Weir: The courage to stand up for America!

We’ve all been exposed to the division in our country during the last few years. Politics has invaded the psyche of more Americans than ever before.

Having more people participate in the political process is generally a good thing because it brings an awareness of government and the need for voters to get involved in the selection of its leaders. However, when some people decide that a duly constituted election of a President didn’t come out the way they wanted, therefore, they’re going to use violence and intimidation to resist, they are supporting anarchy. Across the country we’ve seen hatred for President Trump, often spurred on by the left-wing media, get so intense that a person may be risking his/her life by simply wearing a shirt or a hat with our president’s name on it.

Joseph Kane, a 24 year-old Denton resident, has experienced some of the aforementioned abuse recently for engaging in patriotic behavior by wearing a Make America Great Again (MAGA) hat. “I’ve had people spit at my feet and verbally insult me,” he said. Moreover, the radical group calling itself ANTIFA, short for anti-fascism, has been advocating for violence against what they refer to as the “Trump- Pence regime.” (It’s no small irony that a group advocating violence against free expression calls itself “anti-fascist.”) Kane says ANTIFA has published his vehicle information, phone number and email, accompanied by accusations toward him that include terms like “Nazi” and “white supremacist.”

In addition, he’s received calls and tweets urging him to kill himself and to get a vasectomy (not necessarily in that order). Keep in mind, all of this has occurred simply because he has shown his support for the President of the United States. Nevertheless, he says he stays positive and continues to support our Chief Executive.

Mr. Kane was raised in Wyoming and joined the military after high school. He served 9 months in Kosovo before being stationed in Fort Hood, Texas. He recently celebrated his second wedding anniversary and the Kanes are expecting their first child, a daughter, in October. In the video interview Joe talks about some of the abuses he’s had to deal with and his determination not to be subdued by those who engage in such tactics.

Bob Weir is a former NYPD officer, long-time Flower Mound resident and former local newspaper editor.