Disgrace: Anti-Trump
Protesters Curse,
Spit on Gold Star
Families
This awful incident deserves
attention for a few reasons:
First and foremost, it represents
abysmally shameful conduct
from some in the "Love Trumps
Hate" crowd who nastily targeted
the family members of fallen
American heroes. My pal and
co-author Mary Katharine Ham
reported what happened on CNN Monday afternoon, relaying details via members of the Manion family, with whom she has become close
over the years. Here is how a clearly shaken and upset Ryan Manion Borek described the altercation in a Facebook post:
attention for a few reasons:
First and foremost, it represents
abysmally shameful conduct
from some in the "Love Trumps
Hate" crowd who nastily targeted
the family members of fallen
American heroes. My pal and
co-author Mary Katharine Ham
reported what happened on CNN Monday afternoon, relaying details via members of the Manion family, with whom she has become close
over the years. Here is how a clearly shaken and upset Ryan Manion Borek described the altercation in a Facebook post:
Amy Hastings Looney and I were honored to spend the evening
at the Salute to Heroes Inaugural Gala, where 38 Medal of
Honor recipients attended. What we did not anticipate was the mobs of people who hid behind the veil of the word "protester". We were an hour late to the event. First because we could not get around an angry mob in the street that was burning trash cans and smashing windows. When we finally got to the venue, a group of about 75 people separated us from the entrance. Amy and I stood there unsure of what to do. I finally said, let's just walk. As we made our way through the crowd we were spit at and called some of the worst and most vile things I have ever heard come out of a person's mouth. These people had such hatred in their eyes when they screamed at us. After leaving the event we walked outside and was first pushed by a man in a mask hiding his face, then told by 2 women that we ruined this country. They screamed this in our faces along as in the face of a little boy that could have been no older then 6. As the one woman screamed the other pushed up against me and colored all over my mom's shawl I was wearing with permanent marker. I am angry and I am scared. My brother and Amy's husband gave their lives to protect the freedoms that we hold so dear. The display that took place yesterday from people that truly have no comprehension of that jeopardize what makes this country so great. They hid behind the veil of posing as a "protester", but they are nothing more [than] thugs.
What the individuals who assaulted us did not know is that I am the sister of Marine First Lt. Travis Manion, and Amy is the wife of Navy SEAL Lt. Brendan Looney, who gave their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan.Travis was killed in 2007, and Brendan in 2010. We understand more than most how fortunate we are to live in a country where we can demonstrate and share our different beliefs. But my question for those who chose to take this route Friday is this: Are you truly accomplishing anything by inciting hate?...Amy and I did not attend the Inaugural Ball as a political statement. We support the current administration exactly like we supported the previous administration and just like we will support every future administration that the American people elect. Amy and I keep our personal politics private; our duty is to the legacy of Travis and Brendan and all those that have served and sacrificed.
In that first bolded statement, she is likely being far more charitable to
the protesters than they deserve. Perhaps they didn't realize that they
were accosting the families of American military heroes. Then again,
they were agitating outside of an event literally called the Salute to
Heroes Inaugural Gala, put on by the American Legion and featuring
dozens of Medal of Honor recipients. But even if these degenerates
believed they were merely confronting garden variety Trump
supporters, that's no excuse for their vitriol, their abuse, their physical intimidation, and their property destruction. Especially the wild-eyed
berating of a young child. That is not a remotely acceptable way to
treat fellow Americans who may -- or, in this case, may not -- hold
different political views. Rather than learning the lessons of Trump,
the End of Discussion mob seems to be losing its collective mind
and tripling down on its campaign of unhinged demonization. We're
even at the point where we're apparently debating whether physical
violence is an acceptable form of "resistance" against people who
hold genuinely odious views. Mary Katharine was right to admonish
the Left that this sort of behavior absolutely contributed to the rise of
Donald Trump, many of whose supporters have viewed him as
something of a one-man backlash against political correctness run
amok. She was also right to make this distinction during her
appearance on Jake Tapper's show (video of which is available
at the link):
the protesters than they deserve. Perhaps they didn't realize that they
were accosting the families of American military heroes. Then again,
they were agitating outside of an event literally called the Salute to
Heroes Inaugural Gala, put on by the American Legion and featuring
dozens of Medal of Honor recipients. But even if these degenerates
believed they were merely confronting garden variety Trump
supporters, that's no excuse for their vitriol, their abuse, their physical intimidation, and their property destruction. Especially the wild-eyed
berating of a young child. That is not a remotely acceptable way to
treat fellow Americans who may -- or, in this case, may not -- hold
different political views. Rather than learning the lessons of Trump,
the End of Discussion mob seems to be losing its collective mind
and tripling down on its campaign of unhinged demonization. We're
even at the point where we're apparently debating whether physical
violence is an acceptable form of "resistance" against people who
hold genuinely odious views. Mary Katharine was right to admonish
the Left that this sort of behavior absolutely contributed to the rise of
Donald Trump, many of whose supporters have viewed him as
something of a one-man backlash against political correctness run
amok. She was also right to make this distinction during her
appearance on Jake Tapper's show (video of which is available
at the link):
"I don’t think this [incident] characterizes the [women's] march and the movement that we saw out here today. I want to be careful about that because I think that that’s something people have unfairly done to conservative movements in the past and to Tea Partiers, where you pick one thing and you go: ‘Look at those awful people out there, their concerns should be dismissed.' But this is part of the story, as is Madonna saying she thinks about blowing up the White House. Those are not great things. If it were a conservative movement, we would hear a lot about it."
That's the other important angle to this mess. If Tea Partiers had
done something similar, it would have been national news. We
know this because Congressional Black Caucus members' utterly unsubstantiated claims of invective and spitting prior to the
Obamacare vote was instantly accepted as fact, and used for years
as a cudgel against the Tea Party -- which was routinely besmirched
and tarred by a tiny handful of alleged excesses (which were often debunked under further scrutiny). Mary Katharine bends over
backwards not to turn this sort of unfair, over-broad vilification
against the Left in this case, but she is undoubtedly correct that this
ugly episode would have garnered much more press attention and
cultural penetration if the various actors' roles had fit The Narrative.
They did not, so the stomach-turning harassment of military families
floated by largely unnoticed. I'll leave you with this Free Beacon
remix of one of Hillary Clinton's most famous television ads:
done something similar, it would have been national news. We
know this because Congressional Black Caucus members' utterly unsubstantiated claims of invective and spitting prior to the
Obamacare vote was instantly accepted as fact, and used for years
as a cudgel against the Tea Party -- which was routinely besmirched
and tarred by a tiny handful of alleged excesses (which were often debunked under further scrutiny). Mary Katharine bends over
backwards not to turn this sort of unfair, over-broad vilification
against the Left in this case, but she is undoubtedly correct that this
ugly episode would have garnered much more press attention and
cultural penetration if the various actors' roles had fit The Narrative.
They did not, so the stomach-turning harassment of military families
floated by largely unnoticed. I'll leave you with this Free Beacon
remix of one of Hillary Clinton's most famous television ads:
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