On May 4, 1970, members of the Ohio National Guard fired on students, killing four of them and wounding nine, one of whom was paralyzed for life. The crime for which they were murdered was, for some of them, peacefully protesting the invasion of Cambodia. For others it was simply being near the protest. 29 of the 77 guardsmen present confessed to firing on the unarmed students they were trying to disperse. This tragedy is a inarguable stain on our nation’s history and a President’s Commission on Campus Unrest called the shooting deaths “unnecessary, unwarranted, and inexcusable.”
Yesterday, Marquette County Republican Party secretary and former Chair Dan Adamini thought it would be hilarious to call for “another Kent state” to quell a protest that occurred on the campus of UC Berkeley where Breitbart writer and senior editor Milo Yiannopoulous was scheduled to speak.
On Facebook, Adamini wrote, “The violent protests at our universities certainly indicates Portage acacian at the lower level. I’m thinking another Kent State might be the only solution protest stopped after only one death. They do it because they know there are no consequences yet.”
I’m completely baffled as to what “Portage acacian” references. If you know what this means, please let me know. Turns out “Portage acacian” means “poor education” according to Adamini.
He also tweeted under his handle @DanAdamini, “Violent protesters who shut down free speech?Time for another Kent State perhaps. One bullet stops a lot of thuggery.”
Adamini, who runs a radio show called “In the Right Mind” and has since deleted the Facebook post and the tweet, claims it was all just a poorly worded attempt at calling for an end to the campus protests. This is a blatant lie, of course. There’s no way you can misinterpret what he was saying. It wasn’t subtle. If he was calling to end to protests before someone gets hurt, he could simply have said that. Instead he believes “another Kent State might be the only solution” and that it’s “time for another Kent State perhaps.”
Brandon Dillon, Chair of the Michigan Democratic Party, agrees:
The statements made yesterday on social media by Dan Adamini are sickening, inhuman, and indefensible. There is no ambiguity or alternative interpretation. To call for “another Kent State” and declare that “one bullet stops a lot of thuggery” is to clearly and openly advocate for the murder of unarmed college students, simply because they don’t share his beliefs or point of view. Mr. Adamini should immediately apologize and then resign from any public or political party positions he holds. His words should be condemned and any association with him disavowed. The right to free speech is the cornerstone of our democracy, and when someone threatens another individual or group with harm for exercising it, that one person is a threat to all of us, as Americans.
Adamini is the same guy, by the way, who recently tweeted that Congressman John Lewis’s statement that he doesn’t see Donald Trump as a legitimate president is due to “too many blows to the Head during protests”:
John Lewis: 'I don't see Trump as a legitimate president': https://t.co/h5I1BNitWK via @AOL. Too many blows to the Head during protests?
— Dan Adamini (@DanAdamini) January 13, 2017
This man is disgusting. He thinks because he’s in rural Northern Michigan he can get away for calling for shooting protesting students and smearing a civil rights hero and icon. He probably also feels that he doesn’t have to be “politically correct” anymore with Donald Trump as president. The fact is that he is NOT getting away with it and he’s getting exactly the sort of grief for it that he deserves.
It’ll be interesting to see how the Marquette County Republican Party responds to this call for the murder of protesting students. Given that County Party Chair Brendan Biolo thinks Facebook should be “outlawed”, I can’t begin to imagine what he will do.
If I were in charge of the Michigan Republican Party, I would relieve Adamini of his leadership position and revoke his membership in the MRP. But, then again, I have strong American values and a firm moral compass.
We’ll be watching the MRP to see if they do, as well.
UPDATE: Shortly after posting this, I received the following statement from the Chair of the Marquette County Democratic Party:
Official Statement: In response to Mr. Dan Adamini, Secretary of the Marquette County Republican Party:
The statements made by Mr. Dan Adamini are highly irresponsible as a leader in the community, current officer, and former chair of the Marquette County Republican Party. To insinuate another Kent State Massacre needs to take place in this country to quell protests is disgusting and inhumane. I remind all of you that the Kent State Massacre took the lives of 4 people, injured 9 others, and resulted in 1 person suffering paralysis. No person has ever been brought to justice for these murders. The statements made by Mr. Dan Adamini were clear after checking both of his social media accounts (Facebook and Twitter). It’s with profound sorrow that I believe he meant what he said. The Marquette County Democratic Party encourages and participates in PEACEFUL protests across the region and believes that it is our 1st Amendment right. I do not believe violence is ever the answer and should never be a solution to any peaceful protest or problem. I hope that with some deep introspection and prayer that Mr. Dan Adamini will realize the faults in his words and thoughts and accept LOVE into his heart.
Jason Chapman Chair, Marquette County Democratic Party
Also, the Marquette County Republican Party posted this on their Facebook page, basically holding themselves harmless for the hideous comments of their Secretary, a person like myself who is an officer in their party:
What the hell, let’s get this asshole fired:
@Eclectablog @MarkRuffalo Flood him. pic.twitter.com/Rfj2t4CQnI
— kim trombly (@motorcityrunawa) February 4, 2017
