Tea at Trianon: Coup Simulation

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Sunday, July 21, 2024

Coup Simulation

From Bethel McGrew at Further Up:

This happened in 2021. Now, fast-forward to July, 2024. Donald Trump has nearly been assassinated. On an Instagram post about the shooting, a Dallas PD officer posts the comment, “Aim better.” Allegedly, it’s visible only to his friends. But it becomes public, and he’s immediately put on paid leave while the department investigates. The officer’s lawyer has claimed the remark was taken out of context and was meant as a reference to the inept Secret Service. His police chief says that if this defense proves untrue, then “the comment made has no place in our society and certainly no place in law enforcement.”
Meanwhile, in Pennsylvania, a fireman made a tweet that left his meaning in no doubt: “Too bad it didn’t hit him square.” The tweet was reported and removed, but not before a screenshot had gone viral. He later announced that his reputation was in tatters, his family and friends had received threats, and he had chosen to resign. “I’m ashamed that I’ve brought this to you. I’ve already lost several people extremely close to me. I expect to lose more.”
In upstate New York, a woman named Darcy Waldron Pinckney posted a comment on a friend’s Facebook wall that left her meaning in no doubt: “To [sic] bad they weren’t a better shooter!!!!” When someone challenged her, she doubled down: “He is the definition of corrupt and evil.”
Not long afterwards, a man tracked her down at her place of work, berated her on camera, and sent the video viral, vowing to “make you famous.” In a couple days, she was fired, with a statement that her behavior did not reflect the company’s “values.” Her employer? Home Depot. (Read more.)

Brother of Bel Air murder victim speaks at the Republican convention. From Maryland Matters:

The brother of a Maryland woman whose 2023 murder has fanned the flames of immigration policy debate addressed a packed arena Tuesday night at the Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
“Open borders are often portrayed as compassionate and virtuous,” said Michael Morin, 40, of Churchville. “But there is nothing compassionate about allowing violent criminals into our country and robbing children of their mother. My sister’s death was preventable.”

Rachel Morin, a 37-year-old mother of five, was reported missing Aug. 5 after going for a jog on the Ma & Pa Trail in Bel Air. Her body was found nearby the following day.

Harford County Sheriff Jeff Gahler on June 15 announced the arrest of Victor Antonio Martinez-Hernandez, 23, in connection with Morin’s murder. Gahler said Martinez-Hernandez entered the country illegally in February 2023 after murdering a woman in his native El Salvador. He is also accused of a home invasion and assault in Los Angeles in March 2023.

Video and DNA evidence from the California crime helped connect Morin’s murder to Martinez-Hernandez, who was arrested in Oklahoma and extradited to Maryland.

State Sen. Johnny Ray Salling (R-Baltimore County), a Maryland delegate at the convention, told Capital News Service last week: “We have a problem with crime along the border. We have criminals that are coming to our nation that are just, not committing crimes, that they’re murdering people.” (Read more.)