https://www.adl.org/resources/report/murder-and-extremism-united-states-2024

First things first, so glad to have you back, Reg! Given our close geographic proximity, had I known, I would have visited, and brought candy and flowers! No more ER visits, Reg!

I know we're all stunned, but not really stunned, with tonight's threat to ABC by the FCC, due to Kimmel's thoroughly reasonable, and constitutionally guaranteed, first amendment right to freedom of speech! 

I'm sure others will chime in but I just wanted to backtrack a few days (and don't days feel like weeks and months) and shed light on where violent extremism really has vomited forth from these last ten years. The above Anti-Defamation League website has a detailed examination of the sources of violent extremism. It's a lengthy read but if you want a short summary, I'll cut to the chase...

"The long-term trends resemble those of the short term, in that far-right extremists have committed the bulk of extremist-related murders: 328 of the 429 killings (76%) over the past decade. Domestic Islamist extremists were responsible for 79 killings (18%) over that same span, while murders from other sources made up the small remainder. Over the past 10 years, right-wing extremists have committed the majority of extremist-related murders in all years but one: 2016, the year of the shooting spree at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida, conducted by a person motivated by Islamist extremism."

And now a quote from German writer Goethe, and his nation surely can attest to the chilling spirit of this:

"There's nothing more frightful than ignorance in action."

And it's on the march!

Peter T.