CounterCurrent: Week of 07/15/2024
This week has brought a shock to all of us. The National Association of Scholars is appalled by the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump and the murder of Corey Comperatore. While conspiracies and speculation abound, one thing is crystal clear: Thomas Matthew Crooks is responsible for maiming a former president and two Trump supporters while murdering another. We do not know yet what spurred the would-be assassin to open fire on the former president at a rally in Butler, PA.
It is unsurprising then, that much ink has been spilled by faculty and students over these last few days. Many expressing dread about the events that transpired. Others, elation. Teachers, students, and others have taken to social media since Saturday, lamenting the fact that Crooks’s shot did not kill Trump. Some institutions have taken action after professors took their complaints to social media, like John James, a professor at Bellarmine University who has been placed on leave after posting “If you’re gonna shoot, man, don’t miss.”
We will continue to monitor and write about the reaction from faculty, students, and institutions. While I will hope to read many examples in magnanimity, I won’t hold my breath.
Until next week.
CounterCurrent is the National Association of Scholars’ weekly newsletter, written by the NAS Staff. To subscribe, update your email preferences here.
Photo by Akshar Dave on Unsplash
