Getting out of the comfort zone

   It's a little difficult to come up with a topic today.  Something I saw just recently gave me an idea.  What is it about people these days that makes them different than before?

  Some may argue that they are not any different than before.  Well, something is certainly different.  No, it isn't exactly Trump.  But Trump has something to do with it.  Not in the man himself, but in the fact that it may be the time in which a man like Trump could succeed in getting elected to office.

  Trump didn't just fall out of the sky.  He's been well-known for decades.  Why now?

  Trump gets into somebody's comfort zone.  He's a threat to a lot of folks in DC. Probably not so much in the heartland.  Otherwise, he couldn't have been elected. The people wanted him for a reason.  Just speaking for myself, I was sick and damned tired of the GOP refusing to do anything about the outrages of the political left.  I recall vividly the way the left took down George W. Bush, and Bush didn't do a damned thing about it.

  But this sentiment of mine is nothing new. I've written of it long before Trump came down the escalator.

  The reaction of the left to Trump also pushes some buttons.

  Yet I am amazed by the polls.  Nothing that Trump does comes remotely close to what the political left does.  I won't argue about this, but there will be a denial of the truth of this.  The political "right" is way, way too passive.  The political left does not share that trait.  Would you see "moderates" blocking streets because they didn't agree with a certain policy?  Of course not.  Moderates don't behave badly.

  Can you see "conservatives" storming the Capitol Building on January 6th, 2021? Not really.  Conservatives wouldn't do that.  But MAGA people can be socially conservative, in my opinion.

  I didn't go to DC on January 6th, 2021.  There are multiple reasons why. I don't think that even if I did go, would I have gotten myself in the middle of a crowd of people who went inside the Capitol Building.  But if ANYONE gets in that situation, events could draw you in.

  One reason for not going to DC then was the attitude of the people there--the best example was in the video of Maxine Waters saying that those that she didn't agree with weren't welcomed there.  It is 90% Democrat, perhaps more than that.  You won't be treated fairly there.  You are stepping on hostile ground.

  Many people didn't believe that. Many people went there to express their opinions, and found themselves in the middle of something that they didn't think would happen.  If cops allow you into the Capitol Building, you don't expect to be treated as if you committed a heinous offense.

  The reaction to that event was just more outrage from the left, and it continues to this day.

  Sometimes the reaction to outrageous behavior is to give in to it.  Like the outburst from Jasmine Crockett.  The emotionalism is meant to make you feel sorry for making her feel bad enough to cry in public like she did.  I am inclined to think the whole exhibition was a big act, but there could be some genuine emotion there.  Yet it is still manipulative.

  Sometimes a person has to accept responsibility for their own behavior.  If they are going to engage in unlawful behavior, and even behavior that could be considered dangerous, they should accept the fact that something bad could happen in consequence of that.  Don't go around boo-hooing about it afterward.

  Same thing for the people who got caught up in the January 6th riot.  Many people just got caught up in the moment.  But they certainly didn't deserve to be called insurrectionists if they believed that the election of 2020 was a fraud.  There is a line to draw.  Where do you draw that line?

  There is such a thing as the First Amendment.  But what sort of behavior is appropriate?  When does the line get crossed?  But the folks who want to cause trouble will blur the lines.  The lines should be very, very clear.

  You don't get to endanger anybody's life.  You don't have the right to block traffic. If an officer tells you to do something, you should comply, and if you do not, then take your punishment, because you deserve it.

  Getting all emotional about it may go with the territory, but it doesn't get my sympathy.

  Indeed.  There are many examples in history that could be cited here.  Just because someone gets into your comfort zone doesn't give you the right to shoot anyone either.  It's a fine line.  But law enforcement requires a firm response to those who would challenge it.  If you challenge it, be prepared for bad stuff.  You had to know what you were doing, and if you didn't, all the more reason for not even being there to begin with.

  Why mention Trump. Because for some folks, Trump is the reason for this.  Nope. Not buying that. The reason for it is that certain people make it their business to get into your comfort zone for the sole purpose of being provocative. If the provocation is taken, there is an opportunity to exploit it.

  There has to be a certain amount of ill will involved in order to provoke people for the purposes of exploiting their reactions.  But you don't have to take the bait.

  So what is this essay all about? NOTHING.  Ignore it, if you please. I think of it as a WARNING.  Things are getting out of hand.  But there are people who like that shit. Just saying.