America After 250 Years – Is America now a culture of accepted violence?

As I wrote in earlier articles, I wanted to write a series of short stories leading up to our July 4th celebration of 250 years of America, celebrating what has made and what continues to make this the greatest country in the world. People come here legally (like my wife and grandparents) and illegally (crossing oceans and deserts, and climbing walls for a chance at a better life). Everyone who comes here the right way deserves their shot at the American dream and I wish them the very best of luck (though hard work has more to do with it than luck). I do not want them to have their dream halted by illegal aliens jumping the line…but enough about that.


While I was looking for things to celebrate, this past weekend brought yet another assassination attempt on President Trump’s life. Every news outlet and every journalist with a heartbeat has weighed in on this issue, so I thought I would add my voice to the noise and give you my take on it.


Fortunately, the Secret Service stopped this latest wannabe Presidential assassin (number three for Trump by my count). This is the first White House Correspondent’s Dinner (“WHCD”) Trump has attended, so I don’t believe it’s a coincidence that this nut job tried to gain entry and, I presume, shoot Trump and anyone and everyone else who got in this way.


Protesters were outside the WHCD hotel, waving signs that read, “Death to Tyrants” and “Death to all of Them.” They continued to wave these signs in the faces of attendees who were obviously shaken by that night’s events and were evacuating the venue. This has become the norm. It is now completely “normal” in America to openly and publicly call for violence against the “other side” simply because you disagree with them. It’s not hard to find examples of violent rhetoric being used by politicians at the national, state, and local level. But the animosity shown by the Left against Trump is on a completely different scale. It almost can’t be measured.


The Democrats have continued to urge their followers to engage in violence and we see the result. Among many things, three assassination attempts on President Trump and Charlie Kirk murdered last year. And it’s not just Republicans at risk, as evidenced by the murder of Minnesota Democratic legislators, Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman, last year and the residence of Democratic Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro being set on fire while he and his family slept. And, not to put too fine a point on this issue, Democratic Representative Maxwell Frost was punched in the face at an event last January and Representative Ilhan Omar was sprayed with a vinegar-like substance at a town hall meeting. The Left’s calls for violence have made violence so accepted that, unlike some of our elected representatives, it has successfully crossed the aisle.


U.S. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer went on national television in October of last year and urged Americans to “forcefully rise up” against the government. A few days ago, the New York Times published a gleeful podcast conversation in which the participants excused the murder of UnitedHealthcare DEO Brian Thompson. It is not hard to find literally hundreds of examples of politicians, journalists, podcasters, and anyone with a microphone or Youtube channel calling for violence or excusing murder because these people “deserved it.” It is saddening and sickening.


With each attack and the rise of violent rhetoric, the risk exponentially expands for someone to be in the public eye. The impact on our country cannot be denied and can be measured by every speech that cannot be held because of the risk to the speaker. It can be measured by each good American who decides not to run for office for fear they or their family will become targets, and even journalists who decide not to write certain details for fear of being killed. It’s a sad state of affairs we find ourselves in today. America was not founded almost 250 years ago for its citizens to live in fear or be murdered because someone disagrees with what they say.


The White House Correspondent’s Dinner is supposed to be a celebration of free speech. But this latest shooting and the many attacks in the past are a stark reminder that the First Amendment alone cannot protect free speech. The protections under the First Amendment are based on the assumption that each individual will have the power to speak freely. That cannot be said today.


It’s sometimes a punchline that the Second Amendment exists to protect the First Amendment. But I believe it to be true. While Democrats and the Left-leaning media rally against guns and try to restrict our Second Amendment rights, in the end, when shots rang out that night, Republicans Democrats alike were sheltering under their tables waiting for people with guns to save and protect them. And that’s exactly what happened; Secret Service agents with guns stopped the threat. I carry a firearm to protect myself and those I love. I don’t want to be hiding under a table without a means to protect my family.


I guarantee you that there will be another cry for gun control. It seems that those calling for gun control do not understand that laws restricting guns and our Second Amendment rights only disarms the good guys, the people who obey the law. Criminals will not disarm because Congress or some State enacts a law; they only know that now their potential victims will likely not have a gun and they will. The largest murder in 2025 was in New Orleans when a homegrown Islamic terrorist killed 14 people with a car…in a nation with 500 million guns, he used a car. Not to sound like an old codger but, back in the day, teenagers would bring rifles to school and put them in their locker to go hunting after school, or have a gun rack in their pick-up truck in the school parking lot. There was no worry the gun would be stolen or there would be a school shooting – there just weren’t any school shootings during all that time. What’s changed is America’s culture…not guns. At the end of the day, a gun sitting on table cannot pull its own trigger. Blaming the gun is misguided. By that same logic, there should be a call for restricting car ownership.


I really believe that part of the problem today is the lack of civil discourse. I wrote an article on that topic in June of 2025 and would invite you to take a look. I would ask our esteemed editor to reprint that article for your easy reference.


America can do better. America should do better. Let’s use the ballot box to put conservatives in office who will do better for all of America. Let’s Make America Great Again!



