Guest author: ​ Josh Montgomery

Unless you live under a rock near the core of the Earth, you are most likely well aware of all the issues going on since Saturday. Charlottesville. Durham. Trump's speeches which, as usual, are never enough. Trump's tweets. White nationalists. Nazis. Antifa. Confederate monuments. 

​Everyone has an opinion. Yeah, me too. So let's have a chat about some of the things.
​

They applied for a permit. They had it revoked. The ACLU stepped in to have it put back in place. All hell broke loose. 

There's a mix of what people say was there. Nazis. White nationalists. The KKK. Members from all those groups were, mostly likely, there. There were also probably plenty of gawkers, because taking part or not, something like that is something to see. 

These groups are repugnant throw backs to a time in our history that should remain in history. This is 2017. The fact that we have people who desire the USA to be a one race nation still here... that amazes me, in a bad way. The USA was not designed to be a one group nation, whether that was race, religion, or anything else. And the USA would not thrive in that capacity. Plus, it would be boring as hell. 

The fact is, though, that it is a small minority of people. Regardless of there being "a lot" of them at this riot, the nation as a whole actually holds very few of these people. They aren't really "a thing" anymore. As I've always stated, of course they exist. But to say "all white people" or "all Trump supporters" is wrong and reckless. It doesn't push them back into the shadows, it empowers them. And it encourages more to join. We don't need that. 

All that said. Those saying the 1st amendment doesn't protect hate speech are dead wrong. It most certainly does. As vile as these people are, they have the right to speak, to assemble, and to protest. They don't have the right to vandalize, burn things, hurt people, kill people, or destroy the town. But they do have the right to speak. They were in their rights to be there. Like it or not. 
​

I honestly believe the people who are members of Antifa and BLM really do believe they are doing the right thing. But they aren't. What did you think was going to happen when you showed up with guns, clubs, bats, and balloons full of human waste? Did you think a group like the above was going to shrink away in terror? Because no one else did. 

The bottom line is this: you also have the right to speak, assemble, and protest. You do not have the right to vandalize, burn things, hurt people, kill people, or destroy the town. But more and more often, what starts out as taunting during a counter protest turns into people swinging clubs and hitting people with bike locks. 

Pres. Trump was dead right to call out the violence on both sides. Yes, he should have named them for what they were, white nationalist. And should have disavowed them immediately, even though he has done so repeatedly in the past. 

But he was right. Both sides were wrong in Charlottesville. You can be as offended about that as you want. It doesn't make it any less true. Once you start throwing things and hitting people with clubs, you are just as wrong. 

Right now, folks are trying to doxx the white nationalists to force them to "stand behind their beliefs." The same could be done to Antifa. Those folks go out with rags over their faces to hide themselves. If you - white nationalists and Antifa alike - think your cause is so righteous, you all need to uncover your faces and stand behind your actions. Take your consequences. 
​

According to the left and the MSM, Trump is supporting the alt-right because he didn't name only them. Instead, he chose to point out that the violence was from both sides, a statement that is actually true. But to the left and the MSM, violence from the left is heroic. 

Trump also came under fire when he asked a reporter to define "alt-right" for him. Again, this is not a statement I would take as support for them. Why? Because what in the actual hell is the alt-right?! We have seen it explained and defined, but like so much out there, it has lost it's meaning due to over use.

Anyone not on the extreme left is alt-right. 

Don't believe me? YouTuber Philip DeFranco is called alt-right on a regular basis, Despite being left leaning himself, Philip DeFranco seems to be "left of center" and tends to tell people things they don't want to hear. Because he isn't towing the party line on an extreme angle, he's alt-right now. Even people like Dave Rubin of the Rubin Report - a married gay man who also tends to be left of center - is called alt-right on a regular basis because he has chosen to interview people on the right wing and extreme right wing. His purpose for doing this is to bring forth both sides of the story and to encourage people to educate themselves and to have a civil discussion, something his show is known for with even the loudest of guests. Laci Green, a feminist YouTuber, has recently come under fire for being alt-right due to a change in heart where she has decided that it isn't a bad thing to sit down and listen to and debate people she typically doesn't agree with. A self proclaimed left wing feminist, Laci Green has been attacked by people who once followed her every word because how dare she give voice to people she doesn't agree with. She, too, is now being accused of being alt-right, and her boyfriend - who no one seems to know much about - is also alt-right. 

So in the same way as saying things like peanut butter and jelly sandwiches are racist has blurred the definition of racism, and air conditioning is sexist has blurred the definition of feminism, so too has the loose use of "alt-right" blurred the definition. 

