Violence as a political expression and why its threat to all of us

     On November 8th of 2016, Donald J. Trump won soundly within the confines of the law as far as the election for the Presidency goes. Yet this election cycle normally quite peaceful was marred by recurring violence by political partisans of both sides. While no one was killed or severely injured in the violence, it sets a disturbing trend for American politics.  Such violence lends credibility to the extremist groups throughout the  American political spectrum for advocating their adherents to prepare for more of the same.

    While there has always been low and somewhat discrete amounts violence due to strong and deeply held beliefs throughout our history. The overall history of our nation even in the midst of a civil war was a peaceful and smooth transition of power during the election process. It has become a point of pride that we tell the world of our ability despite deeply held beliefs that often divide us, America respects the rule of law above all else. Thus any violence reported is quite shocking to see reported as we have become so accustomed to a peaceful political process and transition of power between Presidential administrations.

    President-Elect Donald Trump ran a campaign using language and at times clearly urging his adherents to commit themselves to violent actions due to their strong revulsion to the "Establishment and Liberal Elitists."  This combined with language that was highly inflammatory remarks regarding various racial groups such as Americans of Latino extraction particularly those of Mexican descent among others lent credibility to those who sought to violently oppose the participation in our political process. Groups that were once nationally shut out of open participation in the process such as the KKK were now openly endorsing Trump and his rhetorical vision of "Making America Great Again."

   Yet the violence and the encouragement of such was not entirely one sided to the Trump camp. Various protests against Trump such as San Jose, June 6, 2016, were marred by violence directed at attendants to those rallies (1), This bodes ill for what is seen by many as a rise in partisan violence directed towards differing points of view on how the United States should govern itself. While political campaigns are infamous for their brutal and nasty effects those are largely restricted to character insults and other items using nonviolent methods to disrupt one's opponent

   Violence within the American social and political process is a direct assault on one of the most clearly defined elements of our Constitution, the right to peaceful assembly and to demand redress of grievances. We are too large and diverse a group to have a homogenous vision of our culture and that is what makes us such a strong nation. Americans draw from cultures from around the world and this dynamic energy thrusts us firmly towards the future. We are not a nation that idly waits for the future but instead seeks it out.

   I would call upon all who read these words to remember that tradition of peaceful protest and respect the rule of law. If we fail in this the consequences are very dire and could spell the end of our "great experiment".  While I detest the rhetoric and actions of President-Elect Trump and the various extremist groups that have sought legitimacy under his banner, we must not lose ourselves in the opposition by resorting to violent means to "end" or "stop" his tenure as our elected President. It is beyond my comprehension that we elected a man who was so clearly willing to encourage violent action on his behalf or at least to benefit from his "passionate followers".

  We are the American people and while we may be divided into many issues, it is clear we must respect the rule of law lest we descend into barbarism. It is the goal of this author to encourage all of us to  educate ourselves on the laws and nature of our government intimately. Our Federal Republic requires us to be active and knowledgeable, passively accepting what we are told IS NOT an American trait or tradition. But please leave the violence to your imaginations regardless of what side you march upon, it is unbecoming and dangerous to our cherished freedoms.


1:   http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/06/anti-trump-protesters-attacked-all-of-us-in-san-jose/485444/)