Ironically, Democrats are the ones to constantly talk about anti-black lynching in history, while it was their party that was generally responsible for said lynching. And it is Democrats who today have once more made public lynching common — though now it’s whites and conservatives who are the target.
On Friday, Daniel Penny, the U.S. Marine Corps veteran who held homeless man Jordan Neely in a fatal chokehold on a New York subway train earlier this month, turned himself over to police on a charge of second-degree manslaughter.
“He risked his own life and safety, for the good of his fellow passengers. The unfortunate result was the unintended and unforeseen death of Mr. Neely,” said Penny’s lawyers in a Thursday statement.
While the death was ruled a homicide, that designation does not necessarily mean there was intent or culpability on Penny’s part. That will be up to a jury to decide.
Neely, a black man, was reportedly threatening passengers and acting erratically prior to being restrained by Penny.
In its coverage of Penny’s arrest on Friday, CNN, like so many other outlets in the mainstream media, made sure to remind readers that Neely at one time was a Michael Jackson impersonator. The outlet even referred to Neely as a “homeless street artist.”
Many prominent Democrats have done the same in the days since Neely’s death — all part of an obvious effort to paint him as a harmless victim, ignoring the fact that this long list of crimes includes the attempted kidnapping of a seven-year-old girl.
In going after Penny by means of the media and through the courts, the Left is following a playbook they have now made standard:
In this modern, “sophisticated” age, Democrats do not find it convenient to destroy their enemies by literal assassination (although they are more than prepared to go that route if they need to, and have Antifa and their other goons ready for that purpose). Character assassination gets the job done just as well, without them having to get their hands dirty.
They no longer have to perform a literal lynching of the individual they wish they wish to destroy — the Left can now use the institutions in their control to carry out media and courtroom lynchings.
The tactic is simple but effective. They identify the person they want to eliminate. Maybe it’s someone prominent like Donald Trump. Maybe it’s someone unknown, but who has crossed a boundary for the Left and must thus be made an example of. Penny is the latest individual to become such a target; Kyle Rittenhouse was another.
Once identified, the Left deploys their army of propagandists in the media. That’s when we get the headlines about the poor “Michael Jackson impersonator,” the footage of the moonwalking, the shots of professionally organized vigils and protests. Along with that comes the incessant hammering of the target, who is now depicted as the world’s greatest villain.
But ruining the target’s reputation, destroying his career, and making him easy prey for violent leftists who might want to pay him a visit at night is not enough.
For the left-wing mob, the final step is to strip the target of his freedom by dragging him through the legal system, preferably in a jurisdiction where the judge and jury are likely to be leftist. Even if they don’t get their way and the target walks free, they have still impoverished him with staggering legal fees.
In short, the Left will completely and totally destroy your life if you get on their wrong side. They have all of this down to a formula, having perfected it with repeated practice and success.
How should the Right respond?
For one, they must understand how this tactic works and strive to avoid falling prey to traps set by the Left. When possible, avoid getting involved in controversial activity in locations that are fully controlled by Democrats, as New York City is. Trying to be a hero in enemy territory can be noble, but the costs should be weighed: Is the potential fallout worth a lifetime in prison and devastation of your family? If it’s not, better you clench your teeth and live to fight another day.
Rightists should also continually be building their communities and networks of mutual support so that they can help their own when dire situations come up.
As activists in Florida during the George Floyd-inspired “Summer of Love” in 2020, a couple of my friends were arrested for defending themselves against Antifa. Thankfully, they were ultimately cleared of any charges. The legal ordeal was understandably stressful for their families, but it helped that they had a network of patriots supporting them, including with money for their legal expenses.
The Left is out for blood. If we do not support our own, who will?
