By C J WaldronBy any measure the shooting of two West Virgina National Guardsmen deployed Washington, DC is a horrific act. And because the alleged shooter is an immigrant, it has triggered the predictable fake outrage from the MAGA cult. Calls for more troops to occupy our nation’s capital have followed this event and it will surely ramp up anti-immigrant sentiment, which is already at a boiling point as ICE stormtroopers invade Democratic-led cities.
What is being ignored here is that these troops had no reason to be in DC. What Trump hailed as a crackdown on crime following the carjacking of a GOP staffer known as ‘Big Balls’ became a farce as the National Guard was tasked with collecting trash and raking leaves because they are limited by Posse Comitatus from performing law enforcement duties. So essentially, they are only there as a way to intimidate a typically peaceful population.
This past week there was even a court order that declared the deployment illegal. Had the court order been followed, the guardsmen would not have been present and the shooting would have never occurred. The fact that Trump’s DOJ immediately appealed the ruling and was granted a 21-day stay is directly responsible for putting them in harm’s way.
But of course, the MAGA cult doesn’t see it that way. The alleged gunman, 29 year old Rahmanullah Lakanwal, is from Afghanistan. He spent 10 years working as a CIA operative in that country prior to coming to the US. They point to the fact that he came to this country under a program for those seeking asylum, called Operation Allies Welcome, initiated by President Biden, so that is who they blame. So, while they accuse others of having TDS (Trump Derangement Syndrome), there are now those who say MAGA supporters suffer from an even scarier illness: BBS or Blame Biden Syndrome.
In the aftermath of the shooting, the Trump administration has sought a review of this process. Like he has with similar programs, Trump will likely seek to revoke the protections granted to those applicants and demand they be deported.
Had Lakanwal remained in Afghanistan, he would have been subjected to torture and even execution under the Taliban government for providing assistance to American intelligence, so he had certainly earned his ticket to the United States through his cooperation. It’s not something MAGA becomes overly concerned about when it comes to those it views as outsiders.
But the MAGA cult doesn’t see it that way. Instead, they are stoking fake outrage against ALL immigrants the same as the Nazi’s ramped up their ‘Final Solution to the Jewish Problem’ following the bombing of the Reichstag. They will undoubtably call for more restrictions on immigration and intensify their assaults in Sanctury Cities despite judicial orders prohibiting such actions.
Meanwhile, Trump is using this isolated incident to further his anti-immigration agenda. He has ordered a review of those holding Green Cards, with the goal of deporting as many immigrants as possible.
If the MAGA cult is truly angry about violence, where was this outrage after a Minnesota Congresswoman and her husband were murdered? Why didn’t they speak up when Congresswoman Nancy Pelosi’s husband was assaulted? Why didn’t they demand more action when Pennsylvania Governor Shapirio’s residence was firebombed?
Instead, they ignored the murders. They made jokes about the attack on Paul Pelosi. Though there were some weak comments about antisemitism being the cause of the attack on Governor Shapiro’s home, there was no overwhelming outcry for vengeance like there was soon after the murder of right-wing darling Charlie Kirk.
Nowhere is MAGA’s selective outrage more obvious than in their reaction to school shootings. Where was their anger after Sandy Hook? Parkland? Uvalde? Instead of demanding more sensible firearm regulations, they wanted more guns, blamed mental illness or simply said “Now is not the time” as they falsely claimed that the nation needed an opportunity to heal from the latest acts of violence.
Yet they are demanding immediate action be taken after the shooting of two National Guardsmen.
The death of Sarah Beckstrom is indeed a tragedy. She should have been home spending the holidays with friends and Family. But instead, she was a pawn in a political agenda meant to further divide the nation in a blatant attempt to solidify an authoritarian regime.
C J (Chris) Waldron is a former public school educator in New York State and adjunct English professor in Conway, SC. He is co-author of Hijacked Nation, Donald Trump’s attack on America’s Greatness, published in three volumes and available on Amazon and Barnes & Noble. He is a regular contributor to Lean to the Left and all of his articles are archived here.
