Author: Kent

Past Publsher/CEO of the old Kokomo Tribune and Kokomo Dispatch. As one of a newspaper family who owned a 34,000 daily newspaper in the heart of the Midwest for 85 years, I have a deep belief in a strong “Fourth Estate”, the press. Without a diligent, truthful, and assertive free press, the power would be taken from the people. People have the absolute right to know. After earning a degree in Industrial Management from the Krannert School of Management at Purdue, I spent over 20 years in newspaper management with several as publisher. I also hold three graduate science degrees including a Ph.D.. I have a passionate interest in science, the environment, government, and politics. I have very little tolerance for ignorance and stupidity.
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WHAT????

“All Americans…. not only the states most heavily affected but in every place in this country… are rightly disturbed by the large numbers of illegal aliens entering our country. The jobs they hold might otherwise be held by citizens or legal immigrants; the public service they use impose burdens on our taxpayers. That’s why our administration has moved aggressively to secure our borders more by hiring a record number of new border guards, by deporting twice as many criminal aliens as ever before, by cracking down on illegal hiring, by barring welfare benefits to illegal aliens. In the budget I will present to you, we will try to do more to speed the deportation of illegal aliens who are arrested for crimes, to better identify illegal aliens in the work place as recommended by the Commission headed by former Congresswoman Barbara Jordan. We are a nation of immigrants, but we are also a nation of laws.” — President William Clinton

“Even as we are a nation of immigrants, we’re also a nation of laws. Undocumented workers broke our immigration laws and I believe that they must be held accountable; especially those who may be dangerous. When I took office, I committed to fixing this broken immigration system. And I began by doing what I could to secure our borders. But today, our immigration system is broken. And everybody knows it. There are actions I have the legal authority to take as President. Tonight, I’m announcing those actions. We’ll build on our progress at the border with additional resources for our law enforcement personnel so that they can stem the flow of illegal crossings and speed the return of those who do cross over. If you’re a criminal, you’ll be deported. If you plan to enter the US illegally, your chances of getting caught and sent back just went up. We expect people who live in this country to play by the rules. We expect those who cut the line will not be unfairly rewarded. The actions I’m taking are not only lawful; they’re the kinds actions taken by every single Republican President and every single Democratic President for the past half century. And to those members of Congress who question my authority to make our immigration system work better, question my authority, or question the wisdom of me acting where Congress has failed, I have one answer: PASS A BILL!” — President Barack Obama

The hypocrisy about immigration rampant in the Democrat party and in the news media is disgusting. President Donald Trump’s goal is to make America safe and make us a nation of laws. It is to stop illegal immigration in its tracks. It is to pressure Speaker Paul Ryan and Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to act on the pillars of Trump immigration reform: end chain migration, end the immigration lottery, build the Wall, require E-Verify and base immigration on merit. It is to quickly process those who cross the border illegally and return them to their county of origin. It is to catch and remove illegal alien criminals. Very simple, very safe, and very American.

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Immigration Revisited

The citizens of the United States have a right to be angry. The laws about immigration passed by earlier Congresses are idiotic and self defeating. What were they thinking or could it be they were politically self serving? The worst are those that established chain migration where one immigrant could bring into our country dozens of relatives we know virtually nothing about and the one that established the practice of immigration by lottery. Both are insane. As President Trump has said, countries don’t put their best into the lottery system and in chain migration who knows who, including criminals and terrorists, are allowed in.

Now the big debate is about minors: unaccompanied “children” and those brought in illegally by parents. The solution to the “family” (i.e. father and/or mother with children) is very easy. Turn them around 180 degrees at the border and send them back to the country from which they came, immediately. Those minors that come alone need to be rounded up, cleaned up, fed, clothed, and then taken back to the country from which they came. No exceptions to those who cross the border illegally.

The separation of “children” from illegal alien parents has been a policy for many years. President Obama tried to hide the problem. And think about it, US citizens are separated from their children if arrested for a crime. Crossing the US border without authorization is a crime. Big surprise.

The so-called asylum laws must be revised. Potential immigrants that follow the law and show up at legal ports of entry should not be given asylum just because the country of origin is a mess. Most such countries are over populated, have corrupt governments, and are poor. The United States of America cannot be the Shanghai La for the world. Take a look at what has happened to the European countries that opened wide the door to immigration from countries in the Middle East and Africa. They have been transformed in most negative ways. Cultures are in the process of being lost. Crime rates are up. Enclaves of particularly Muslim immigrants have formed that even law enforcement is afraid to visit. If allowed, our country will experience the same only from hordes of immigrants from Central America and Mexico along with those who sneak in from other parts of the world.

