In the immediate aftermath of Dylann Roof’s mass murder of nine African-Americans in a Charleston church, Rush Limbaugh was anxious. Even a cursory glimpse into Roof’s life revealed an alienated young bigot, filled with grievance and resentment toward minorities in general, blacks in particular. It was clear he was an avid consumer of right wing grievance, and the Carolinas were Rush country, a ratings refuge in his increasingly shrinking nationwide footprint.
Nothing gets the Fox/AM “personalities” touchier than any implication their repetitive toxin may have produced real world consequences, ugly violence carried out by one of their rabid consumers; the Charleston horror was no exception. Limbaugh wanted distance between himself and lone wolf Roof, immediately painting the teenager as “sick” and “disturbed,” even as he assured his audience he was not going to jump to conclusions. Indeed, right-wing terrorist events stand alone in that regard within the Fox/AM universe. Just like Trump, it’s the only time they seem at all deliberate. But early on it was clear Roof was a product of right-wing hate, fully exhibiting its many brands in photos and social media. And so the Rushster was edgy and quick to preempt any sort of speculation that he had any influence at all on the disturbed youngster.
In between attacking then President Obama for politicizing the mass killing, even though Obama had made it a point to say he was waiting for the investigation to proceed before issuing a statement, Limbaugh let his listeners provide him with cover. He couldn’t agree more with Anthony from Henderson, North Carolina, who declared “nowadays you just can’t do anything with a person with mental problems.” Case closed. Hands washed.
A stochastic terrorist is defined as one who “publically demonizes a person or group resulting in the incitement of a violent act, which is statistically probable, but whose specifics are not predicted.” I admit, until very recently, I had no idea such a term existed, yet there it is. Never has one sentence so clearly described so much.
That this has become a Fox/AM Presidency is beyond dispute. Not only does our Chief Executive completely rely on Fox News and the AM talk radio universe for all of his messaging, but also fully depends on it to inform his own worldview, as well as primary advice for carrying out his duties and staffing White House and other high-level government positions. In other words, as clearly articulated by the definition above, US government is in the hands of stochastic terrorists. Hey! ….blame Webster’s!
Our President’s disdain for the toil of governance has left him with a lot of time on his hands. Trapped within the White House gates, and wholly disinterested in performing the job he never wanted, Trump has gone stir crazy since his inauguration. With only so much golf to be played, a ridiculous number of rounds even he can recognize as bad optics, what to do? Such is the dilemma of a lazy imposter hopelessly over his head, desperately seeking relevance. Rallies to the rescue! Trump rallies have provided him something to do he actually likes, while getting him away from the White House, where all agree he can only destabilize the planet. Even the Trump-branded GOP leadership embraces the benefits of firing up the base for mid-terms. Grievance and resentment gets nihilists out of their recliners!
Yet and still, to watch a Trump rally is to witness the very essence of stochastic terrorism. The press are literally kept in a pen and continually referred to as “evil” and “enemies of the state,” pointed to and continually maligned as Trump’s wretched core jeers and boos lustily. His defeated opponent is regularly denounced, instigating a Pavlovian chant of “lock her up.” Desperate Central American migrants are continuously decried as the scum of the Earth, rapists and criminals invading our sovereignty. Kneeling black football players are denounced as traitorous rabble. Democrats are existential threats to the country, with Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer bent on destruction. On and on… Low IQ Maxine Waters… Lying Pochahantas Elizabeth Warren.
If that isn’t public demonization it’s impossible to imagine what is. Of course, anyone with even a passing familiarity with Fox’s prime time line up, or tired AM talk radio routines, knows the President’s attacks are merely part and parcel of what’s on offer every day, all day, year after year. His is simply the bully pulpit, the ultimate platform.
Now bombs are being mailed to anyone and everyone on Trump’s enemies list; the “statistically probable act” has happened. To hear Trump and his creators tell it, the victims have nobody but themselves to blame. Like Rush with Dylann Roof and every other Fox/AM inspired Travis Bickel, whose hateful dulusions are elevated to shining acts of patriotism, there is nothing to see here; the most we’ll plead to is being part of a wider problem the other side is even more guilty in creating. It takes two to tango! Start being “fair” and things will resolve themselves.
The dangerous and uncharted territory this Administration has taken our nation gets sketchier and less stable by the day. Trump and his Fox/AM facilitators have created a powder keg they appear fully willing to detonate. This week’s events seem merely an early salvo of a nihilist horde unfazed by the lasting damage it can inflict on the country demagogues have convinced them needs saving. One thing is certain, whatever Trump whines to his wretched core, whatever Rush hisses to his faithful, we have a name for them now….. Stochastic terrorists. Look it up! BC