Newsmax host Carl Higbie went on a tirade on Friday after former President Donald Trump was convicted by a Manhattan jury the day before.
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee was found guilty on all 34 counts of falsifying business records to conceal hush money payments to cover up extramarital affairs. Trump was concerned the affairs would come to light and harm his presidential aspirations. The Republican freakout has been swift if not predictable. Despite their outrage and indignation, some conservatives insist that being a convicted felon will help Trump’s chances of returning to the White House in November’s election.
During Friday’s edition of Frontline on Newsmax, Higbie demanded congressional Republicans drop everything and go after those involved in Trump’s prosecution.
Hey, hey. This comes from a place of fear and that’s okay, but recognize it for what it is. Buying guns in fear is what gets people hurt. If you choose to buy a gun for the first time, take proficiency courses. Learn the legal responsibilities that come with it. If you’re genuinely concerned, protect yourself in a responsible way. That may or may not be with a firearm. There are many ways to protect yourself. Take martial arts classes for instance.
This may seem like a wild suggestion, but try therapy. It did wonders for my anxiety. Seriously. I don’t worry as much. I don’t live in fear. I have friends ALL across the political spectrum. We get along fine. We treat each other with love and respect. The news and media drums up fear and excitement for attention. It’s what sells ads.
You do you. But perhaps you’re coming from a place of denial. Therapy can help with that too.
I won’t rule out your point. It’s good to be pragmatic. But I do know that fear isn’t a good leader. I’ll continue with my therapy. It does help. I recommend it to everyone.
Under normal circumstances I think your advice would be appropriate. I just happen to think these aren’t normal circumstances. Sometimes the danger is real and warrants increased vigilance. I’m certainly not suggesting people buy firearms they don’t know how to use, on a whim. I’m suggesting they consider investing time and effort to become proficient with them. It’s not about shooting people. It’s about having a credible deterrent.
That’s fair. I think we agree that it’s important to emphasize proficiency and responsibility. It needs to be explicit. Otherwise, it just plays into media extremism.
Yeah, don’t count on that poster to listen to you and act responsibly. I do appreciate what you wrote for the rest of the readers, though.
Ok, now you’re no better than the far-right wackos. Don’t get offended for the therapy bit. Stop with the stigma. It was a genuine piece of advice. If it’s not for me, a graceful “not for me, thanks” would have sufficed, not that reactionary “no u!”, which is in alignment with your original fear-based comment.
Step away from the internet news for a bit. People tend to build these scenarios in their minds when they’re logged on 24/7.
I agree that mental healthcare is important and not to be stigmatized.
The only thing I’m trying to encourage is preparedness over complacency. Thinking through the worst case scenario before it happens isn’t fear, it’s the beginning of assurance. It’s how you avoid freezing when the bad thing happens. Maybe that doesn’t mean guns. But it does mean I’m taking these overt threats of violence seriously and I think it’s prudent for others to as well.