The truth is the USA does not “need” more immigrants. Our population needs to stabilized at present levels to be sustainable for our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. This is not 200 years ago when the country offered wide open spaces and opportunities, assuming you have total disregard for what was done to the Native Americans. Those times have long passed.

Time to close the door. Build the wall and be very selective about who comes into the United States by whatever means, particularly to live permanently. Merit based immigration is the only answer and then only as a real need arises.

The political posturing must stop. The wants of those who demand open borders have to be blocked. Those include the multi-national corporations who want a constant supply of cheap labor. Those include sectors of corporate/industrial agriculture and construction as well. And they include the Democrats who want to promote a socialist country.

Congress has a chance to clean up the mess earlier Congresses created. Will they have the stature to do so. We shall see soon.

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To Mitch & Paul

3-23-2018
Senator Mitch McConnell
Representative Paul Ryan

Sen. McConnell and Rep. Paul Ryan:

I hate to say this but you both and the Republican held Senate and House are a damned disgrace. I say this as a very angry life long and old Republican. What you did with the 2300+ page Omnibus bill was to hold the President hostage and screw the taxpayers of this country. The President and all of us in fly-over country absolutely wanted the military to be properly funded. However, we wanted, too, for the Wall to be properly funded and DACA to be dealt with including stopping chain migration and the Visa lottery, and wanted lowering legal immigration numbers. You have let the Democrats  and RINOs run Congress. You, obviously, are among them. Shame, shame on you.

I am placing a bet today that Congress will be controlled by Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer after the coming November election. Too many Republicans will simply stay home they are so disgusted with the way you have performed since November 2016 when the President carried the day for most of you.

Get off of your asses! You really do not know how angry people are. All Congressional incumbents need to be defeated except for the Freedom Caucus members and other likeminded Representatives and Senators.
In Indiana, we are going to do everything we can to see that Rep. Todd Rokita is defeated in his run for the US Senate. He represents the Establishment (SWAMP) just like the two of you do. In one of his current ads, among other things he claims he will push for term limits. We know that is simply BULL.

We do not understand the corruption in Washington DC. On top of the screwing up by the Republican Congress, we have an Attorney General that has totally given in to the other side. He has no backbone to do the right thing with Rosenstein, Mueller, and all the rest of the law breakers in or formerly with the Justice Department, State Department, and FBI. He has not pushed for pursuit of justice for any of the Clinton cadre.  More Republican disgrace. Another independent Special Counsel is needed badly. Hopefully it would be one from outside of Washington DC where it appears the majority there are corrupt.

People are angry. They will not forget.
Regards,
Kent H Blacklidge
Past Publisher/ The Kokomo Tribune

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Inward

It is time for the world’s Good Samaritan and benefactor to look after its own. The heartfelt and generous acts of the people of the United States of America to save the world have turned to greed and expectations of forever handouts.

The civilized world was nearly destroyed by World War II. Europe and Japan were devastated. Cities were in ruin. Factories bombed out. Millions of lives lost. The United States escaped physical damage to its homeland, but suffered the loss of tens of thousands of its most valued possession: its people, its warriors. But what happened then? The people of the United States sacrificed even more through the pouring out of time, talent, money, and resources to rebuild Europe, Japan and the world. Civilization was restored.

A few years later came the Korean Conflict. US leaders decided the dominoes of spreading Communism needed to be stopped. Thousands more lives were lost and treasure spent before a 1953 stalemate was reached. You see where we are today. Through the generosity of the American people, South Korea became prosperous. North Korea descended into a despot lead hell that threatens the world.

Viet Nam followed. Another mission to stop Communism in its tracks. More loss of life and treasure. Millions of Vietnamese died and millions still suffer the after effects of that war. Tens of thousands of our own died. Thousands still suffer post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) and physical injury. This was lasted from 1955 to 1975. But with our help and resources, Viet Nam, too, is now prosperous.

