A Los Angeles Times opinion column is firing up the Internet after Virginia Heffernan wrote about her anguish in not knowing how to respond to neighbors cleared the snow on her driveway. They problem is that they also voted for former President Donald Trump. The column entitled “What can you do about the Trumpites next door?” explores her struggle with how to respond while comparing all Trump supporters to Nazis and Hezbollah. It is unfortunately hardly surprising to see such unhinged hateful comparisons in today’s age of rage. What was surprising is need to publish such a column containing gratuitous attacks on over 70 million voters as comparable to genocidal murders or terrorists.
While most of us would find a thank you as natural and immediate, Heffernan explores her struggle in decision how to respond: “Of course, on some level, I realize I owe them thanks — and, man, it really looks like the guy back-dragged the driveway like a pro — but how much thanks? These neighbors are staunch partisans of blue lives, and there aren’t a lot of anything other than white lives in the neighborhood.” She notes that Hezbollah “also gives things away for free” but “The favors Hezbollah does for people in the cities Tyre and Sidon probably don’t involve snowplows, but, like other mafias, Hezbollah tends to its own — the Shiite sick, elderly and hungry.”
Under the guise of working through these issues, the column seems more of a vehicle for suggesting Trump voters are little better than terrorists and murderers. It matter-of-factly treats such references as obvious or plausible comparisons. There is less evidence of honest internal debate as much as satisfaction in being able to demean and marginalize almost half of the electorate.
While many members and newspapers have heralded the Biden election as a chance for healing, there is little evidence of a real desire for many to bring the country together, even at the modest cost of gracefully accepting a nice gesture in the form of a snow shoveling. The fact is that people are addicted to rage. Many continue to use Trump as a license to hate, even portraying such hate as virtuous. It is so consuming that even kindness from a neighbor is treated as a moral dilemma.
How to respond? Is this a question?
How about an unqualified “thank you”? And sorry about the Nazi thing?
“Snow clearing in the Altai mountains, Mongolia”
https://twitter.com/ScottDuncanWX/status/1358517227448918016
What a pinhead! Sorry, she’s probably well educated but just needs to get her “well groomed” head out of her toned ass.
Snow, blow, and plow. Freud would go to town on this chick.
If anyone plows your driveway or shovels you out appreciate the act and thank that person(s) whatever their political opinions may be… Something that these demonic Democrats seem incapable of. The venom of these progressives make me want to put them on the other side of the border wall. The Orange Godzilla will be with us… Praise be with him, always!
Prior to the age of Trump, sometime in the first decade of this century, anyone expressing an opinion like this would likely be recommended for a psych evaluation. But once being woke lit up our culture and the cancel culture took aim at anyone that didn’t toe the woke narrative, merely expressing what was once commonly understood truths will get you fired, your business closed and/or burned, you should expect to be assaulted and perhaps killed. How far do we need to regress before we restore right reason and human decency back into our culture?
The Parable of the Good Samaritan
25 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”
27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind’[a]; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.
28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”
29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii[c] and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.” Luke 10:25-37
Just saw this:
Pennsylvania snow-shoveling dispute turns deadly as vet slaughters 2 neighbors; authorities yank disturbingly graphic video from YouTube
https://www.theblaze.com/news/pennsylvania-snow-shoveling-dispute-turns-deadly-leaves-3-fatalities?utm_source=theblaze-dailyPM&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Daily-Newsletter__PM%202021-02-08&utm_term=ACTIVE%20LIST%20-%20TheBlaze%20Daily%20PM
She is the definition of a deplorable human being. Hopefully, an even lager snowstorm will come and NO ONE will help her. If she is an example of the “unity” that Biden is professing, we are all in deep trouble.
I read the article in the L.A. Times. I am having a tough time comprehending a complete narcissist writing such a narcissistic article for such a narcissistic newspaper. Thankfully the person who shoveled her driveway doesn’t care what her political affiliation is. The troubling thing is that many people will derive a twisted satisfaction from her writing. A heart without charity is a sad thing to observe.
Aside from my disgust for this woman when I read the article, I had a moment of feeling sorry for her having been so brainwashed by those whom she calls friends. They are reminiscent of the hysterical Salem-ites of centuries ago. I had thought that was centuries but Democrats and liberals always worship the failed policies of yesteryear.
How should we respond to people diametrically opposed to us? Someone long ago said love your enemy, turn your cheek. I say, yes, love your opponents and be thankful we can all disagree in this wonderful democracy which is being threatened by over-reaction to each others’ disagreements. Let’s agree to disagree.
We are lucky to live in a country where you have the freedom to be wrong, unlike some where you will end up behind bars or dead. We should all be willing to die for someone’s right to be wrong. But later it also made me think – revise my original thought – but should we be willing to defend someone’s right to lie? The Trumpist beliefs arguably are lies and delusions. But how many of these people (like even Mike Lindell) actually believe their own lies, actually do not believe they are lying, are living in an alternative universe, without realizing or understanding that?
•
Ed shadow ski. We have to put up with people’s right to lie. Did Clinton lie? He bit his lip as he lied. Did Obama lie when he said you can keep your doctor or Benghazi was because of a movie? Perhaps you too have been subjected to a scrubbing of the brain. Perhaps you too are living in an alternate universe and don’t understand that you do. The importance of the application of the first amendment does not fall to picking and choosing to whom it may apply. As to your dying for the right to free speech excuse my scepticism of your virtue filled sincerety.
