There was a rush. A rush to applaud and praise a 66-year-old complainer to whom conservatives were the bane of the globe. The election of Donald Trump as POTUS so scrambled James Hodgkinson, he tweeted “Trump is a traitor. Trump has destroyed our democracy. It’s time to destroy Trump & Co.”
Certainly, enough emotional kindling was being added daily to the smouldering resentment Hodgkinson nurtured toward the U.S. president that he devised his planned retribution for the sins of the deplorables who had delivered the Oval Office to a 70-year-old inveterate tweeter who probably directly tortured Hodgkinson’s psyche.
So the madman acted, firing round after round at Republican lawmakers practicing for a charity baseball game.
What should have shocked, but didn’t, was the immediate series of social media posts supporting, indeed praising Hodgkinson. Fellow members of the Facebook group “Terminate the Republican Party” were at it immediately. “And it’s one, two, three shots you’re out at the old ball game!!!!” wrote Mari-Ellen Cain. Most replies consisted of “likes” and “hahas.” That Representative Steve Scalise had been critically wounded was celebrated.
Sonia Gupta, said to be a former prosecutor from Mr. Scalise’s home state of Louisiana contributed, “Before you start dropping to your knees to pray for @SteveScalise, remember that he’s a racist piece of —- and hateful bigot.”
On it went. Trump derangement syndrome feeding on itself. The weep-ins, curling up in safe spaces and hours of kneading children’s play clay replaced with invective, pure hatred and apparently regret Hodgkinson was such a lousy shot. Fortunately, the Washington Park Police were much better.
Today, we’ll speak about the impact of social media and their ability to not only affect, but also alter behaviour.
I’ll ask for your response to a tweet by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau this week, at the passing of his personally approved federal legislation rescinding a Stephen Harper law which allowed for removal of Canadian citizenship from dual citizens who planned, plotted or executed an act of terror.
Zakaria Amara, leader of the so-called Toronto 18 terror group which had planned to explode truck bombs in Toronto’s downtown during morning rush hour (an Al Qaeda-inspired act), will see his Canadian citizenship restored through the passing of Bill C-6.
Canada’s prime minister’s tweet reads, “Thrilled to see Bill C-6 pass in the Senate. Protecting your citizenship is our number 1 priority. A Canadian is a Canadian is a Canadian.”
To that I might add, “even if protecting your citizenship is done over the bodies of Canadian after Canadian after Canadian.”
Roy Green is the host of The Roy Green Show and a commentator for Global News.
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