All the while, the economic base of the United States was being eroded. The greatest damage accelerated in the President Clinton years starting in 1993. Clinton and his cadre decided the United States was to become a “service provider” country. The manufacturing needs of the world would be done elsewhere. Thousands were put out of middle class jobs. Cheap labor, inferior environmental regulation, and worker safety rules drew international companies to build and produce in foreign countries. Trade agreements such as NAFTA (1994) were lopsided against the United States. More inequitable trade agreements followed. Trade imbalances grew and the era of national debt began. Clinton was the last president to see a national surplus. Clinton’s presidency ended in January 2001 when George W. Bush became president.

The events of September 11, 2001, changed the world again. It was not long before President Bush and his band decided to attack Iraq to oust Saddam Hussein. Hussein had nothing to do with the bombing of the twin towers in New York, but Bush claimed falsely that Hussein was hiding weapons of mass destruction. Result: more loss of American lives and treasure and total destabilization of the Middle East. What followed was the rise of al-Qaeda and radical Islamic terrorism in the form of ISIS, the Taliban, Boko Haram, and more. The consequences of decisions by Bush haunt us today. National debt accelerated.

President Barack Hussein Obama followed Bush. Matters became even worse. Obama was a true globalist. He weakened our military even more, apologized around the world for about everything the United States stands for, and with Secretary Hillary Clinton and John Kerry’ s help, further destabilized the world. The criminal deeds of Obama and Clinton are only now fully coming to light. National debt grew to nearly 20 trillion dollars.
In the meanwhile, it has been estimated that the United States has lost about 70,000 factories since the signing of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Who knows how many more have been lost since the end of World War II in 1945. The United States has never stopped the “lift the boat” philosophy around the world. The US sends billions freely to so called “developing nations” [formerly “third world countries”] every year. In addition to free foreign aid, the United States has executed trade agreement after trade agreement that put our own workers on the street.

President Donald Trump, an outsider who was never supposed to win office, followed Obama. That was never supposed to happen. The political establishment and the globalists believed it would be President Hillary Clinton. The people thought otherwise. Trump is taking steps to restore the strength of the United States and put people back to work. Critical industry will return.

Tariffs on steel and aluminum imported into the United States are steps in the right direction. It is time to stop the “dumping” into our markets of steel and aluminum by such as China and South Korea. “Dumping” is the pricing of a product at below production cost made possible only because a foreign government has subsidized its production. The result is the undercutting of price from our own domestic factories and the loss of good jobs by our own workers. This is not a level playing field. President Trump has chosen to move to make it more so. It is time. His philosophy is free and, more importantly, fair trade.

To now, trade agreements have had a very negative affect on the trade balance between the US and the world. The value of imports to the United States should roughly equal the value of exports from the United States to other countries. If the so called balance favors other countries — i.e. more import value compared to export value — the United States continues to subsidize the world. That must stop. It is time to rebuild our own manufacturing base and put our own citizens back to work.

In the short term, tariffs will cause the price of some products to increase.Wall Street will not like it. The international corporations will loudly squawk and complain. They do not like any messing with short term profits. But this is the short term price we will have to pay and which people are willing to pay to rebuild a robust manufacturing base and the middle class in the United States of America. America First.

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Genetically Engineered Salmon

The U.S. Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals is not known for good decisions, but they got this one right. A couple of weeks ago they denied the FDA’s latest attempt to hide thousands of pages of key government documents related to the agency’s approval of genetically engineered (GE) salmon for human consumption.

That’s right. You read it correctly. Genetically engineered salmon are now destined for a place on your grocers counter and you will never know it. The FDA did not want the public to know details of the approval process gone through by the agency charged with the responsibility of keeping our food supply safe. Trust us, they said. The FDA did not want you to know why they approved an engineered salmon that contains DNA from the Atlantic salmon, the deep water ocean eelpout, and the Pacific Chinook salmon. This would be the first time any genetically engineered animal has been approved for commercial sale and ultimate human consumption.

What is the big deal about this fish? It is different. The GE version is intended to grow faster than conventionally farmed or wild-caught salmon. The reason: new DNA has been engineered in. The new DNA is a growth hormone gene that is turned on all the time. The GE salmon is claimed to get to commercial size in half the time. Further, it is claimed by the FDA to not be significantly different from wild-caught or farm raised salmon. The truth: it may look the same from the outside, but it is different genetically.
One big concern is if the GE fish were to escape into the wild. It could threaten wild salmon populations by out-competing them for scarce resources and habitat, by mating with endangered salmon species, and by introducing new diseases. The FDA has been heavily criticized for failing to fully evaluate these potential impacts. The developers claim these concerns are meaningless because the GE fish are to be sterile females all raised in confinement tanks. Even that raises additional questions. How are the GE fish becoming 100% female?