Jerry Hashimura
Pahrump, NV



                                 (BELOW IS A REPRINTED ARTICLE FROM LAST YEAR--June of 2025)

Has Civility, Respect, and Civil Discourse Disappeared in Today’s Society? Let’s think about it.  

Allow me to climb back onto my old guy soapbox for a moment and talk a little about whether civility, respect, and good old fashioned civil discourse is still alive and well or gone the way of the Dodo bird and woolly mammoth. For purposes of this article and ease of reading, I will refer to “civility” but am talking about all three – respect, civil discourse, and civility.


From what I’ve seen, civility is off life support, deader than Biden’s attempt at re-election, and something way too many people ignore while in polite society. We’ve all seen news reports or Youtube videos of the latest road rage incident, or the “Karen” in McDonalds or Wal-Mart yelling at the top of her lungs in the face of some poor clerk or waiter – and the male-equivalent of Karen doing the same, or the HOA representative going absolutely bonkers and yelling and screaming at a resident or visitor for some perceived infraction. And all too often, it ends up escalating into some form of physical assault to one party or the other. Many podcasters or commenters on Youtube videos say that many of these lunatics who act inappropriately and aggressively have never been punched in the face. In my opinion, that’s 100% accurate. They have never suffered any consequences for their actions. Many of these people believe they are somehow magically protected, can say whatever they want, and are insulated from any adverse action befalling them. Nothing could be farther from the truth.


There are just too, too many of these incidents happening every single day and night for it to be an exception and has, sadly, become the norm. It’s often painful and/or uncomfortable to watch. Many times, these inappropriate tirades devolve into racial slurs; something I, as a minority, cannot tolerate, nor should anyone…and, of course, when these bigots are called out on social media and lose their jobs or suffer other consequences, they are quick to say they didn’t mean what they said and they are definitely not bigots or biased – these protestations of innocence fall on deaf ears for me; they’ve shown their true colors.


When I read about these incidents or watch these videos, it occurs to me that, aside from struggling with self-control and low self-esteem, these people are reacting to perceived disrespect in what they believe in their minds is the only way for them to regain respect or show they are somehow levels above the person they are assaulting with the sheer volume and content of their words. They are quick to engage in these white-hot temper tantrums while operating on emotion and ego and losing the ability to think rationally, employ good decision-making, or understand what might be the final outcome of these outbursts, threats, or physical assaults. What’s especially significant to me is their inability to understand what could be the end result of their behavior – which can be catastrophic or deadly to them. The internet is filled with Youtube videos of road ragers threatening their “victims” with a weapon, the victim perceiving their life is in danger or they will suffer serious bodily injury, and employing lawful deadly force in self-defense. So, not only has a life been lost, but the lives of everyone involved has been changed forever.


We’ve also seen literally hundreds of Youtube videos and news reports of people who walk into stores and feel they are somehow entitled to steal whatever catches their fancy, without consequences. They grab armfuls of clothing, without regard to size or style, and dash out of the store…or put hundreds of packages of cigarettes into plastic trash bags and run out. These crimes are, unfortunately, enabled by a weak criminal justice response in many states, like California, and caused businesses to close and formerly nice, fashionable shopping districts to shutter stores. This is a case of these criminals having no respect for the rule of law, or business owners trying to make a living and support their families, and the collapse of the traditional family unit and the values taught in the past.


“Civil discourse” can be defined as communication that has mutual respect, open-mindedness, and a willingness to listen to differing opinions and viewpoints. With this definition in mind, think about how our political “leaders” talk to the opposing party, Republican or Democrat. Unfortunately, the “political discourse” that exists today is characterized by a decline (or elimination) of respect and fact-based arguments and, in the end, is extremely toxic. With the constant bombardment on social media of this discourse by our politicians, both written and video-based, maybe it’s no wonder so many “normal” citizens have abandoned civility and act out the way they do. Why can’t we rise above this kind of behavior? Is it too late for us? Who knows…but we should try.


I carry a firearm and have extensive training in a variety of martial arts and fighting systems. I do not feel threatened by some Karen or road rager trying to prove themselves because of some perceived disrespect that exists only in their minds. I will walk away or not engage because I can’t predict if they will try to escalate the situation and, ultimately, threaten or attempt to physically assault me and I will be forced to respond. I am not a physically imposing 6-foot, 200-pound person. I’m usually the smaller person in the fight. But, if I or my loved ones are attacked, I have trained in ways to defend myself that will end the assault quickly, to reduce the chance I or my loved ones will be hurt, by inflicting maximum, serious, and potentially permanent injury. I don’t want to do that and hope to never have to do it (but I continue to train as I can’t predict the future). This is exactly what I meant above about these people not understanding the possible end result of their rage. They do not know the person they are attempting to intimidate. They are “raging” or yelling in the face of someone they have zero knowledge about who could inflict serious injury on them and it could end (and has ended for some) very, very badly.


I can only hope that people exercise self-control, put aside their egos, and think about the second and third-order effects of their actions. Let’s return to an era of civility, respect, and civil discourse. Talk to people the way you would talk to your mother or grandmother; be polite and set an example, it doesn’t cost you anything…and urge others to do the same.

Jerry Hashimura
Pahrump, NV
article originally published June of 2025

---