Earlier this month, I warned that rampant acts of anti-Tesla terrorism would eventually get someone killed if they weren't put to a stop. It is imperative that authorities take these criminal threats seriously and punish them harshly -- even if, or especially because, elitist coastal late night network audiences have literally applauded the destruction. Unfortunately, it seems as though there are forces within our society that are coddling, ignoring, normalizing or fomenting political violence. It's extremely dangerous, and it leads us down a profoundly dark path. It cannot be tolerated. People of good will from across the political spectrum must link arms and not only condemn political violence (of both the mob and individual varieties), but also jointly and loudly insist that perpetrators are made into examples through the rule of law. We must make clear that committing these sorts of crime crosses a bright line and will result in severe consequences.
As one example, officials in New Mexico have charged a man for acts of Tesla vandalism and arson, as well as the alleged firebombing of a local GOP headquarters:
The DOJ has charged a far-left queer activist over the arson attacks on a Tesla store in Albuquerque and the office of the Republican Party of New Mexico.
— Andy Ngo (@MrAndyNgo) April 14, 2025
Jamison Wagner, 40, an electrical engineer whose LinkedIn said he works at @SolaeroTech Technologies, allegedly attacked the… pic.twitter.com/KOCSHqC3Po
If convicted, this is precisely the sort of person who should sit in a prison cell for a very long time, thanks to draconian -- yes, draconian -- sentencing. This maniac is a menace a danger to society. His crimes tear at our social fabric in uniquely harmful ways. Make him pay dearly, and make sure everyone hears about it:
Throw the book at people who commit political violence. pic.twitter.com/F7OPWTB99e
— Guy Benson (@guypbenson) April 15, 2025
In that clip, I mentioned another example of someone who falls into this same category. The man (whose politics seem murky, with a far-left tinge -- UPDATE: It's looking like a Hamas/Intifada motive against the Jewish governor) who tried to burn down the governor's mansion in Pennsylvania, as Gov. Josh Shapiro and his family slept in their beds, should never walk on the freedom side of a prison wall again. His apparent crimes are outrageous. Decency and order require that his actions be treated mercilessly by the justice system. Heavy sentences may not deter every lunatic or evil person from acting on their worst impulses, but they'll certainly shape attitudes and inform decisions. This is an area in which a bipartisan (or really nonpartisan) stand must be taken. It shouldn't matter which "side" targets or assailants may happen to be associated with. Political violence cannot stand, and we must aggressively resist what feels like a collective slide into accepting it as a fact of life. It should not and cannot ever be allowed to feel normal. As for the question of which "side" has the bigger problem to deal with -- again, a problem that needs to be zealously dealt with by leaders and officials from across the spectrum -- this assertion by a CNN 'journalist' is nothing less than insulting propaganda and outright misinformation:
CNN: "Violence in the Country Today Is Mostly from Right-Wing Extremism"
— Western Lensman (@WesternLensman) April 14, 2025
“There is simply no equivalent on the left."
This blatant propaganda is aired smack in the middle of a wave of leftwing terror and violence; most of which Democrat politicians refuse to condemn. pic.twitter.com/dPiXkDSoUe
Even if you concede that the extremist Right has been responsible for a fair deal of political violence in recent years, the claim that the issue resides almost exclusively on the Right, and that "there is simply no equivalent on the Left," is provably false. It's astounding that anyone who's been sentient for the last decade or so would even attempt to advance it with a straight face, let alone as a supposed "fact" on a self-proclaimed "facts first" news network. From the Congressional baseball mass assassination attempt, to the destructive and deadly BLM riots, to the Hamas-supporting mob agitations, to the assassination attempts against President Trump and Justice Kavanaugh, to the endless parade of Antifa-associated crimes and chaos, to the Tesla terrorism, there has been a steady stream of leftist political violence infecting our country in recent years.
Indeed, nearly all of the people throwing virtual bouquets at the accused murderer of a healthcare executive are on the extreme political Left. They're openly glorifying vigilante executions, and associated politicians have qualified their condemnations of the slaying with morally reprehensible 'buts'. Noah Rothman traces the Left's sordid history of violence in this country, dating back even further and raising even more examples, including the 'Occupy' movement, the SPLC-tied shooting at the socially conservative Family Research Council, and beyond. It's thorough and replete with evidence, yet still scratches the surface. The piece also chronicles how prominent figures on the Left have justified, rationalized, cheered, and even advocated for political violence for years. Rothman concludes:
While the argument over the past 25 years in the mainstream media has been that political violence is primarily a threat from the right, the history I have laid out here suggests something very different. We’ve been lucky that no single act has set off a truly cataclysmic chain reaction, but the potential for a spiraling cascade of vengeance and reprisals is ever present. And one day soon—unless we grow sick of the sight of blood or become revolted by the thought of an America descending into actual political carnage, and unless the left is willing to take a long and hard look in the mirror—our luck will run out.
We can debate whether this 'progressive' problem is more or less systemic and severe than the right-wing side of the troubling phenomenon; we cannot debate whether it exists, no matter what a CNN correspondent might ignorantly intone. It seems like significantly mitigating this contagion of political violence will rely on the media doing its job and opening its eyes. If the press insists this is an overwhelmingly right-wing phenomenon -- which is just demonstrably false, regardless of how many tendentious 'studies' they roll out, while closing their eyes to an explosion of counter-examples -- we will lack the requisite unity and seriousness to stamp out the problem. Cultural tastemakers and political leaders must speak with one voice in saying, enough. And the enforcement of the law must speak even more definitively.
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