To the left, everyone not with them 100% is alt-right. We're all Nazis, white nationalists, and members of the KKK who are oppressing them. Even left wingers are alt-right if they aren't left enough. If you didn't vote for Hillary, you are alt-right. If you didn't vote for Bernie, you are seriously alt-right.
​

Not completely. Again, his use of Twitter is getting him into a lot of trouble. But without Twitter, most of us who aren't completely out of our minds understand what he's doing. 

Nothing Trump says will ever be enough. 

Let's be real. We criticized Obama for talking about things too soon. Now we're criticizing Trump for talking about things too late. The left wants him to say "white nationalists" because he wanted Obama to say "Islamic Extremists." And they want to be vindicated as the heroes they think they are. There is no "both sides" to extreme leftists. They think they are right, and they think they have a right to harm people who don't agree with them. 

The left wants Trump gone, and they'll do anything to accomplish that. And they are escalating. 

By the way, on Trump being racist... no one ever accused him of racism until he ran against the democrats. And he has done nothing racist yet. When you have a loose definition of racism, everything is racist. As I always say, just give us a list of what isn't racist, because it will be a much shorter list.
​

I'm hearing a lot of people trying to make excuses for this guy. Look, we'll eventually find out what actually happened. But personally, I'm erring on the side of saying he was a murderous terrorist who was trying to kill people. I'm sorry. I've heard all the theories about how he was being attacked and gunned the engine and this was all a mistake. Maybe that will prove to be true. Maybe it won't. But I'm having a tough time swallowing that it wasn't intentional. 
​

As someone who recently discovered she had several ancestors who fought with the Confederacy, I have to say... I can understand wanting them removed.

I don't want to see them destroyed. Moved, sure. I can understand it. But destroyed? No. I won't support that at all. Covering history doesn't make it go away. Teaching the hell out of it ensures it never happens again. Teaching the hell out of it teaches our children to appreciate where we are now, to appreciate each other, to treat each other like the human beings they are. Teach it, don't hide it. 

When I moved to NC from NJ, one of the biggest shocks of my life was driving into Raleigh and seeing the huge memorial "To Our Confederate Dead." I was shocked, and I laughed. After continuing my own studying and befriending some southern folk, I developed an appreciation for their history and understood why it was there. The Confederates are still US soldiers. Most of them were not slave owners. Hell, some of them were slaves. 

But after watching those vandals take down that statue in Durham, I found myself thinking of this memorial. I already see them online calling for it's destruction. It's going to happen. I'm sad to say, but it is. Our governor has already called for the removal of all Confederate memorials. 

I have a problem with that. Because it won't stop. It is never enough. Once those are down, what else are we going to destroy because it offends someone? Did you know someone vandalized the Lincoln Memorial today? And my initial thought was, "Why Lincoln?!" 

​Did you know Google has redefined Lincoln?

Go ahead, Google it (make sure to actually use Google). The National Union Party was a real party, it was a temporary party during the Civil War. Lincoln ran and was elected as a Republican, not National Union Party. 

So we're not just destroying history, we're rewriting it. And that's not OK. 

My solutions:

1. Remove the statues from parks and place them in museums. Replace them with nothing. Why nothing? Because we can't predict what will offend people in the future and we should not waste tax payer dollars replacing memorials with things people will demand be removed in the future. Or...
2. Close the parks. Period. Just close them. Or...
3. Privatize the parks. The new owners can decide what to replace the monuments with and they can foot the bill to replace the new monuments or statues when people become offended by them. Or they can fill the park with ugly "art" pieces that will deter people from spending time there, or will encourage people to pretend they are more "cultured" than they really are.
   

​ 

Both sides are wrong. The white hate groups are disgusting and shouldn't exist. However, groups like Antifa and BLM are also peppered with people who want supremacy and hate based on the color of your skin. It is racism. It is hate. And their violence is no more justified than anyone else's and should not be tolerated.

Until we can accept and admit that both sides are violent, abhorrent, racist, and hate filled, we will not see an end to this. The MSM is encouraging this, the police are encouraging it, the governments are encouraging it, and towns will keep getting burned down, people will keep getting beat with bike locks, cops will keep getting killed, and free speech will be curbed. 

