5 radicals who learned there are finally consequences for publicly wishing death upon Trump
Establishmentarians and other radicals have in recent years wished ill upon President Donald Trump, circulated images glorifying violence against him, and trafficked in the kind of violent and dehumanizing rhetoric that some have suggested set the stage for the deadly attack that took place Saturday in Pennsylvania.
Middling comedian Kathy Griffin posed, for instance, for a photograph in 2017 holding up a bloody likeness of a decapitated Trump.
When Hurricane Dorian made landfall in 2019, a former Canadian prime minister tweeted, "I'm rooting for a direct hit on Mar a Lago."
Geriatric performer Madonna indicated in a 2017 speech at the Women's March in Washington, D.C., that she had been contemplating "blowing up the White House" while Trump occupied it.
Author Michael Wolff alleged in his book "The Fall" that billionaire Rupert Murdoch repeatedly wished for Trump's death.
While there were ostensibly no real consequences for such ghoulish statements and imagery, a new day has apparently dawned. In the wake of the failed assassination on Trump, radicals have begun to face comeuppances for wishing death upon the president as well as for bemoaning the would-be assassin's failure to murder his intended target.
Leftist Oklahoma teacher learns a lesson
Chaya Raichik of the popular Libs of TikTok social media account and others have worked ardently in recent days to highlight ghastly post-shooting commentary from public officials, academics, and others whose hatred evidently blinded them to potential consequence.
Earlier this week, Raichik shared a photo of Alison Scott, a teacher with Ardmore City Schools in Oklahoma. Scott allegedly wrote, "Wish they had a better scope," in response to a Facebook post that read, "SAY Gent that just SHOT TRUMP'S Ear, I got $500 to put on your books for tryin to save us homie."
Past cover photos on what appears to be Scott's Facebook profile indicate she is a BLM-supporting LGBT activist who was supportive of school closures during the pandemic. According to a 2022 Ardmore City Schools profile, Scott worked as a music teacher in the district.
On Tuesday, Ardmore City Schools released a statement indicating it was "aware that a district employee made a statement on a social media platform appearing to condone violence against a public figure. The district has begun a thorough and swift investigation into the matter."
"Ardmore City Schools strongly condemns acts of physical violence and any words that seek to encourage it, no matter their target," continued the statement. "It is the goal of the Board of Education, together with the district's faculty and staff, to educate students in a safe environment free from violent acts and rhetoric."
Ryan Walters, Oklahoma's Republican superintendent of public instruction, noted on X, "This is unacceptable. SDE is investigating. We will not allow teachers to cheer on violence against @realDonaldTrump."
Hours later, Walters provided an update: "I have investigated it enough. I will be taking her teaching certificate. She will no longer be teaching in Oklahoma."
Counselor consumed by cynicism
An elementary school counselor employed by the Yadkin County School District in North Carolina also learned a valuable lesson this week about publicly wishing death on others.
'I had a very weak moment.'
Raichik and others also highlighted comments from Amanda Brewer. A YCS staff spotlight shared on X earlier this year indicated that Brewer was a counselor at Boonville Elementary School who moonlighted as an exercise instructor.
Brewer wrote, "I'm currently sitting on the beach this afternoon, disturbed by the fact, sickened with myself, that I was disappointed the shooter missed when I saw the news."
"I have allowed that horrible, HORRIBLE man to make me bitter enough to have such an experience," she wrote. "I clearly need to do some reflecting and some work."
YCS district leaders confirmed to WXII-TV Tuesday that they had been made aware of Brewer's comments and that the counselor had resigned.
"After being made aware of the comments, YCS officials immediately opened an investigation to address the matter. YCS officials accepted a letter of resignation from Amanda Brewer, effective July 16, 2024," assistant superintended Boomer Kennedy said Tuesday evening.
The former counselor told WXII, "I had a very weak moment. I made a statement — but the statement I was trying to make was that the climate of the past four years has pushed me to bitterness and that I recognized it."
"I am now taking accountability. I called and resigned, and that's all I can do," added Brewer.
A Dallas cop's regrettable two-word response
Shortly after the assassination attempt on Trump, which left former fire chief Corey Comperatore dead and others wounded, Sgt. Arturo Martinez of the Dallas Police Department wrote, "Aim better," on social media.
According to the Dallas Morning News, the DPD launched an internal affairs review after receiving a complaint regarding Martinez's Saturday post on Instagram.
