Glenn Youngkin has joined the chorus of MAGAs who want folks who already believe their lies about the “No Kings” protests scheduled for Saturday being “hate America” terrorist rallies.
Youngkin, in his final weeks as governor, announced on Twitter Friday that he has “authorized members of the National Guard to be placed in ‘state active duty’ status to ensure the Guard will be ready to respond alongside our substantially increased police presence to help keep Virginians safe.”
“I want to be clear that Virginians have a fundamental right to free speech and peaceful assembly, but that right does not include the destruction of property, looting, vandalism, disruption of traffic, or violence of any kind – for which there will be zero tolerance,” Youngkin wrote in the statement.
You’d want to hope that this means the focus would be on keeping anti-Trump protestors safe from:
- a neo-Nazi driving his big truck at a high rate of speed through an intersection in front of a protest site.
- an angry MAGA with a gun on his lap muttering to himself at a stoplight.
- a guy yelling at the top of his lungs: “You’re going to get yourself killed with your queer-ass LGBT bullshit. I’m going to kill you. I’m locked and loaded. I’ll kill you.”
We’ve had three local anti-Trump protests this year, and that’s been the extent of the bad actors of any kind – and funny thing, the local police and local prosecutors did nothing about any of it.
ICYMI
- Staunton PD officer warned Armentrout about ‘spinning tires’ before letting him walk
- Witness: ‘Agitated’ man in truck brandished gun at Staunton protest rally
- Staunton Police arrest, then quickly release, man who shouted death threats at protest
In addition to the guy who promised to “kill” people over “queer-ass LGBT bullshit,” we had the guy who drove his oversized truck with smoke blowing and tires squealing past a sidewalk of anti-Trump protestors directly telling the cop who pulled him over that he was “gonna get out and punch them right square in the motherfucking mouth,” and still, nothing – the cop didn’t arrest him, let him go on his way to drive through the intersection with squealing tires and smoke a second and third time.
The guy who threatened to “kill” people was picked up on an outstanding warrant, but that case was later dismissed, so, a lot of good that did.
I’m sure this is the kind of thing that Youngkin has in mind when he’s puffing up about having the National Guard on standby – that he wants to protect Virginians exercising their “fundamental right to free speech and peaceful assembly” from being run over or shot up.
I didn’t sense that from his tweet, though, did you?
Maybe I’m missing something.
No Kings’: Saturday, Oct. 18 local events
- Staunton: Augusta County Courthouse, 12:30-2 p.m.
- Charlottesville: The Shops at Stonefield, 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
- Harrisonburg: Sign up for more details, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Shenandoah County: 443 W. Reservoir Road, Woodstock, 10 am. to noon
- Culpeper: Sign up for more details, 10 a.m. to noon
- Lynchburg: Miller Park, 2-4 p.m.
- Roanoke: Corner of Orange and Burrell, noon to 1 p.m.
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Chris Graham
