I hope everyone here grasps the Horst Wessel moment in the making.

[themaguffin]

While we don't yet know a lot of details yet, we do know that the details won't matter to the right. They want and have a narrative.
They were already hyperventilating over the Charlotte tragedy.

Horst Wessel was a member of the Nazi paramilitary group known as the SA. During the years of the Weimar Republic, extremist political parties in Germany frequently engaged in violence. Wessel and his group of SA men in Berlin often fought with local Communists. On January 14, 1930, a small group of Communists fatally shot Wessel. The group may have been motivated by personal as well as political reasons. Wessel died on February 23.

Nazi propaganda mythologized details of Wessel’s death and turned him into the party’s most famous martyr. Wessel was celebrated in several propagandistic books, films, and public ceremonies. In addition, Wessel had written lyrics to a song that became the Nazi Party anthem after his death. The Nazis used Wessel’s legend to celebrate their ideals of political violence and self-sacrifice—and to encourage others to fight and die for the Nazi movement. His death was also used to rationalize attacks on Communists and other targets of the Nazi Party.

https://encyclopedia.ushmm.org/content/en/timeline-event/holocaust/before-1933/sa-member-horst-wessel-dies]

[Aviation Pro]

1. Social media prevents a Horst Wessel moment

….

[themaguffin]

2. I would have thought it prevented a lot of things, but it's done the opposite.

[Brenda]

16. You can say that again.

So much knowledge at your fingertips rather than going to the stacks to research.

Yet it has become monetized and polluted by corrupt wealthy assholes as well as very seriously mentally ill people.

And now AI makes it almost something of a Ouija board game to use.

[regnaD kciN]

3. Some on the right are already calling it their "Reichstag Fire" moment...

...and calling for the Democratic Party to be banned under RICO, all Democratic politicians jailed, and all liberal figures arrested.

"Reichstag Fire"...does that mean there's reason to suspect they killed Kirk themselves?

[Skittles]

9. not a lot of critical thinking skills with that crowd

[KPN]

10. That question isn't unwarranted actually.

[Fiendish Thingy]

4. I'm not worried

Trump is not omnipotent, and the people aren’t powerless.

[ImNotGod]

5. The fascist idiots in this country don't need an excuse to be fascists idiots. nt

[Mr.Bee]

7. Just Wait-

til it comes out the shooter was/is an ex-MAGA Republican second-amendment arsenal owner!

[rubbersole]

8. That went into a public bathroom and thought he saw a trans person and transitioned right there.

Q told me.

[Exp]

11. A lot of people did not know who Kirk truly was, They WILL SOON and they will NOT like it. nt

[themaguffin]

13. most won't, but the cult is ramping up. They thrive on this.

[Bluetus]

12. Sometimes martyrs happen naturally.

Sometimes dictators don't wait for a martyr to happen naturally and they manufacture their own martyr. How closely is Trump following the fascist playbook?

[dixiegrrrrl]

14. See Reischtag Fire. n/t