Jamison Foser wrote an excellent piece about how the media disconnects the threat of violence from Trump and his supporters from the 14th Amendment court case.
I read that and my first thought was, “Yes!” Then, “What can I do?” Followed by, “Do I have to write about it again? My brain gets tired just thinking about this! Where’s my Sodastream diet cola?”
Some thoughts one liter later:
1) The media doesn’t want to say it, but the threats from Donald Trump needed to be stopped years ago. Now to stop him it will involve putting him in pre-trial detention, with no direct access to social media, as the law provides.
2) Law enforcement doesn’t want to say it, but it takes too much time, money and human resources to find and arrest people making threats. So they just say, “It’s “protected” political speech and don’t charge anyone.
3) Legislators don’t want to pass laws that would appear to be targeting conservatives. Even suggesting it sends them into gaslighting hissy fits. “They want to send the FBI after me just because of a difference of opinion!”
4) Social Media companies don’t want to enforce their own Terms of Service on the use of threats of violence. They profit from the engagement by people who use threats on their platforms.
5) The victims of the threats and harassment need to be protected. If they aren’t protected the perpetrators AND the people who incited and profited from the threats need to be sued to compensate the victims for the pain and suffering they caused.
So, what is to be done?
Media: Stop buying the cops narrative about what can be done about threats of violence
Law enforcement to media about threats of violence toward election workers:
“It’s hard to find the people doing this.”
Bullsh** (If it’s a priority & they want to, they can find people. Read Reuters unmasks Trump supporters who terrified U.S. election officials Reuters reporters easily found people the police said they couldn’t find.
Media: Okay, whatever you say. So can anything be done?
Law Enforcement: Er, um well it takes time and money. Unsaid, “We don’t want go after Trump supporters.”
True story!
U.S. election workers get little help from law enforcement as terror threats mount
(I highly recommend this Reuters article. Read the first few paragraphs. It’s astonishing to me that no charges were brought against the people. Like this one:
Legislators: Pass laws to make it a serious crime to threaten people. Tell prosecutors to prosecute.
Justice system. We caught someone who threatened the life of the Colorado Secretary of State! We sent them to trial!
Media: Great! What happened?
Justice system: He got 2 years probation!
True story!
Man gets probation for making threatening calls to Colorado secretary of state
Legislators: Give more funding to protect people from threats
Colorado Secretary of State to legislators, ‘Hey I’m getting a LOT more death threats. Those 2 years of probation for the last guy didn’t really send the message that you thought it did. I need some more security money for me and my staff.”
Legislators: Nah, just try and ignore it. We’ll keep a police car outside your office for a few weeks until it blows over.
True story!
Election officials can’t access federal funding for security as violent threats mount
Advisory board rejected application from Colorado Secretary of State Jena Griswold
Media: Stop repeating Trump’s social media threats
Media: We need to read Trump’s threats directly, even though that amplifies the threats, because we are helpless in the method we cover him.
True story!