In short, the FDA wants to hide. The pubic has a right to know in detail how the agency came to its approval decision for genetically engineered salmon, especially because the FDA’s approach will likely serve as a precedent for the assessment of future GE food animals. The FDA is funded by tax dollars which means the records they create can and should be available to the public and to citizens seeking to know all. The only exceptions should be withholding information critical to national security.

Under the court ruling, the FDA is required to fully complete the record with all relevant documents regarding its approval of genetically engineered salmon. In this case, the public right to know is being protected. It is vital all government agencies get the message hiding is not acceptable. Are you listening EPA and USDA?

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Immigration Continued

“Beyond a critical point within a finite space, freedom diminishes as numbers increase. This is as true of humans in the finite space of a planetary ecosystem as it is of gas molecules in a sealed flask. The human question is not how many can possibly survive within the system, but what kind of existence is possible for those who do survive.” Pardot Kynes / Planetologist

Kynes, a fictional “planetologist” from the Dunes universe, has hit the nail right on the head. Too many people on a planet floating in the vast expanse of space, like Earth, leads to collapse of the supporting ecosystem and a race to the bottom for the quality of life. Ultimately, human life descends to the base needs of food, water, and shelter.

The United States of America is at a decision point. Population expansion and immigration pressures from all over the world are at our doorstep. We will face up to them or go down the road to eventual degradation if we have not already stepped foot on that road. The bold fact is that the United States of America does not need additional numbers of people. We need to be concentrating on elevating the quality of life for those already American citizens, not bringing more and more people in from other parts of the world.

Congress is in the process of playing games with the future of the country and the lives of our citizens. President Trump has already gone well beyond “compromise” with his four pillars of immigration policy reform. He has taken the position he will accept allowing nearly two million illegal immigrants a path not only to residency but to citizenship in exchange for building the southern border wall, ending the incredibly insane visa lottery program, and ending or severely curtailing chain migration. He has gone as far as he should go and maybe beyond; period. There are those of us who believe he has gone too far already in a willingness to appease or “compromise”.

The road block seems to be the U.S. Senate where presently 60 votes or more are required to pass any new immigration legislation. This matter is too critical to allow this. The future health or likely survival of this country is at stake. If there was an army at our door like was the case with World War II, we would not hesitate to take whatever action was required. We are at a similar point whether recognized or not. It is time for the U.S. Senate to face up and change its rules.

The success of passage of meaningful and tough immigration legislation that mirrors what has been proposed by President Donald Trump is in the hands of one person: Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. McConnell is the road block. He is the one stopping the elimination of the 60 vote rule, part of which was eliminated by the Democrats when they controlled the Senate. The rest needs to now go. If it doesn’t, the future of the United States of America is in jeopardy and should be laid at the feet of McConnell and the Republicans. No excuses. And God help us if Democrats ever again gain control of Congress.

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DACA dilemma

Stupid, insane, dangerous, Visa lottery, chain migration, anchor babies, DACA, suicidal: words that go together! Our immigration system is broken.
A whole cottage industry has sprung up around “anchor babies”. Illegal entry into the USA of pregnant women is expedited by criminals for profit. The women and their babies receive “free” medical care and then dependent child support under the Welfare system. The baby, a US citizen, and parents are allowed permanent residence.

Most recently, Democrats have artificially elevated DACA to a crisis. Yes, we are faced with what to do with the alleged 800,000 illegal aliens in the DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) program. The Center for Immigration Studies estimates the real number that are eligible or included is closer to 3.6 million.

In 2012, then President Obama decreed anyone in DACA would be allowed to stay in the USA without fear of deportation. He said he did not need Congress. He illegally acted with the stroke of his pen. Obama behaved as king or dictator. Now, we have the notorious 9th Circuit Court illegally blocking the ending of illegal DACA.

President Trump refused to extend this illegal program beyond six months. He said Congress was responsible for creating immigration law, not the President. He and Republicans have indicated a willingness to accept a permanent DACA solution including provisions for remaining in the US in return for funding of the border wall and ending chain migration and the immigration lottery system.