While the officer's attorney Jane Bishkin acknowledged Martinez wrote the post, she suggested he had done so as a private citizen rather than as an officer.
The DPD's social media policy states, "Employees are free to express themselves as private citizens on social media sites to the degree that their speech does not impair working relationships of the Department, impede the performance of their duties, impair discipline and harmony among coworkers, or interfere with the regular operation of the Department."
DPD Chief Eddie Garcia said in a statement obtained by KXAS-TV, "When I received the notification regarding the comment posted, disappointed would be an understatement. If, in fact, true, the comment made has no place in our society and certainly no place in law enforcement."
Martinez has reportedly been placed on leave while the internal affairs unit investigates him.
Tenacious D messes up Down Under
Blaze News reported Tuesday that Jack Black was canceling his Tenacious D tour after his bandmate Kyle Gass publicly expressed displeasure that the would-be assassin had missed his shot on Trump.
During a Tenacious D performance in Sydney, Australia, Jack Black sang "Happy Birthday" to Gass as a birthday cake was presented to him.
Prompted to make a wish, Gass said, "Don't miss Trump next time."
Black responded with, "Thank you!"
Black — who has multiple movies in the works, including a new "Jumanji" flick — took to social media Tuesday to write, "I was blindsided by what was said at the show on Sunday. I would never condone hate speech or encourage political violence in any form."
The actor noted further that he was suspending his Tenacious D tour and putting all future creative plans on hold.
Gass, in turn, issued a statement claiming the line he "improvised onstage Sunday night in Sydney was highly inappropriate, dangerous and a terrible mistake."
The attempt at damage control does not appear to have been successful so far, granted Gass was dropped by his talent agency.
Democratic staffer shown the door
Democratic Mississippi Rep. Bennie Thompson, who chaired the Jan. 6 select committee, has long demonized Trump, painting him both as an insurrectionist and a potential dictator. Earlier this year, Thompson introduced legislation aimed at stripping Trump of his U.S. Secret Service protection.
'That's what your hate speech got you.'
It appears Thompson's antagonism toward Trump rubbed off on at least one of his staffers.
Jacqueline Marsaw, a case worker and field director for Thompson, wrote shortly after the assassination attempt, "I don't condone violence but please get you some shooting lessons so you don't miss next time ooops that wasn't me talking."
Marsaw, who also served as president of her local NAACP, also wrote, "Couldn't happened to a nicer fellow but was it staged," and, "That's what your hate speech got you," reported the Washington Times.
Her posts sparked widespread outrage.
Mississippi Lt. Gov. Delbert Hosemann and other Republicans in the state demanded Thompson "immediately fire" Marsaw.
Marsaw told the Natchez Democrat, "I acted in the heat of the moment. I wish I had not posted that. I don't want anybody to kill Trump. I don't care for him, and he attacks my (former) boss, but I don't want anyone to kill him or anybody else. I am really sorry."
The Democratic staffer's mea culpa was too little, too late.
Amid the backlash, Thompson said in a statement obtained by Fox News Digital, "I was made aware of a post made by a staff member and she is no longer in my employment."
Extra to losing her job, Marsaw reportedly received a visit from a Secret Service agent, a sheriff, and a sheriff's deputy.
"He acted like I was the one who tried to kill Trump," Marsaw told the Natchez Democrat. "He asked me all kinds of questions, like if I had tried to attend a Trump rally or had ever gone to Mar-a-Lago, Trump's home in Florida. Of course, I have not. He asked if I had any explosives in my home or if I had a record of stalking anybody. He walked through the apartment and looked at everything that was on my dresser, wrote down the medications I take."
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The National Multiple Sclerosis Society recently canned a 90-year-old volunteer who worked for the organization for several decades all because she dared to question its conformity to radical social constructivist conventions.
The backlash online was swift and severe.
Various critics expressed doubts about making future donations to the organization. Others accused the organization — which locked comments on X and saw at least one employee deep-six her social media accounts — of ideological capture or ageism.
After doubling then tripling down on the ouster, the DEI-gripped organization finally came around to apologizing; however, that too has drawn the ire of critics who feel it was a similar "fail."
What's the background?
Fran Itkoff, 90, volunteered for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for roughly six decades, running the Long Beach Lakewood MS support group in California and aiding countless people who were afflicted with the same condition as her late husband.
