I went the entirety of today (June 14th, as I'm writing this) without knowing about the incident that happened this morning. In Alexandria, Virginia, a man by the name of James Hodgkinson open fired on a Republican Congressional charity baseball practice. By the time this article is out, we may know much more than I know at the present time writing this. At my current time, no fatalities came from this act of violence. Let's hope it stays that way.

Whenever something like this happens, both parties rush to point fingers at the other. They rush to make up things, shift the blame onto one another. Of course, this incident was no different from the rest. The right started blaming the left, the left started claiming this is why we need gun control, the right claimed this incident was kept to a minimal because of guns...it's all a big jumble of shouting and fingers.

But I'm not here to further polarize the ongoing debate over this horrid event (at least, I really hope I don't accidentally). But I do want to talk about political violence. In light of recent stories, like those following comedian Kathy Griffin's Trump stunt, and NYC's Julius Caesar with a very obviously Trumpy Caesar, some people think this kind of event was only bound to happen. And they're right, to an extent. There will always be extremists who do irrational things.

But I want to denounce Hodgkinson's actions as a liberal, general anti-Trump young woman. Political violence is something that I do not hold lightly, and while I do sometimes wish certain elected officials were not in office (regardless of position), I would never, never wish harm to them, much less death. It is very clear that man came into that practice with an intent to take human lives and wreak terror and unrest into the American political scene. That's not okay to me.

So, I know what you might be asking yourself. Is there any case where I think political violence is acceptable? I would have to say no. Do I think there are cases where a general political upheaval is acceptable? Why yes, I think there is. Are we in any kind of state in our country where either is called for? I honestly do not think so. Yes, racism and oppression are still very much a thing across our nation. Fight that at the level it is at. But we are not under communist rule, we are not being lead by a dictator (I know some would disagree with me), and our country is not being demolished by physical war. There are ways to stand your ground and make a statement without taking the lives of others. Take that path, brothers and sisters.