Democrats decided full amnesty for all in DACA is important enough to them that they shut down the federal government putting our nation’s security at risk. In return, they are not willing to end chain migration, the lottery system, or provide sufficient funding for the wall; all for recruitment of foreign born potential voters. No one is fooled. Their actions have nothing to do with compassion but rather with politics.

I propose no deportation for DACA high school grads who are fluent in English and who are in added education (college or technical school) AND graduate or have a productive job or who have served in the military. Deport all currently on public assistance programs or who commit a crime.
Any plan must be tightly predicated on funding of the wall and the ending of the anchor baby provision, chain migration, and the immigration lottery. Our country must control its border to prevent illegal immigration and stem the flow of drugs. The drugs are killing us and we must know who wants into the United States.

For those who cry we are a nation of immigrants, the immigration of the 19th and 20th centuries is not the same as today. There is no shortage of potential workers. We have over 90 million citizens out of the work force. They deserve priority. And, earlier immigrants made every effort to assimilate. That is no longer a given.

As citizens, we have been incredibly naive and negligent too long. It is past time to drastically reduce overall immigration and put any immigration there is on a merit based system that benefits our country economically and culturally. We are and will continue to be the compassionate melting pot of the world; not suckers.

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Big Stink from the Swamp

Stink, stink, stink, stink, stink, stink, stink and more stink!

Robert Mueller, Rod Rosenstein, Peter Strzok, Bruce Ohr, Aaron Solenski, Andrew McCabe, James Comey, Lisa Page, Andrew Weissmann, Susan Rice, Loretta Lynch, Cheryl Mills, Huma Abadin, Smantha Powers, Sally Yates, Jeannie Rhee, Eric Holder, James Clapper, John Brennan, Ben Rhodes, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Donna Brazile, Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, the Clinton Foundation, and Barack Hussein Obama. The list goes on and on.
It is a miracle the United States has survived. If Hillary Clinton had been elected as President, all of the corruption, pay offs, intimidation, collusion, bribing, blackmail and worse would have continued under the radar of the good citizens of our country. Donald Trump was not supposed to win; he did. Thank God.

Now it is time for surgery. The rot needs to be cut out. As Representatives Jim Jorden and Mark Meadows have said: Attorney General Jeff Sessions needs to do his job or step aside. There is corruption at the top of the FBI and Department of Justice. When Robert Mueller was Director of the FBI, he cleaned out the upper echelon of the FBI experienced, independent, and dedicated administrators only to replace them with them with those less experienced but staunch supporters of Obama/Clinton. Now it is his turn to be removed. Mueller and his band of corrupt attorneys need to be defunded and disbanded immediately. They have already spent $7 million taxpayer dollars in their witch hunt against President Trump with no finding of wrong doing. The only action they have taken is to destroy a man who gave nearly 40 years of his life for the good of the USA: General Michael Flynn. And Mueller did that by blackmailing Flynn with the threat they would go after his son if he, General Flynn, did not confess to lying to the FBI. In short, Mueller entrapped Flynn; itself an illegal act.

Just at the end of his term in office, Barack Obama moved many political appointees in the Justice Department and FBI into civil service posts where they became insulated against removal. All….. repeat, ALL of these individuals should be removed from their positions somehow and sent packing. They are the “Deep State” bent on fomenting turmoil, resistance, and sabotage inside the current administration. They must be identified and ousted.

The Clinton machine must be put under the microscope of Lady Justice. Whether another Special Counsel or by the Attorney General or the Congress, the Clinton machine and all those even remotely connected to it must be exposed for what they are and have been: corrupt, manipulative, and criminal. Worse than the Mafia. And they must be prosecuted when crimes were committed.

Now we have a past President, citizen Barack Hussein Obama, traveling around the world as a “Shadow President” abusing the privilege he was once awarded as US President. If anyone should be prosecuted under the Logan Act, it should be him. Who in the hell does he think he is. No private citizen has the right to attempt to conduct USA foreign policy independent of our government. That is exactly what he is doing. He even, by innuendo, is attempting to personify President Trump as a potential Adolph Hitler. Obama needs to be shackled. In the eight years he had in office, he did more to weaken our country both internally and externally than any in the history of the USA. He did more to bring turmoil to the world and strength to our enemies than you can imagine; that with Hillary Clinton by his side.
It is well past time for the justice surgeons to get out the scalpels and excise the DeepState.

