 'zealotry' crosses over to 'radicalism' when the threshold of violence is crossed. We generally are concerned about radicals in religion or politics because we fear they will or have committed violence in the name of their cause.
Yet... there are far (far) more instances of violence on the record against Americans who support Trump than by them. Up to and including murder. In fact, there is so much political violence against them that congress created a list of violent political acts and entered the list into the congressional record[0].
Who is committing this violence and why?
Here is about 10 minutes of research:
- One of the murders, Lee Keltner, a hatter in Colorado:
Regarding the 7 page listing of more than 200 various acts of political violence, including attempted murder, against conservative politicians; I searched for the same document produced during the Obama administration and could not find one. From that I infer that during his administration, neither conservative nor liberal politicians saw political violence as enough of a concern to list it and enter into the permanent record of the United States Congress.
Political and religious violence and oppression was one of the primary motivators for the United States to seek independence from England. We are going backwards.
Any congressperson is free to enter something into the congressional record. That alone should hold no sway. As for this list, it includes tweets comparing trump to hitler as acts of "violence", and the fbi disagrees with your top-line conclusion that Trump's supporters are victims more often than assailants.
In my view, 'zealotry' crosses over to 'radicalism' when the threshold of violence is crossed. We generally are concerned about radicals in religion or politics because we fear they will or have committed violence in the name of their cause.
Yet... there are far (far) more instances of violence on the record against Americans who support Trump than by them. Up to and including murder. In fact, there is so much political violence against them that congress created a list of violent political acts and entered the list into the congressional record[0].
Who is committing this violence and why?
Here is about 10 minutes of research:
- One of the murders, Lee Keltner, a hatter in Colorado:
https://www.denverpost.com/2020/10/17/lee-keltner-protest-sh...
- In this assault, the first is mild. The student punched in the face could have had knocked teeth out:
https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/rising-political-tension
- Punched in the face for wearing a hat in Russian. The assailant couldn't read it, but attacked once the wearer told him the translation:
https://www.thedailybeast.com/man-beaten-up-in-california-re...
- [0] And here is that seven pages of a Political Violence Report, official congressional record:
https://docs.house.gov/meetings/JU/JU00/20190409/109266/HHRG...
- The other murder:
https://katu.com/news/local/patriot-prayer-founder-man-shot-...
- Here are three more assaults, including an 81 year-old man:
https://www.bostonherald.com/2019/02/28/maga-hat-wearing-vic...
- This was a serious beating, an art gallery owner:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/york-city-gallery-owner-attacked-w...
- Citing the Berkeley assault, this guy wrote and app to help conservatives find safe places to dine out:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2019/03/11/need-safe...
- This is attempted murder:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/man-arrested-allegedly-driving-van...
Regarding the 7 page listing of more than 200 various acts of political violence, including attempted murder, against conservative politicians; I searched for the same document produced during the Obama administration and could not find one. From that I infer that during his administration, neither conservative nor liberal politicians saw political violence as enough of a concern to list it and enter into the permanent record of the United States Congress.
Political and religious violence and oppression was one of the primary motivators for the United States to seek independence from England. We are going backwards.