Twenty Year old Thomas Mathew Crooks murdered a bystander and injured others in an attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump. Trump suffered, a bullet injuring his ear. The killer was shot dead by a secret service counter sniper. The crowd cheered, “USA, USA!” once Trump raised his fists in defiance, proof of life. A relief for his supporters. Those shot and close to the dead and wounded struggled with life and death in desperate and confused moments. Though history will now relegate them as props to an event of significance, as human beings they lived a life. In politics they matter nought, just faces in the crowd wearing slogans on their shirts.
At this time just another ‘lone gun man’, American political assassinations are enshrined in such a killer tradition. If only, the killer of Arch Duke Frans Ferdinand of the Austro-Hungarian empire was deemed as such, then the stupidity that led to World War One may not occurred, instead contained between killer and slain. The US is different. At crucial historical moments a deranged man can swipe away the politically important. The bystanders hit, need not matter.
Before presidential candidate Robert F Kennedy died, after being shot by an assassin, he asked, “Is every body OK?” The 18-year old hotel busboy Juan Romero who held his hand as he lay bleeding on the floor, nodded, “Yes.” To which RFK replied, “Everything will be OK.” Kennedy died moments later. His murderer Sirhan Sirhan would go on to be immortalised alongside John Wilkes Boothe and Lee Harvey Oswald. If Thomas Mathew Crooks had of been slightly more accurate and Trump had not of turned to face the direction of the shooter, then his name would have become as historically significant. The bystanders he shot as forgotten.
In an attempt to prevent the former president of reclaiming his mantle in the oval office, the would be assassin has ensured his victory. Biden is out of ice cream cones and children to sniff, the senile in chief has been abandoned by the media and party diehards who had pretended that he was of sound mind and body. Robert F Kennedy, Jr now may be the candidate to face the former president. He could wear his Democrat feathers again, with a fringe following online and has his father and dead uncles last name. He is like Trump, royalty from the long 20th century, sacred to Pax Americana. What’s her face, Kamala Harris doesn’t even have supporters in her own household and despite the media suddenly reminding the world that she exists, her likeliness of contesting the former president is as enthralling as running Walter Mondale again.
Rest in peace the forgotten fallen of history, those who see themselves as your betters will stand upon the corpse you lived in so that they may ascend. Politics is that ugly place where those who seek to rule use the violent monopoly, they may even sometimes come to a violent end themselves. Politics is that ugly thing where those who politically oppose mutter, “pity they missed.” All the while pretending to be a peaceful person or that the religion of government is anything other than violent absurdity. Politics is the craziness that motivates not just the lone gun men of history but the marching hordes of genocide to do bloody deeds. Politics validates both.
Rejoice those who believe in popular messiahs, The Donald lives. If an assassin’s bullets hissed past his head to which his fists raise in response imagine how pointless the many “rhee!”of screams are should he find re-election again. Rest assured, Trump or Biden, same government. But with the magic wand of executive powers Orange man 2.0 shall dust off the 4d chess board and attempt to drain the swamp, again and make the place great again for the usual types. It’s not that Trump is that great a candidate, be honest, Biden, Hilary. “Vote Blue No Matter Who!” has led to a very embarrassing period for the devoted believers in government and party politics. But we have the Butterbean era of politics, smoker fights for the low attention spans. Simple slogans to seduce and placate, complex issues be damned, raise the debt ceiling and bomb Tehran or Moscow or a tent in the Yemen. All presidential things.
“USA! USA!” Cheers the crowd. And unlike other political candidates, real human beings like this one. Those outside of the status quo sectors that is. Donald Trump survived, he walks on now vindicated. He is a living martyr having bled for the cause, to his supporters and those on the fence, it means Vote One for him. RFK, Jr even with namesake and the podcast generation and all their memes doesn’t stand a chance. If anyone really wanted an alternative to the status quo, Jill Stein and Chase Oliver exist. But Red and Blue is choice enough.
Rest in Peace, the at present unknown bystander who was murdered. A real person lays dead.
July, 2024
