There are somethings that should become big news that get swept under the rug quietly. I think when a government official makes a statement suggesting that unarmed protesters should be shot down by the National Guard ala Kent State, that it should make the news.
Last week, Dan Adamini, secretary of the Marquette County GOP in Michigan made an irrevocable and shocking statement that led to him resigning from his position.
What did the Michigan republican say that was so shocking and disturbing? It’s almost too offensive to repeat but he said
“Violent protesters who shut down free speech? Time for another Kent State perhaps. One bullet stops a lot of thuggery,” is what he tweeted.
On Facebook he posted the following status
Last year I wrote an article reminding people of the atrocity that was the 1970 Kent State massacre. A day when the government violated the United States Constitution and shot and killed innocent college students for exercising their right to free speech and peaceful assembly. The students were protesting the Vietnam War. To hear a government official suggest that it is time for “another Kent State” should scare every red-blooded American, no matter what they stand for.
There are things that we stand on in this country, one of them being the constitution. The first right, deemed of most importance, is the right to peacefully voice your minds and opinions without fear of punishment.
Adamini made his statement referring to “another Kent State” in regard to protestors, some who turned to violence, at the University of California, Berkeley. There was extreme outrage on the California campus when alt-right speaker, Milo Yiannopoulos, was slated to give a speech. Protesters tossed smoke bombs and broke windows, causing a mini riot that stopped Yiannopoulos from taking the stage.
Dan Adamini immediately tried to backtrack as backlash from him tweet started to pour in, he tried to say that he was just calling an end to the violence that was blocking Milo Yiannopoulos’s right to free speech. Hate speech is not protected under the law and many feel that what Yiannopoulos has to say is just that. The very outspoken Yiannopoulos was actually banned from using Twitter after leading his followers in a tirade of race fueled hate tweets at Black comedienne and actress, Leslie Jones.
Upon his resignation Adamini said
“I have always been intent on being helpful to anyone I associate with, and at the moment, all the hatred and anger and threats are being directed not only to me, but to other members of the party,” Adamini said. “It’s made it impossible for me to be helpful. The desire to not be a distraction and a hindrance to the work of the party is what prompted me to do this.”
Marquette County Republican Party Chair Brendan Biolo said in a statement, “We’re sad about the situation, and we accept his resignation,” he added. “As I’ve said before, we don’t condone any of his actions.”
Dan Adamini wasn’t the only republican who was outraged over the chaos at the University of California, Berkeley. In fact, President Trump himself had something to say.
“If U.C. Berkeley does not allow free speech and practices violence on innocent people with a different point of view – NO FEDERAL FUNDS?” Donald Trump tweeted as the media covered the violent outburst.
“This abhorrent post is in poor taste and trivializes a loss of life that still pains the Kent State community today,” officials from Kent State said in a statement. “We invited the person who wrote this statement to tour our campus and our May 4 Visitors Center.”
Jason Chapman, chair of the Marquette County Democratic Party said of Adamini’s social media posts “It’s highly irresponsible for an officer of the Marquette County Republican Party to suggest that authorities kill anyone.”
After the public backlash, Adamini told the Free Press
“It was stupid, it was poorly done,” the radio show host and former GOP official said. “But my goal was to stop the violence by protesters, not commit violence against protesters. The point I was trying to make, admittedly I did it very poorly … was that the violence is really getting out of hand, and much like in the 1960s, the violence created an atmosphere where something terrible and tragic like Kent State could happen.”
It’s nice he decided to retire for the “sake of the party” but I’d sure like to see what benefits package he left with……
