A line at a time:

One of the things that people keep pointing out, rightly so, is how the Trump base are dehumanizing the left/libs which leads to violence.

With that in mind, I prefer to remember that the Trump supporters are people with their own issues and needs.

Why are they willing to turn off their brains and blindly follow an authoritarian wanna be, what is driving their anger and resentment towards everyone else?

BECAUSE IT'S WHAT THEY WANT

Until we address those issues, they will continue to lash out against anyone that naysays them.

Yes. We are addressing this through legal measures. It's been entirely too long in coming. I want you to imagine a bunch of Antifa using bear spray on people from moving vehicles. I want you to imagine a bunch of BLM using bear spray on people from moving vehicles. I want you to imagine a black Kyle Rittenhouse.

Their needs are not being met by our government and the people that supposedly represent them.

Their needs include the violent overthrow of the rule of law at the very pinnacle of government.

And look. I know - I can TASTE the No True Scotsman you're forming as I write this. The Good Germans you're about to cite. Listen to me closely: we're past that shit. The time has come to acknowledge that treason, armed insurrection and terrorism are not American values. The judge of a person's character is not "are they nice to some people."

We need to move religion out of the sphere of control and get rational thought back into play.

No, we need to arrest and prosecute treasonous terrorists to the fullest extent of the law.

Here's an organic food co-op in Venice being raided by SWAT.

Know who hasn't gotten raided by SWAT? ANY NEONAZI OR PRO-TRUMP ORGANIZATION.

The insurrectionists, and those that incite and enable them, need to be brought to justice.

Explain how whatabouting and excusing behavior that led to armed terrorists storming the capitol is not "inciting and enabling."

We need to take appropriate action against fascism, totalitarianism, and prejudice.

Like punishing treasonous terrorists and not excusing their behavior because "their needs aren't being met." Know who hasn't stormed the capitol? These guys:

On the other hand,

I don't believe that vilifying anyone that disagrees with me is going to be productive in the long term.

On the other hand, I believe that any movement that makes people feel comfortable enough to try to beat a cop to death with a flagpole needs to be forcefully and swiftly condemned so that my elected officials can safely perform the tasks of government. Drink it in:

In the long term, understanding why they are supporting Trump gives us an opportunity to address their needs and remove the catalyst for their support of him and others like him.

I get what you're saying? I mean, I fuckin' read What's the Matter with Kansas in like 2005? I've taken your side of the argument for a good fifteen fucking years now? But no one ever says "you know, maybe we shouldn't encourage these whiny fucks in every single goddamn thing they do just because they're white." There's been a real trend since THE RECONSTRUCTION to presume that if a white person has a grievance, everyone needs to stop down and soothe his fee-fees despite the fact that the American ethos is to raise each other up and become greater through cooperation. And yeah: it's harder working at a Walmart than it is working at Goldman Sachs but I'm here to tell ya that if you got on a flight in Plague Year 2021 to protest a "stolen election" then your list of grievances DOES NOT IMPRESS ME.

Voters should vote based on political actions and their results, not political rhetoric, especially when the rhetoric devolves into populism like the conservatives have.

Pandora would like to show you her box

I do however worry about the military taking a stance on any political event.

Know why there's a fence around the capitol? Because of the First Battle of Bull Run.

They may be on my side this time, but next time they may not be.

Know why Posse Comitatus passed? Because Southern racists were sick of Northern troops showing up and interfering with their lynchings. Do you have any intentions of storming the capitol? No? Then you should not fear the extraordinary measures put in place in response to terrorists storming the capitol. Nobody has declared martial law, nobody has had their constitutional rights abridged, fuckin' Jacob Chansley is bitching about organic food and Sandra Bland is five years dead because a Texas cop decided to stop'n'frisk her car.

There were migra storm troopers IN MY CITY. Throwing protesters in unmarked vans. While a president said "when the looting starts the shooting starts." And you're here wringing your hands that the terrorists who actually tried to overthrow the government might actually experience a minuscule fraction of the prejudice leftists and minorities have experienced since John Fucking Brown or before.

I appreciate you articulating your thoughts. I apologize for being harsh. But the time for sympathy is over. I've got an eight year old in the other room who I would like to grow up in a country free of rebellion. And I would like to remind you that people worried about how Hitler's followers would react so they let him out of jail early.

We cannot compassion our way out of this one.