What Antifa and BLM are missing is that their tactics are not new. These things have happened before. Their parents did it, too. Now, they are telling us that things are no better and doing the same things... how about changing tactics? You've already admitted it didn't work the first time. So how about trying something else? You can't scream "Love trumps hate" after screaming "pigs in a blanket, fry 'em like bacon" and smashing people over the head for the offense of wearing a MAGA hat. You aren't going to beat people into submission. You're going to beat them until they join one of these abhorrent groups. Very few people join the side of the people that tried to beat them into submission. They tend to stand up and go the opposite extreme. We don't need that. We don't need hate groups, and yes, BLM and Antifa are hate groups using violence and intimidation to get their way and to silence people, the same as the alt-right and white nationalists. Trump was right. The violence is from both sides. (I agree, it isn't "all" members of BLM. Some of those folks do want equality and aren't violent. But the time has come to weed out the violent racists and stop making excuses for them)

If we don't squash the violence and hate from both sides, it will only escalate. And I don't want to see anyone get killed. I want to debate you, not kill you. I don't want your parents to bury their child. And I don't want to see you as my enemy. Difference of opinion or not, you are my fellow countrymen, not my enemy. I say this often, here and to people directly. It falls on deaf ears. It shouldn't. I will, however, fight to the death for your right to protest (peacefully) and to speak freely (even if you spew hate). Because this is America. 

A young lady spoke today in Durham and claimed that we are currently fighting a war. Those are strong words. It didn't need to escalate to this point, but you made it, both sides. It isn't a war yet, but we're getting there. Be careful what you wish for. A civil war would be devastating. And when you use terms like "war" you encourage more of what you saw in Charlottesville from the white supremacists and Antifa. No one wants that to become an actual war. War isn't empowering. There is no glory there. You will watch your fellow countrymen - friend and foe - die. You'll watch the economy tank like you've never seen before. The things you will see in a civil war are things you should wish to never see. It isn't going to be sign holding and safe spaces and pulling down statues. It's going to be violence, destruction, and death. You won't just walk in, scream a lot, and get your way. Once you claim "war," people fight back. Let's not use the word "war." We're not there yet. Let's actually fight to keep us from getting there. How about we start acting like grown ups?

More on this:

OK, get the popcorn, because I'm bringing you some Instagram drama! Here's the graphic that was posted, and this is the response to the situation in Charlottesville, VA. 

The response was swift. I have decided that I have said my piece and will not continue to "discuss" this issue further with this young man, should he decide to reply to my last comment (it has been about 45 minutes with no response). Now, as Instagram goes, someone else did step in and replied to the young man as well, and he may choose to reply to him, too. But I won't continue. Arguing with people online only goes so far before it just becomes boring. I have a short threshold. 

I have blacked out his information for his protection and right to privacy. His account is, of course, private. 

An Internet troll I ain't. Look, if you've not had experience with me to date, you will come to learn that I am very laid back. I have a lot of reasons for this. Over the last year, my blood pressure shot up so high my doctor wanted to put me on medication to bring it down. I'm not going to allow current events, politics, or other people to kill me. That's not going to happen. I've also aged and matured. I believe technically I am considered a millennial, but there is some debate as to whether or not I aged out because I may be one or two years too old to be considered a millennial. However, five years ago, if this interaction had gone down, my response would have been a lot different and it would have been all out war. For no reason. 

I can only hope that people like the young man above eventually reach a time in their lives where they hit that threshold like I did. 

Now, there is actually a reason why I decided I needed to share this particular interaction with you, because normally I leave the hate where it should be... somewhere else. 

1. Donald Trump was never accused of racism until he ran against the democrats. So maybe you need to sit down and think about that for a minute. 
2. If you want people to stop judging you as a part of a whole, stop doing it to others. Are there racists on the right? Sure there are. Same as there are Muslim terrorists. Same as there are racists on the left. Same as there are black criminals. That doesn't mean all are the same. Not all the folks on the right or left are racist. Not all Muslims are terrorists. Not all blacks are criminals. 
3. What the heck does "ctfu" mean? I don't speak Tumblr.
4. Now, let's address this "Amerikkka that all black people have had to live with their entire lives." Do black people experience racism? Yes, they do. I'm sure a good deal of them have, at some point, experienced real racism in some form. But you've got a choice. You can allow that to consume you and become a hate filled thug, or you can show them up and become a success. A lot of your African-American brothers and sisters are doing very well for themselves. Families. Nice homes and cars. Running successful businesses, or have a successful career. They are living their lives. However they choose, where ever they choose, with whoever they choose. They may still take part in protests. But they don't allow the problems of their parents to consume them, and they don't go out actively seeking enemies. Choose wisely. 
5. Don't come out and tell people on the right to condemn the actions of the white nationalists in Charlottesville only to chastise them and call them liars when they do. What you want is for them to agree with you 100% on everything or else. That's not going to happen. 
6. Do I blame Obama for this? No. I don't think he has that kind of power. Do I think he had the same twisted mindset that you do? Yes. Do I think you believe he hates as hard as you do? Yes. Do I agree that Obama does, in fact, hate as hard as you do? No, I don't. Obama can do and say whatever the hell he wants to. At the end of the day, your thoughts, actions, and hate are on you and you alone. I don't blame Obama. I blame you. Even if Obama had stood at a podium at some point and openly said to revolt and kill white people, the choice would be yours to make to do it or not. The blame is on you.
7. I didn't seek you out. Not that I could, since you aren't brave enough to make your profile public and stand behind your hate. You sought me out. You actively looked for people who were right or right leaning so you could chastise them even if they said they didn't agree with the white nationalists, because you convinced yourself that every single person on the right - every single person you don't agree with 100% - every single white person - hates you, no matter what they say or do. You were looking for an enemy. Period. And you are not my enemy. You never will be. I won't allow you to be my enemy. Because no matter what you believe or how much you hate me, you are my fellow countrymen and I will never consider you the enemy. I'm sorry you have created your own persona for who I am and what I believe and have decided that I am your enemy. But you are not my enemy. And until we can stop making each other our enemy, there will be no solution. There will always be an -ist and a -phobe, because you will always create one where none stand. This is what happens when you refuse to take people as individuals and judge them by their character. You box people and create enemies out of what could be a friend. 