Blaze News previously noted that Itkoff received the Volunteer Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 for her committed service to others.
Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok raised the alarm that Itkoff was fired in January for apparently questioning the organization's practice of stating gender pronouns in its communications.
In the Jan. 19 termination letter obtained by Raichik, Kali Kumor, a pronoun-providing MS Society community engagement manager who recently deleted her LinkedIn profile, told Itkoff: "After a thorough review of our guidelines and standards, it has come to our attention that there has been a failure to abide by our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion guidelines during your time as a volunteer."
"Unfortunately, based on the situation, we have made the difficult decision to have you step down from your volunteer position, effective immediately," wrote Kumor.
"I was completely shocked as I read that," Itkoff told Libs of TikTok. "I couldn't believe that. I had to read it a couple of times to see if I'm getting what she said."
— (@)
Itkoff's daughter Elle Hamilton said it was disappointing the MS Society would discriminate against her mother, particularly when the disease she has devoted her life to helping others fight does not similarly discriminate.
"Can happen to anybody," said Hamilton. "Anybody can get the disease and yet they're discriminating against her ... trying to help, just because she asked a question to explain what the pronouns were."
Raichik summarized the situation thusly: "So you're volunteering for 60 years. You gave your life to this organization. You honored your late husband. And ... they just take it away from you in a split second and throw you under the bus just because you did not understand why someone who is a woman needs to have the words she/her in their email signature."
Doubling then tripling down
Libs of TikTok obtained an internal Feb. 9 email from a pronoun-providing "Executive Vice President, General Counsel" concerning Itkoff's ouster. The letter suggested the decision to fire the nonagenarian was made with "thought and care"; that the organization wouldn't fire someone for asking questions about its inclusive practices; and that the MS Society expects that volunteers "uphold the values outlined in our Inclusion Policy."
In the face of significant backlash, the MS Society released a public statement on Feb. 15 saying, "We firmly believe that we best serve and support those living with MS by creating a space that welcomes all. This is especially true for self-help group leaders, who are responsible for leading meetings for people affected by MS to confide in and support one another."
The MS Society further claimed in the statement that its "staff acted with the best intentions" when canning Itkoff.
— (@)
This statement was ratioed on X and prompted even more furor.
All-American, all-female swim star Riley Gaines, one among many critics who responded, wrote, "You cannot tout that you are an 'inclusive' organization when you lay off a 90yr lady who gave 60 yrs of support and service because she didn't understand the concept of preferred pronouns. Despicable. She's got a heckuva lawsuit on her hands and I hope she sees it through."
A DEI apology
The MS Society finally caved this week, noting in a statement Wednesday, "The National Multiple Sclerosis Society apologizes to our longtime, dedicated volunteer Fran Itkoff. Recently, we asked Fran to step down from her role as a group leader because of statements made that we viewed as not aligning with our recently implemented diversity, equity and inclusion policy."
Once again, the MS Society suggested that the ouster — apparently driven by Itkoff's failure to reflexively conform to the radical conventions of the day — was motivated by "the best intentions."
"We realize now that we made a mistake," continued the statement, "and we should have had more conversations with Fran before making this decision."
While acknowledging that "as an organization, we fell short," the MS Society continued painting Itkoff as an ignoramus in need of re-education.
"We should have spent more time with Fran to help her understand why, as an organization, we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive movement where everyone has equitable access to the care, connections, and support they need to live their best lives," said the statement.
Raichik responded, "Better late than never but this never should've happened to begin with! They put an old woman under unnecessary stress."
The apology rang hollow for various critics, including conservative commentator Megyn Kelly, who tweeted, "Another FAIL from the MS Society - they finally apologize to the 90-yr-old volunteer they fired for not understanding why she was forced to say her pronouns but now say what they shld've done was work w/her to explain how wonderful DEI is. WRONG AGAIN."
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90-year-old volunteer claims she was ousted from MS Society after 60 years of service for questioning pronouns
Fran Itkoff, 90, has been volunteering for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society for roughly six decades, helping multitudes of people who suffer from the disease that plagued her late husband.
The elderly volunteer recently told Chaya Raichik of Libs of TikTok that her days with the MS Society have been unceremoniously brought to an end because she allegedly dared to question the organization's social construcivist virtue signals — the provision of gender pronouns in particular.
While ostensibly an organization committed to fighting disease, the MS Society has in recent years become infected by identitarian and LGBT ideologies.
