June 22, 2021

"It’s terrible. They’re laying on the ground. This is clearly a terrorist act against the LGBT community. This is exactly what it is. Hardly an accident. It was deliberate, it was premeditated."

Said Fort Lauderdale Mayor Dean Trantalis, an eyewitness to the incident, quoted in "Fort Lauderdale mayor apologizes after calling Pride Parade crash ‘terrorist attack’" (NY Post).

It turned out that Saturday’s deadly crash at the Stonewall Pride Parade in Wilton Manors was an accident, according to the Fort Lauderdale Police Department, caused by a 77-year-old man who wanted to take part in the event but had physical ailments that prevented him from walking. The man’s 2011 Dodge Ram pickup truck accelerated unexpectedly at the beginning of the parade, striking two people and coming close to plowing into a car carrying Rep. Debbie Wasserman-Schultz (D-Fla.)....

The mayor didn't properly apologize, because he didn't say he did something wrong. 

"I was an eyewitness to the horrifying events. It terrorized me and all around me."

He's presenting himself as a victim, terrorized — which sounds like an excuse for not thinking clearly. It's his job to think clearly and to rely on facts.

"I reported what I saw to law enforcement and had strong concerns about what transpired — concerns for the safety of my community."

He didn't just express "strong concerns." He made explicit factual assertions to the public. He said it in a way that admitted no doubt —  "This is exactly what it is." He chose to stir up fear and anxiety. And he's not at all apologizing for doing that.

 “Law enforcement took what appeared obvious to me and others nearby and investigated further — as is their job...."

As if he did his job. But he didn't.

5 comments:

Ann Althouse said...

J writes:

“It’s terrible. …[…] This is clearly a terrorist act against the LGBT community.”

Every single accident and criminal act will be used by the collective left to justify their lies and lust for power. Facts and reality need not apply.

if it turns out the leftists are wrong -it’s all swept under the rug as they skip to the next big news event that can be used to vilify political opponents.

Ann Althouse said...

Temujin writes:

Yes...we're all victims. We are living in such a bizarre time. Never have so many had so much and yet, never have so many had so much to complain about. We live in an era where peace was not good enough. Having so much was not good enough. With all of that bounty came a large helping of guilt. And boy...have there been people taking advantage of that guilt. It's an entire industry all by itself. And it's been working overtime over the last 12 or so years to the point where we are now more divided, more openly crazy and out of our minds with hate, race, and tribalism. Today you are either a victim or a perpetrator. Pick your side.

And that's how we get Mayors like the goof running Ft. Lauderdale. And idiots like we have all over our media and our governments at all levels. If an old gay man losing control and driving into a gay parade is terrorism, you can easily see how the unchoreographed Jan. 6 riots at the Capitol were nothing short of an attempted takeover of our government. It's not a far jump when you have that mentality.

One wonders if any non-crazy people will ever return to working in the media, our schools, or our governments. And if not, how long before the media, our schools, and our governments are simply ignored? That moment cannot be far off.

Ann Althouse said...

Washington Blogger writes:

A few appropriate classic confucius sayings and one modern one:

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance."
"Silence is a true friend who never betrays."
"Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."
"Without feelings of respect, what is there to distinguish men from beasts?"
"In 2021, if you are looking for Jim Crow you might end up eating crow."

Ann Althouse said...


LA_Bob writes:

"Good luck believing in that". Ho ho ho!

That Politico article contains wealth of quotes:

Near the end of the 2019 election, "...opposition emerged from the City Council’s Black, Latino and Asian Caucus, which said the change could hurt the chances of candidates of color."

On the other hand, "A study by FairVote found that in California’s Bay Area, candidates of color won 62 percent of ranked-choice races, compared to 38 percent before the switch."

And "...research by Craig Burnett, an associate professor of political science at Hofstra University, found that voters in black and Latino neighborhoods in San Francisco and Oakland are more likely to choose just one candidate and leave the rest of the ballot blank, whereas voters in white neighborhoods are more likely to maximize their influence by completing the ballot."

But, "Fordham University associate political science professor Christina Greer said...'...At the end of the day, it’s not that complicated'.

I suppose if you're a Fordham University associate political science professor, it's not.

What a mess. I'd love to see how the "reshuffling" algorithm is implemented. I wonder how thoroughly it was tested. It might just be computer GIGO - Garbage in, gospel out; lawsuits to follow; film at 11.

Ann Althouse said...

Newton writes: "Lying, not “laying.”"