The President of the United States has threatened American citizens who disagree with him with violence.
As reported March 14 by Politicus from Breitbart, our president said:
“It’s so terrible what’s happening. You know, the left plays a tougher game, it’s very funny. I actually think that the people on the right are tougher, but they don’t play it tougher. Okay? I can tell you, I have the support of the police, the support of the military, the support of the Bikers for Trump – I have the tough people, but they don’t play it tough until they go to a certain point, and then it would be very bad, very bad. But the left plays it cuter and tougher.”
Mumbling incoherence aside, what’s “very bad, very bad” is a sitting American president threatening to use the military against Americans. Martial law and round up the liberals? Yes, he is literally endorsing a police state. Whether the military would do the bidding of Bone-Spurs-in-Chief – the anti-John-McCain – is another question.
And, my experience with lawmen over the years – daily when pounding news beats – has shown most of them to be pretty level-headed – and not particularly fond of rich-boy scofflaws.
But, wait. What about those bikers?
The most visible bikers locally are members of Freedom Biker Church. Their Facebook page opens with such threatening posts as: “These people who seek to follow and serve the One True God at this church are loving and compassionate.” That’s followed by the equally ominous: “Great church with amazing members.”
The church home page’s statement of purpose is ” We are a brotherhood of bikers bound by a faith relationship in Jesus Christ, a passion for bikers and the freedom of the open road. Bikers reaching bikers with the message of true freedom in Jesus Christ.”
Then there’s “Whether you’ve experienced a true relationship with Jesus Christ but just haven’t found the right place to fit in and park your ‘scoot’, or you’re still searching for something… Freedom Biker Church is the place for you.” They sound like a caring, compassionate bunch.
On a monthly basis, I share part of the Morris Building at Red River Vo-Tech with another biker organization – Bikers Against Child Abuse. I often envy their turnout. We would be hard-pressed to find a more praise-worthy cause. “Tough” for all the right reasons.
As anyone with the sense God gave a beet knows, most bikers are regular, law-abiding, non-violent folks who just happen to enjoy riding motorcycles. That’s why outlaw biker gangs are called “one-percenters.” They represent a very small portion of the motorcycle riding public. Are Bikers for Trump violent, one-percenter outlaws?
Probably not. But, I guess, identifying with the criminal element of society comes naturally to some people.
Local Democrats will hold next month’s meeting April 6 at 10 a.m. in the Winchester Room at the Fairgrounds prior to their county convention.
(Gary Edmondson is chair of the Stephens County Democratic Party: scdpok.us or facebook.com/SCDPOK/.)