BY DAN VALENTI

PLANET VALENTI NEWS AND COMMENTARY

(FORTRESS OF SOLITUDE, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 16, 2016) — Much has been made about protesters getting “roughed up” at rallies for GOP presidential candidate (and likely nominee) Donald Trump. [ED. NOTE: Trump had a big night last night on Super Tuesday II taking Florida and its 99 delegates; Totals as of last night: Trump 619, Ted Cruz 394, John Kasich 136 and virtually no path to the nomination; Marco Rubio dropped out of the race with 167 delegates; the first to 1,237 delegates becomes the GOP nominee. For the Democrats, Hillary Clinton came up large. After electors were counted, she will end up with an all-but-insurrmountable lead over Bernie Sanders].

The mainstream media (MM) shows the 20 seconds or so where a photographer gets pushed to the floor or a 78-year-old man elbows a howler as he’s being led out of the arena. What they won’t show are the provocative actions of the protesters that lead to these isolated cases.

What are we to make of the professional agitators, who show up at a Trump rally, intent on creating a disturbance? What of alleged “protesters.” Are we to express sympathy when they enter an opposition rally solely to disrupt?

A Trump supporter nailed it in the latest incident, after the candidate had to cancel an arena-sized rally inside the University of Illinois at Chicago Pavilion after protesters sardined the hall clearly intent on causing trouble: “It’s a shame,” said Bill Tail, 43, from Chicago’s Oaklawn suburb. “They scream about tolerance but are being intolerant themselves. That doesn’t make sense.”

Well, it does make sense in the politically correct of the Entitled Left. They believe in diversity, as long as you endorse everything they stand for, say, and do. Utter one polite but “discouraging word,” however, and they throw out the labels: “Hater, racist,” and worse.

Last week, the MM fell into wedded bliss with a short video clip of a North Carolina man punching a black protester that security had to escort from a Trump rally after his disruptive behavior. Trump called the protester “a real bad dude. He was a rough guy, and he was punching. And we had some people, and they started punching back. It was a beautiful thing.”

Trump’s right. When someone commits violence on a person, the victim has a right to defend himself — only you never see the provocation. At Trump rallies, you only see the MM’s 20 seconds of Trump supporters defending their First Amendment right to hear the candidate of their choice express his views. Protesters, though, received sympathetic coverage. After the canceled event in Chicago, many protesters admitted they were there specifically prevent Trump from going ahead with his speech. There’s the hate, ladies and gentlemen. There’s the dictatorial approach. There’s the thuggery.

After the canceled Illini event, Trump said he did it to prevent trouble. He said he didn’t “want to see people hurt or worse. I think we did the right thing [in calling off the event].” Trump displayed sound judgment in a situation that would have thrown many others. Yes, call it leadership.

From AP: “Trump said the anger on display in Chicago wasn’t directed at him or his campaign, but rather was a manifestation of the public’s deep frustration with economic conditions in the country. Our businesses are being taken away from us, our businesses are being moved out of the country. This is a demonstration against economic conditions on both sides.”

Trump’s enemies get angry when the candidate reacts to protesters and calls them out for their actions. THE PLANET loves it. At a recent St. Louis event, after repeated interruptions, Trump called the protesters “troublemakers. He told them to “go home to mommy” or “go home and get a job” because “they contribute nothing.” Sure, he’s painting with a wide brush, but when the paint sticks, you know you’re using the right medium.

After the cancelled Chicago event, a young Trump supporter expressed a sentiment heard many times on the campaign trail. Victoria Kowalkowsky, 18, said she bore no animosity over the protesters who had just taken away her rights as a citizen. Kowalkowsky, however, said she didn’t think the protesters felt the same way about her. “I feel a lot of hate,” she said. “I haven’t said anything bad to anyone.”

It doesn’t matter, Victoria. The “protesters” find it enough that you subscribe to a political point of view with which they disagree. That’s when they pull the Hitler thing and “black shirt” you into silence.

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“We must try to keep our hearts continually, unshakeably serene throughout the vicissitudes of life” — St. Francis de Sales.

“OPEN THE WINDOW, AUNT MILLIE.”

LOVE TO ALL.

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