14 July—“Oh shit!”

That was my reaction to the banner headline in this morning’s Waterbury rag. Not having heard the news of last night’s unsuccessful alleged assassination attempt in Pennsylvania, I figured that Joe Biden had decided to pull out of this year’s presidential race (or worse), thus virtually guaranteeing Donald Trump’s win.

When I read the sub-head and saw the picture of Trump with some blood on his face, however, I didn’t revise or even reconsider my reaction. But of course I won’t say why. Of course of course. But if Trump should get elected, he’d have me arrested anyway.

Lucky Old Trump posted on his website, “In this moment, it is more important than ever that we stand United, and show our True Character as Americans, remaining Strong and Determined, and not allowing Evil to Win. I truly love our Country, and love you all, and look forward to speaking to our Great Nation this week from Wisconsin.”

Now, Donald Trump is the very evil that good people—and probably the kid who couldn’t shoot straight last night—are trying to save the country from. We can take Trump’s self-serving post just like we take all of his brilliant self-serving demagogic rhetoric as we consider that he’s advocated violence probably all his life and at least since his presidency.

For instance, “Please don’t be too nice,” President Trump begged (or suggested to) Long Island cops, whom he encouraged to be rough with people they were arresting. And, nice guy that he is, he proposed the use of trenches filled with water and snakes or alligators and shooting illegal immigrants in the legs to slow them down as a way of keeping them away from the border.

He also told his short-term Defense Secretary Mark Esper that troops should shoot protesters. In the legs, of course, apparently his preferred target area. They say that knee shots are particularly painful.

And don’t forget that Trump told the Proud Boys to “stand back and stand by,” after the first presidential non-debate in September 2020.

Trump is a notorious bully, so what else is new?

Trump’s daughter Ivanka, in thanking the world at large for her father’s survival, expressed special gratitude to “the Secret Service and all the other law enforcement officers for their quick and decisive actions.” What else could she say, even though they may have screwed up?

Because an eyewitness called Greg told the BBC that the police and Secret Service evidently ignored him when he reported a man with a rifle on top of a building outside the rally area but with a clear line of sight to the stage. Assuming that Greg isn’t making it up, the cops and Secret Service agents clearly were derelict in their duty and—no matter what you may think about the failed alleged assassination attempt or its alleged target—heads should roll.

President Biden issued this statement: “I have been briefed on the shooting at Donald Trump’s rally in Pennsylvania. I’m grateful to hear that he’s safe and doing well. I’m praying for him and his family and for all those who were at the rally, as we await further information. Jill and I are grateful to the Secret Service for getting him to safety. There’s no place for this kind of violence in America. We must unite as one nation to condemn it.”

But what Biden really meant was, “Oh shit!”