Nazi Kills Blacks in Jacksonville, Christian Murders Business Owner over Pride Flag, and Beware of MAGA at Social Events

Mark Twain wrote:

“This is a Christian country. Why, so is hell. Inasmuch as "Strait is the way and narrow is the gate, and few-few-are they that enter in threat" has had the natural effect of making hell the only really prominent Christian community in any of the worlds; but we don't brag of this and certainly it is not proper to brag and boast that America is a Christian country when we all know that certainly five-sixths of our population could not enter in at the narrow gate.”

Black Deaths Mattered to Nazi Thug

Yesterday 21 year-old Ryan Palmeter, having failed to gain access to Edward Waters University, a historically Black university, in Jacksonville, Florida, drove a short way to a Dollar General store near downtown. When he got there he killed 52 year-old Angela Carr, emptying 11 bullets into her car in the parking lot, 19 year-old A.J. Laguerre, and failing to harm people running out the the back shot Jerrald Gallion who, unaware of what was happening entered the store with his girlfriend. He then killed himself. Palmeter was from Clay County, an adjoining county to Duval County where Jacksonville is located. He sent his parents a message just before the shooting telling them to look at his laptop. When they did they found threats he had written. By the time they managed to contact law enforcement, their son, armed with an AR-15 and a semi-automatic pistol was dead. The AR-15 he used had Nazi Swastikas painted on it.

Florida has long been a hotbed of racist activity and violence which is now being encouraged by Governor DeSantis, the Florida legislature, and Education Commission which are working to disenfranchise Blacks, and deny the onerous history of racism in Florida. While DeSantis condemned the act, his policies encourage the most violent racists in their witch’s cauldron of government sponsored hate. Expect more violence as Donald Trump escalates his rhetoric against the Black judge and two district attorneys in three of the cases against him.

No Christian Love for LGBTQ+ People or Allies

On his way to get crucified, Jesus told his disciples that “people will know you are my disciples by your love.”

In a perversion of those words a 27 year-old Travis Ikeguchi, who had all kinds of “I love Jesus so I hate Gays” postings on his Gab and “X” went to the business of Lauri Carlton, a married mother of nine in a blended family outside of her business in Cedar Glen, California, a town in the mountains northeast of Los Angeles. Before killing her he ripped down a Pride flag and was screaming anti-LGBTQ slurs.

This shows that one can love Jesus and hate his neighbors so much that he will kill them. By the way, his victim wasn’t LGBTQ, just someone who cared enough to identify herself as standing with them. Now who better showed their love?

MAGA Scheißkopf at a Friendly Get Together

Not to be outdone a MAGA Scheißkopf who I had never met before created some tension at a picnic at a friends house to remember her late husband, a dear friend who passed away in the spring. I was minding my own business chatting with other friends, when this gentleman intruded on our conversations. I was polite but backed away when he noted that he didn’t know our friend but was there because his wife was a friend of the widow. Finding that one of the people I was chatting with was Catholic he began to announce all the groups that he was connected to, all very politically active right-wing catholic organizations. So I excused myself to chat with other friends.

A bit later I heard him cornering an elderly retired Marine Colonel, bitching about his son, who he said was with the Proud Boys, being arrested for importing silencers into the United States, as I went to get a bottle of water. Once again, I steered clear of him.

As the crowd began to thin, he intruded on a conversation I was having with the other Catholic guy. I continued discussing the rather benign topic of maritime affairs, failed Navy ship designs, and history, when he went political, condemning former Congresswoman Elaine Luria, a retired Navy Commander, who had tried to keep the Navy from decommissioning it’s fleet of Aegis Guided Missile Cruisers. He wasn’t upset about that but called her a traitor for voting to impeach Trump and serving on the January 6th Committee. I asked him to back off and for a moment he did before jumping into defending Putin and Russia’s actions in Ukraine, justifying himself by blaming everything since the Cold War on the United Staes, the EU, and NATO.

The fact that the US and NATO had helped disarm Ukraine after its independence to placate Russia and were not remotely considering Ukraine for NATO membership until Russia launched its genocidal attack in Ukraine in 2022 and saying Ukraine had committed genocide against Russian speakers in Ukraine that provoked its 2014 invasion of Ukraine. He started getting heated and then said that Putin and Russia would save Christianity in the West. All this tripe was put out by Tucker Carlson, showing the toxic effects of his rabid lies on our country. He couldn’t see that he was disregarding centuries of Russian imperialism and the hatred of the Russian Orthodox Church towards the Western Church, particularly Roman Catholicism, nor its ceaseless persecution of Jews, Muslims, and minority Christian churches. He started to get into my face as I responded to his utter and complete Putin loving arguments, with history and logic.

As he closed within inches of me, his face was now bright red and eyes bulging, I decided to inch closer. Our faces were no more than six inches apart. I looked him in his eyes and asked where his Russian flag lapel pin was. He exploded telling me he had the right to speak his views. I retired that I did too, before telling him that he had too much to drink, and that I was leaving. I actually thought that he was going to hit me. Since he was about 10 years older than me, I kind of wanted that so I could clean his clock, without Windex, but wisdom said to back off.

I didn’t want to ruin my friend’s widow’s get together ruined. I got Judy and told her what happened and that we needed to leave. I told a friend on the way out, and he, knowing that I don’t back down from confrontation, congratulated me for maintaining my cool. What the hell is it with these people that they have to bring hyper-partisan politics into a get together remembering a departed friend.

What Happens Next?

All this happened during the week of Trump’s arraignment in Atlanta, and I do not think that any of it was a coincidence. MAGA, the White Nationalists, and Christian Nationalists are going crazy. From threats against judges, law enforcement, and potential witnesses in the coming Trump trials, to actual violence against Blacks, LGBTQ people and their allies, as well as antisemitic treats directed against Jews and Jewish institutions, the violent rhetoric is amping up. Sarah Palin egged on civil war in an Newsmax interview last week. Vivek Ramaswamy called African American Congresswoman Ayanna Pressly of Massachusetts a member of the modern KKK, and Megachurch, or should I MAGAchurch “pastor” Mark Burns was calling for war against Demonic Democrats,” of course in the name of Jesus. All of this will result in violence, and after yesterday’s encounter with the MAGA jackass I will probably arm myself. Despite being a Christian I no longer trust most Christians. This comes from a decade of being threatened by them.

The Week Ahead

I start the second year of my doctoral program bigly tomorrow. So my articles here will not be as frequent, but as I settle into a good rhythm between teaching history part time and the doctoral program work, I will post here, probably with Mittwoch Madness on Wednesday. I hope that I get some time to finish my series on America’s incredible scoundrel

Until then, peace out.