Guest Editorial
Those who desire to peacefully protest have that right in America as an integral part of our Constitutional rights. Some of what happened in and around Fountain Hills, Arizona (March 19, 2016) however, is not protesting – it is disrupting. All Americans should support legal peaceful protesting. However, what happened in Arizona is attempting to take away Donald Trump’s and his supporters’ “first amendment rights to peacefully assemble.” That is wrong and we see it as a violation of our civil rights. Sooner or later there will be bad violence which could and no doubt will lead to even more serious violence. Patriotic American citizens must recognize what is happening.
What we are seeing here is a preview of things to come. Donald Trump is becoming the choice of the majority of Americans. No one and I mean no one is going to push someone NOT our choice down our throats any more.
I had personally never been to a political rally in my life. I went to the one at Fountain Hills, Arizona to show my support for Donald Trump since it is near my home. To say I was amazed, totally amazed, is an understatement. A conservative estimate, I would say there were likely 25 or possibly over 30 thousand or more people. But you will never hear that reported in “any” of the media. As a matter of fact the overflow appeared to be more than the regular ticketed attendees (I suspect for a reason). My wife and I both had tickets but decided not to wait in line for up to three and a half hours. It was held at the Fountain Park. The line to enter the main area perhaps three hours before the event was nearly a mile long. I would say about two hours before the event, protesters blocked highways to get there (they blocked the roads with their vehicles and chained themselves to the vehicles) so I would imagine thousands of others were blocked from reaching the event.
I know my daughter and her husband never made it. One interesting fact: no media source would even report an estimate on the number, yet The Arizona Republic newspaper mentioned Sanders had 3,300 at a rally. A friend of mine who saw (he did not go in) that rally said the number was overstated. Interesting isn’t it?
We are in the middle of a “political revolution” and unless something is done to stop the disruptors it could turn into a different kind of revolution. Americans are finally fed up with the status quo. The small amount of violence we have seen to date is nothing in comparison to what is coming unless something is done to squelch it. But will anything be done? At Fountain Hills Sheriff Joe had his sheriffs out in number and although there were demonstrators it was, for the most part, peaceful. No one bothered them even though they were rather boisterous and at times obnoxious if not pathetically vulgar.
The founding fathers declared government to be “by and for the people” yet the establishment on both sides of the isle has colluded to usurp that control to the point we the people no longer havea say in our government. This move started way back, with some exceptions of course (like Reagan and Coolidge), during the Woodrow Wilson administration. It is now rumored the RNC intends to change the rules to keep Trump out of the nomination. Support him or not, that is not right. I predict there will be consequences should that be the case. Apathy got us here! It will take paying strict attention to this election to get us out! Hopefully it is not too late so it takes war to get us out! But it could come to that. Keep in mind it has before!
As we walked among the attendees (Trump supporters) and talked to many, we found all to be rather nice, kind, thoughtful and intelligent – something not revealed enough through the media. I further find most “patriotic Americans” to be the same! Under this current divisive administration this point needs to be “driven” home much more. But media, I suspect, will never do that!
Don Bitler is a fifty plus year Arizona resident. Disabled veteran. Retired Pilot. Published Author.