To the groups doing battle in Charlottesville, VA today... you disgust me. All of you. The white nationalists. Antifa. Black Lives Matter. You all disgust me. You are fighting against and hating your own countrymen. You are judging people based on created boxes instead of as individuals. You are creating your own enemies. You are demanding freedoms be done away with. You are acting as the thought police. You are curbing free speech. You are making violence against each other. You are pitting countrymen against countrymen. And you are sickening. You are fixing nothing. You are creating enemies and creating problems where there were none. You are tearing us further apart. All of you. None of you are better than the other. You are all the absolute dredges of society. You are the poster children for what our children should strive to be most unlike. 

​Saying "all black people..." is wrong. But saying "all white people..." is just as wrong. 

​This needs to end. And the end of it needs to start with you. 

Wow, you guys.

It simply amazes me how they make these videos and comments and try to make it sound like they are the victims and are being attacked all the time. The last time I checked, it was large groups of their own that were attacking others. They enjoy creating fake hate crimes in between beating people with bike locks, dumping bottles of piss on women, and car jacking people because they don’t like their bumper sticker. And of course, sprinkle in some campus burnings and Starbucks windows busting. The “Escalating violence” they speak of is coming from their own, and literally everyone knows it but them.

I started laughing when he mentioned whatever it was about a gym for “marginalized people” that “aren’t accepted into the heteronormative masculine macho gym culture.” Every gym that has been established since probably the mid-90s has touted their open mindedness and acceptance of all. Yeah, you are always going to have a-holes in any situation like that. But what the hell kind of gyms do these people visit?

I’m a member of a gym that wouldn’t give a crap about how they identify. Seriously, I use a hospital based gym (it’s owned by a hospital system and has tons of hospital offices and services, including an urgent care, attached in the complex). The majority of clientele there are over the age of 50 (we have a few members over the age of 100!) and/or have serious handicaps or medical conditions, their specialty being heart problems. That’s not to say that we don’t have our fair share of younger people, including millennials. And every once in a while we have a grunting weight tosser that gets in, but those guys get shut down pretty fast, either by the staff or an ornery elderly person. The clientele also boasts a large mixture of minority groups. And the LGBT community there is well represented as well. We have transgender folks who use the gym.

But we also let in evil police officers and right wingers, because we believe in including everyone and working out our differences instead of having secret clubs.

And no one gives a rat’s backside about anyone’s gender, race, sexual orientation, etc. If they do, they keep their mouths shut.

Now, I’ll admit. I have had a few run ins with people who don’t approve of my tattoos and the quantity and/or size of them, and especially the fact that they are on a woman. I get stared at a lot more at this gym than anywhere else. But I’ll give credit where it is due. Of the people who give me looks, I’d say about 90% of them eventually approach me and start a conversation with me. It is almost never about my tattoos, either. I think these people want to know what I am about. I think maybe two of the people who have approached me in all these years came at me wanting to know about the tattoos and both asked to touch them (which oddly happens more than you would think. If you’ve ever wondered, they feel like skin). After our conversation, we’re usually on even ground and the disapproving looks stop. A few became “gym friends.” But this has never made me feel uncomfortable, unwelcome, or in danger.

But I’ll say, I approve of the Antifa gym. It keeps these a-holes out of gyms like the one I am in. Really, if we got inundated with these people, they’d make our gym experience very uncomfortable and stressful, and most likely hostile. We don’t need that, and neither does any other gym on Earth. So I approve. Stay with your little hate groups and leave the rest of the USA alone. Just don’t start demanding the tax payer fund them.