We the People: No moral equivalency calculation needed

According to a CBS poll released Thursday, 55 percent of Americans think that President Trump is wrong for placing blame on both sides for the violence at the rally of neo-Nazis and white supremacists in Virginia. Mr. Trump is under fire for repeatedly saying that he believes there is more than one side to blame for the violence.

Neo-Nazis and white supremacists gathered in Charlottesville,Virginia to protest the removal of a memorial to General Robert E. Lee, the commander of the armed forces of the Confederacy during the Civil War.

The rally attracted counter protesters who President Trump and right wing groups have taken to calling the “alt-left.” There were violent clashes between the groups and a young woman lost her life after a right wing protester drove his automobile into a crowd of counter protesters. Should the issue really be about “blame on both sides?”

Mr. Trump’s approval rating dropped after refusing to blame the neo-Nazis and white supremacists. It’s a no-brainer that the anti-liberty fascist groups deserve criticism from Americans under all circumstances.

The president is more concerned with shielding neo-Nazi racists from criticism. Why? President Trump attempted damage control at a press conference when he stated, “Racism is evil and those who cause violence in its name are criminals and thugs, including the KKK, neo-Nazis, white supremacists and other hate groups that are repugnant to what we hold dear as Americans.”

Subsequently, he reverted to blaming both sides for the deadly violence and at another press conference questioned if the sentiment to remove Confederate memorials would eventually lead to the desecration of memorials to George Washington.

While he angrily engaged a reporter who dared to question his reluctance to criticize neo-Nazis and white supremacists, he commented that he knew the situation better than any “fake news” reporter and stated that the “alt-left” protesters were “very, very violent” when confronted the Nazis and white supremacists gathered at the statue of Robert E. Lee. He snidely commented to the reporters that “before I make a statement, I like to know the facts.”

The president’s approval rating is now only 34 percent in a Gallup study released Monday with 61 percent of adults disapproving of the president’s performance. These are his lowest approval ratings.

The Nazi Party is one anti-American group that deserves no protection since it is seeking to divide Americans and spread hate against American citizens based on race, religion and creed. During his exchange with reporters, the president repeatedly sidestepped criticism of the Nazis and supremacists, and insisted on framing the issue as one concerning the placement of blame on both the right and left equally for the confrontation.

Why can’t he criticize these hateful, divisive and violent groups who are rallying to gain support and attention in our country? Adolf Hitler made great propaganda out of demonizing violent “Bolsheviks” and “anarchists” who were supposedly destroying Germany but no one spoke out against his rhetoric of hate that eventually produced the stormtroopers and death squads who committed genocidal mass murder in his name. Many of these alt-right groups adopt the emblems of and glorify the history of Adolf Hitler.

Even hate-mongers have a right to protest the removal of a statue, to organize the preservation of an historical statue and to peacefully express their hateful ideas, however repugnant they may be to all Americans.

Does someone have to tell President Trump that the issue is not about the statue? These groups are anti-American. President Trump is so out-of-line for failing thoroughly to condemn the neo-Nazis, white supremacists and the KKK. No moral equivalency calculation needs to be done under the circumstances before our president says “the right thing.”