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DACA Hysteria

Many, including CEO’s of large corporations, just don’t get it. DACA was an illegal executive order promulgated by then President Barack Obama when he could not get Congress to act. It was never legal and Obama knew it. He said this himself publicly many times. It was an order that violated existing immigration law from inception and violated the Presidential oath of office. In case you don’t know enough about the Constitution of the United States of America, the Executive branch (i.e. that branch headed by the President) does not make law. It only has the power to enforce law passed by the Congress of the United States.

So, the whining, crying, and gnashing of teeth by those affected and the executives of companies complaining about the ending of DACA need to direct their venom at Congress, not at the President. President Trump took an oath of office to uphold the Constitution and law, not make law or violate it. To make law unilaterally, as did President Obama, he/she would need to be dictator or king; neither of which we have in this country, however much so Obama thought.

The fact under existing law is the “Dreamers” are in the United States illegally regardless of how young they were upon arrival. Their parents are or were in this country illegally as well. Those are the bald facts.
If the “Dreamers” are to be treated differently, it is up to Congress to pass legislation that would change their status. Simple.

Whether or not to do so, there are facts to be considered. The 800,000 or so people who are “Dreamers” in large part have jobs or are in the educational system somewhere. One has to wonder what United States citizens don’t hold those jobs now occupied by or have educational and tax paid social benefits used by the “Dreamers”.

There are over 90 million US citizens currently unemployed. There are tens of thousands of United States citizens who have graduated from colleges and universities burdened with tens of thousands of debt but unable to find a job. Should they bow to the wants and needs of the “Dreamers”? If so, something is seriously amiss.

If Congress is to consider a special status for individuals who were brought illegally into the United States by their parents or otherwise, it must proceed carefully. Congress would be derelict of duty and in violation of their oath of office if “Dreamers” were put ahead of or given preference over young United States of America citizens.

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Charlottesville Revisited

The shame, mayhem, injuries, and death in Charlottesville belong squarely in the laps of Governor Terry McAuliffe, Mayor Michael Signer, and Police Chief Al S. Thomas Jr.. They, collectively, are guilty of dereliction of duty. They did not protect the citizens of Charlottesville. Those three knew weeks in advance trouble was coming to Charlottesville. They had more than enough time to plan; they didn’t. Charlottesville had even granted the White Nationalist Rally a march permit which had been advertised nationally for months ahead of march day.

Even an idiot would know that the KKK, White Nationalists, Neo-Nazis, Black Lives Matter, AntiFa, and more in the same town at the same time spell big trouble. Even an idiot would know agreed-to arrangements and a march route would be resisted. Even an idiot knows potentially violent opposing groups must be kept apart. They were not. Riot, injury, and death resulted. The Governor, Mayor, and Police Chief are to blame. They had the power to prevent what happened and chose not to.

Let’s be clear: the KKK, White Nationalists, and Neo-Nazis are despicable racists. They have no place in society but under the Constitution do have the right to peacefully demonstrate and speak. On the other side we have Black Lives Matter and the AntiFa, now a designated domestic terrorist group. They have the same rights. Both groups came to fight with clubs, sprays, and fists. Parts of one group were dressed in the garb of the Ku Klux Klan. Parts of the other were dressed in the black hoods, shirts, and pants like those that trashed the Berkeley campus, keep conservative speakers from various events, turn over cars, and burn buildings. All of these folks are despicable and have no place as true Americans.

Charlottesville is near the same population size as Kokomo. Years ago, Kokomo had a KKK march around the courthouse square. No one wanted the KKK to come to town, but respected their right to peacefully march and speak. What Kokomo did was what Charlottesville should have done and did not. Kokomo police and the Indiana State Police kept the KKK marchers and those who opposed the KKK blocks apart. Local ministers well ahead of time spread the message for people to stay home. Many did. The march went off without incident and the KKK left town. The wanted trouble but were denied that by the good citizens of Kokomo and professional policing. Kokomo won. The police did their job in keeping the peace and order in our community. The opposite happen in Charlottesville.

President Donald Trump said and did all the right things. Both sides and those in government in Virginia are to blame for what happened there. Both sides were brewing for a fight that never should have been allowed to happen…..and a young woman died with many others seriously injured. Trump condemned what happened in no uncertain terms as facts unfolded. He was right, too, in saying there were some honest, peaceful people in Charlottesville who wanted historically markers to remain and others who were deeply offended by those markers being present. Both had the right to peacefully protest and speak out. No one had the right to violence. For damned sure, President Trump is not to blame.