In 2020, the MS Society began prompting employees to recite its DEI statement before all meetings; it removed Columbus Day holiday and added Juneteenth as a paid holiday; and it started having race-based summits. The next year, the MS Society added "pronoun options" to standard email signature templates and ramped up its obsession with racial politics.
By 2022, it began holding Hispanic summits extra to its annual black summit and established a zero-tolerance inclusion policy underscoring it is "committed to embedding diversity, equity and inclusion in everything we do."
Many decades before this institutional degeneration came about, Fran Itkoff's husband took over the Long Beach Lakewood MS support group in California, looking to help others with his affliction.
Itkoff told Raichik, "I helped him, of course, all the time. When he passed away, which is 20 years ago, I decided to keep the group going because everyone wanted to continue it."
According to the elderly volunteer, everything went swimmingly until a representative of the MS Society recently reached out, allegedly asking her to employ her pronouns.
"I was confused. I didn't know what it was, what it meant," said Itkoff. "I'd seen it on a couple of letters that had come in — after the person's name, they had the pronouns — but I didn't know what that meant. So finally when I was talking to her, I thought I'll ask, 'What does it mean?' and let her tell me."
"She said it meant they were all-inclusive, which didn't make sense to me because it sounds like you're labeling for females and not males if you're just putting in she/her," continued Itkoff. "A few days later ... I got an email from her saying that they were sorry but had to ask me to step down as a volunteer for the MS Society."
A copy of the letter Itkoff reportedly received from Kali Kumor, a pronoun-providing California-based MS Society community engagement manager — who appears to have recently deleted her LinkedIn profile — states, "As we discussed earlier during our phone conversation, after a thorough review of our guidelines and standards, it has come to our attention that there has been a failure to abide by our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion guidelines during your time as a volunteer."
"Unfortunately, based on the situation, we have made the difficult decision to have you step down from your volunteer position, effective immediately," wrote Kumor.
The letter suggests that Itkoff is free to continue meeting independently with her self-help group but that it will no longer be formally affiliated with the MS Society.
Itkoff's group does not presently appear on the MS Society's updated list of local support groups.
UNREAL. National MS Society (@mssociety) forced a 90-year-old volunteer to step down because she wasn\u2019t \u201cinclusive\u201d enough after she asked what pronouns are.\n\nFran volunteered for 60 years and her late husband had MS.\n\nThe @mssociety still hasn\u2019t said a word about this. Don\u2019t\u2026— (@)
"I was completely shocked as I read that," Itkoff told Libs of TikTok. "I couldn't believe that. I had to read it a couple of times to see if I'm getting what she said."
Itkoff's daughter Elle Hamilton stressed that the apparently ideology-driven ouster was especially surprising given her mother's decorated service to the cause, for which the New York Post indicated she received the Volunteer Lifetime Achievement award in 2008.
Raichik summarized the situation thusly: "So you're volunteering for 60 years. You gave your life to this organization. You honored your late husband. And ... they just take it away from you in a split second and throw you under the bus just because you did not understand why someone who is a woman needs to have the words she/her in their email signature."
"It's just sad that they're discriminating against her," said Hamilton. "I mean, MS does not discriminate. Can happen to anybody. Anybody can get the disease and yet they're discriminating against her ... trying to help, just because she asked a question to explain what the pronouns were."
Hamilton wonders whether the MS Society is too "focused on these words and these pronouns and they've lost their focus on finding a cure for MS and helping the patients and all the programs that go along with that."
The New York Post indicated that it had reached out to the MS Society for comment but has not apparently received word back yet. However, Libs of TikTok obtained an internal email from Feb. 9 concerning Itkoff's termination.
"Yesterday, a video was posted online about a National MS Society self-help group leader who was recently asked to step down from her position," says the email, ostensibly sent by a pronoun-providing "Executive Vice President, General Counsel."
"We expect National MS Society volunteers to uphold the values outlined in our Inclusion Policy," continues the email. "We celebrate learning and personal growth. We would not dismiss a volunteer because they asked questions about the Society's inclusive practices."
— (@)
Itkoff made expressly clear that while the MS Society tangles itself up further in woke ideology, she'll keep doing the necessary work on the ground.
"I'm going to keep this group going like I have all these years, anyway, because I want to keep it going and the patients that come want to keep going," said the 90-year-old volunteer.
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