LEMON DROP | Is Vandalism Considered Terrorism?!
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Why are White House officials equating vandalism with terrorism?
So I want to address a narrative that has been gaining dangerous traction, a narrative that is being pushed by the most powerful people in this country. Over the last week, the Attorney General, the Press Secretary, the White House Press Secretary, the President himself have started equating objectively criminal, objectively bad acts of vandalism with terrorism. And I want to reiterate that vandalism is unacceptable. It is not okay, not okay to damage property and destroy people's livelihoods. That's not okay. But in the United States of America, we must not, under any circumstances, label these acts as terrorism. I'm going to take a step back here. Why are we even talking about vandalism and terrorism?
Recently, as Elon Musk and his doge tweens have taken a buzzsaw to the federal government, protests have popped up around the country, outside Tesla facilities. Americans are exercising their First Amendment right to speak out against what they see as a grave injustice. However... There are also some folks who are going a step further. They're vandalizing Tesla cars and dealerships. They're spray painting cyber trucks and breaking windows and even, in some cases, committing arson. These are crimes, plain and simple, and no one should condone them. But here's the issue. Despite the disturbing nature of these acts, none of them were designed to inflict mass casualties. Words do have meaning. Terrorism has a definition.
We all know this, right? I mean, look it up in the dictionary. Give it a Google. Terrorism is the deliberate use of randomized violence against a civilian population to achieve a political end. Last time I checked, cars, yes, even Tesla cars, were not people. Last time I checked, keying a cyber truck was not akin to 9-11. But apparently Donald Trump doesn't know this. Take a look at this Truth Social post. It reads, and I quote here, I look forward to watching the sick terrorist thugs get 20-year jail sentences for what they are doing to Elon Musk and Tesla. Perhaps they could serve them in the prisons of El Salvador, which have become so recently famous for such lovely conditions. Now, what the hell did I just read?
Not only did he call petty criminals terrorists, but... Now he's going to deport them to El Salvador. And guess what? After posting that, he doubled down on camera while sitting in the Oval Office. Take a listen. Here it is.
You said this morning 20 years in jail and then maybe they'll go to one of these prisons in El Salvador. Do you think with the way that the judges have been issuing injunctions, it would be easier or harder to send these Tesla domestic terrorists to a jail in El Salvador than these MS-13 or Trendy Arago guys?
What incidents sparked protests and vandalism at Tesla facilities?
Well, I view these people as terrorists just like others. When I looked at those showrooms burning and those cars, not one or two, like seven, eight, ten burning, exploding all over the place. These are terrorists. You didn't have that on January 6th, I can tell you.
So much to unpack there. And I don't even know where to begin. OK, actually, I lied. I know exactly where to begin. These acts of vandalism are worse than January 6th. Are you kidding me, Donald Trump? Have you lost your mind? Listen to Congressman Seth Moulton, how he responds to the BS.
Trump thinks that if you try to kill cops to overthrow the government and change an election, that's not domestic terrorism, but somehow having a protest in front of a Tesla dealership is. The bottom line with Trump is freedom and liberties belong to people who agree with him, and that's it. That's his view of America. That's not a view that people who believe in our Constitution share.
Thank you, Congressman. Thank you for speaking since. Think about it, folks. Donald Trump is saying keying a car is terrorism, but violently storming the U.S. Capitol to overturn an election is not? What kind of a world are we living in? Now, you might be thinking, well, Don, Trump is saying this is bad. He says a lot of crazy shit. Just because he says he's going to deport petty criminals to El Salvador doesn't even mean that he actually will.
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Chapters
4 chapters
1
Why are White House officials equating vandalism with terrorism?
0:00–2:46
2
What incidents sparked protests and vandalism at Tesla facilities?
2:46–5:26
3
How does the legal definition of terrorism differ from vandalism?
5:26–6:53
4
What did the President say about sentencing vandals as 'terrorists'?
6:53–7:31
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