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Horowitz: Republicans won’t even fight for self-defense

Forget the mask; what we really need in this new America is a bulletproof vest.

Forget about wearing a mask; what we really need to wear in this new version of America is a bulletproof vest or body armor.

As our country burns and life, liberty, and property are gravely threatened in America's cities, Republican Sen. Tim Scott is focusing on renaming our military bases. Republican Sens. James Lankford and Ron Johnson are focusing on abolishing Columbus Day. Rather than deter and punish the violent anarchist mobs, they are taking their marching orders straight from the mobs. Who said violence is not the answer? Who ever said crime doesn't pay?

I've been tracking the dangerous trend of motorists and truck drivers being attacked by mobs blocking the roads and even highways. One would think they could just avoid the worst neighborhoods of Minneapolis, Chicago, and New York and confidently drive unmolested by the mob. Nope. These people are everywhere, including in small towns in red states, yet they remain just as undeterred as they are in blue states.

On Monday night, a motorist was surrounded on the streets of Provo, Utah, when he was trying to make a right turn. The mob started throwing things at the car, and as he gingerly pushed forward, one of the rioters shot into the car and injured the driver. His wounds are not life-threatening, but others haven't been as fortunate.

Thankfully, police arrested 33-year-old Jesse Taggart on attempted murder charges. Taggart is believed to have attacked another driver by breaking his window with his gun. What about all the other rioters? Are the roads clear? Were they punished? Why is there no deterrent even in a county where Hillary Clinton won just 14% of the vote?

I'll tell you why there is no deterrent: Even in states Republicans control, they refuse to punish the rioters unless they shoot someone, they refuse to clear the roads, they refuse to protect the police from unjust lawfare, and they refuse to empower the citizenry to fight back and defend themselves. When they do, they are the ones who get prosecuted, and those sheriffs who call for their defense get fired.

Earlier this week, Sioux Rapids, Iowa, officials suspended police chief Tim Porter for two weeks without pay for commenting on a Facebook post about one of the attacks on motorists: "hit the gas and hang on over the road bumps."

So even in red states and counties, people surrounding and attacking motorists are now protected classes? These are not people merely trying to hand out funky literature; many of them are coming for blood. Trump carried this county in Iowa by 25 points. If we can't elect leaders in these areas who think that motorists don't have to submit to beatings or deaths, we are done as a nation.

Yesterday, rioters blocked I-94 in Minnesota to protest a shooting … in Ethiopia. Blocking highways is not freedom of speech; it's insurrection.

Last week, Bill Torpy wrote a column in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution relating how he and a former reporter for that same newspaper were held up near the Wendy's where Rayshard Brooks was shot. Armed black men were manning checkpoints and stopping white people from driving into the area. He relates how there are now shootings in the area and it has become a no-go zone for cops. In general, 170 cops called out sick after officers were charged by the DA for the Brooks shooting. Local news are reporting about lawlessness in the streets of Atlanta with cars performing stunts and blocking the roads.

How does any of this happen in a state with full GOP control? Why is it that all Republicans care about is legislating on behalf of the mob instead of against the mob?

Republicans are missing a golden opportunity to force a fight over self-defense, crime, law and order, and safe streets. Gun sales for June have hit yet another record high, 70% higher than in June 2019. People are scared, they want order and safety, and they want the ability to protect themselves, knowing that the perpetrators will be the ones prosecuted, not them. Is it too hard for Republicans to stand for those people, these citizens of all races and creeds?

Clay County Florida Sheriff Darryl Daniels had the right spirit when he threatened to deputize law-abiding gun owners to help keep the peace if rioters start messing with his county. "If we can't handle you, you know what I'll do? I will exercise the power and authority as the sheriff, and I will make special deputies of every lawful gun owner in this county," he said in a viral YouTube video. "And I'll deputize them for this one purpose: to stand in the gap between lawlessness and civility. That's what we're sworn to do, and that's what we're going to do."

Speaking with the moral clarity we hear from almost no Republican, Sheriff Daniels declared, "Lawlessness — that's unacceptable in this country. Lawlessness — that's unacceptable in Clay County. And if you threaten to come to Clay County and think that for one second that we'll bend our backs for you, you're sadly mistaken."

That is the spirit we need from everyone in office, including the president, Republican governors, and county executives. Self-defense is the bulwark against anarchy.

1992 might have been the election of, "It's the economy, stupid." Well, this election better be, "It's the anarchy, stupid." And that begins with Republicans demonstrating their commitment to the rule of law in places where they already are in power.

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