Hamilton wanted a government modeled after the English system. He tells us that the common man are a bunch of deplorables. Thankfully both he and another more contemporary political figure were outvoted. Another leader held back the stimulus that was to go to the deplorables and admitted that she did it for political purposes. One can only hope that she too will be subject to an outvoting by an awakening of the deplorables who voted for her in the first place.
I read her opinion piece yesterday. In all honesty, I have friends, neighbors, and relatives who hate Trump, but I’m certain most would never behave like this juvenile woman. Personally, I only know one AH who acted like this, and I’m pretty sure he is a clinical narcissist. The rest know I supported President Trump, but they have never been unkind to me. It gladdened my heart to see opinion pieces all over the country denouncing standout snobs like Heffernan.
Thanks to Professor Turley and others for upholding a proper social contract. Somebody needed to say something.
This premise almost sounds like an apocryphal story, concocted to keep the venom flowing!
I think this wretched woman is a hater who is about to find out what it is like to be hated.
As a Progressive why is she not in NYC, her primary home, rather than hiding with sane people up in the mountains?
Probably because her neighbors in NYC already hate her.
I find it difficult to hate anyone. Not from moral superiority but from laziness. Hate is too much work.
But if I were in this woman’s neighborhood I would enjoy doing her little favors while wearing my MAGA hat.
😉
Driving back to VA from Duke, we stopped at a Mexican restaurant along the way for a late lunch. Finding fresh food was a challenge in a region awash in fast food and BMI > 35. GPS led us to a hole in the wall Mexican restaurant which was superb in cuisine. Alas they were empty, half of their tables cordoned off, and state signs plastered every 10 feet about mandatory masks and hand washing. Since we were patrons, I removed my N95 mask and spoke to the waiters in Spanish. Shortly thereafter the Patron, the owner, came to my side and we spoke at length. Later, as I was paying the Bill, he asked me in Spanish my thoughts about the future of the USA. He knew I am Cubans because Latinos know how to distinguish one from the other, so I spoke bluntly.
I told him I fear for the US, our future, the heavy handedness of the government, censorship, the una voce of the news media, the group think and elections lacking integrity. I also apologized for what the government has done to his business, the decimating of local restaurants that were now broadcasting they were no longer operating. He told me it is has been difficult, he has employees to pay, children, taxes and doesn’t know how much longer he can support a losing business
I never thought this would happen to America because it has.
Viva Estados Unidos libre!
Estovir, I salute you. My favorite political leader is another Cuban-American, Ted Cruz. He and Trump could really unite the party if they wanted to.
Out of curiosity, what is the name of this Mexican restaurant and where is it located? Maybe some locals can dine there or order takeout.
Thank you Estovir.
“Loving your neighbor is evidently much easier when your neighborhood is full of people just like you.”
And they aren’t “just like you”. How are you doing when it comes to loving them? Take a good hard look in the mirror and reread your article.
Read Dr. John Hartung’s essay on “Love Thy neighbor”. It’s exceptional.
I read it. I disagree with it. I think it says more about the author than it does about the Bible/Torah. He is reading it rather literally and cherry-picks to further his argument.
Who is thy neighbor? The concept presented in Genesis is that all mankind descended from one person. This makes all people one’s neighbor.
A discussion can be had regarding us/them, the individual/group–and the Bible explores these things with balance in mind. Too much focus on one side or the other results in disorder.
For anyone interested, a good, educated discussion of the Torah can be found at Torah Means Teacher: https://torahmeansteacher.com/
That’ll teach him to shovel her driveway! How dare he!!! (And btw, she apparently chooses to reside in this oh-so-white neighborhood.) This woman may not suffer any embarrassment over her obvious prejudice and racism and ignorance, but speaking as a woman who lives in a house in an area where there is mega-snow, I am embarrassed. If somebody shoveled my driveway without being asked, for free, I would say THANK YOU and I wouldn’t think twice about race, creed, color, political views. This woman, and people like her, are so friggin’ racist and they are blind to it. Zero insight.
This so called human is one sick pissant.
“[We gave you] a [restricted-vote] republic, if you can keep it.”
– Ben Franklin
___________
Leadership.
The asylum inmates were never intended to vote and, therein, lies your problem.
1788 had a turnout of 11.6%, by design – voters must have been male, European, 21 with 50 lbs.Sterling/50 acres.
You hallucinate that it was ever possible to herd cats.
The teamster must control the reins.
Parasites literally eat their hosts.
$27 trillion in debt approaching $100 trillion in unfunded liabilities under a shut-down economy subjugated by China spells disaster, nay, expiration.
The feeding frenzy by uncontrolled parasites is going to end badly.
The chaos that is “democracy” always evolves into and terminates in dictatorship.
Leadership.
_________
“the people are nothing but a great beast…
I have learned to hold popular opinion of no value.”
– Alexander Hamilton
________________
“The true reason (says Blackstone) of requiring any qualification, with regard to property in voters, is to exclude such persons, as are in so mean a situation, that they are esteemed to have no will of their own.”
“If it were probable that every man would give his vote freely, and without influence of any kind, then, upon the true theory and genuine principles of liberty, every member of the community, however poor, should have a vote… But since that can hardly be expected, in persons of indigent fortunes, or such as are under the immediate dominion of others, all popular states have been obliged to establish certain qualifications, whereby, some who are suspected to have no will of their own, are excluded from voting; in order to set other individuals, whose wills may be supposed independent, more thoroughly upon a level with each other.”
– Alexander Hamilton, The Farmer Refuted, 1775