Think THREE Times. Check the Draft TWICE. Post ONCE.

[TygrBright]

What am I posting about?

We know little more, at this point, than is contained in the clip available in multiple posts on this site: [Redacted] at a rally. Loud noises that sounded to some commentators like gunshots. [Redacted] reaching for right ear. Red liquid on the right side of his head and face. Secret Service detail hustles him to armored limo.

AND THAT IS ALL WE KNOW RIGHT NOW.

The urge to speculate is almost irresistible, but there are way too many ways speculation, uninformed and without evidence, can make things much worse as the sequelae of this event play out.

I am certain that there are already a veritable legion of law enforcement and intelligence personnel, with the best resources available, working to collect evidence and follow it wherever it leads. I am certain that legion is under the scrutiny of a much larger legion of communications professionals from government, media, and other sources, who will be reporting on every move.

I am also certain that there are suspicious, skeptical, and far better informed than I am experts already analyzing and preparing to critique the above.

Right now, all we have is a few bare facts and a noise level rapidly becoming a Category Five hurricane of bullshit, second-guessing, conspiracy theories, groundless accusations, and other opposite-of-helpful yattering.

I will not be adding to it. If the noise level here on DU becomes too toxic with "It has to be "It has to be 'whatever, because (opinion here)" posts I'll probably start using auto-trash for first time in a very long time.

I would like DU to continue to be the reliable source of cleverly located good information, clearly labeled sources, up-to-the-minute actual news, and reliable triangulation across an array of perspectives.

I would be most disappointed if it devolved into a noisy wasteland of speculation, conspiracy theory, outlandish extrapolation from sketchy details, dodgy sources, etc.

So this is probably too much to ask, but please, fellow-DUers, when you are tempted to post something, think three times about it - does it include any useful factual information or well-informed analysis? Does it provide any illumination of areas seething with fog and chaos? Or is it just a chance to achieve some catharsis via speculation, comment, wishful thinking or the anxiety-driven monging of fears?

Once you have the post drafted, check it twice. Am I just saying more of the same things other DUers are saying? Will this provide a new or different perspective in a helpful way?

Then post, by all means. I'm not asking that people refrain from posting. Just... focus on light, rather than adding to the heat.

hopefully,
Bright

[Hermit-The-Prog]

1. It was a nuculur warhead fired by a battery powered rainbow shark from an unflushable toilet on 5th avenue.

[TygrBright]

2. Probably! You're almost certainly onto something, Herm.

Thanks for putting it in a reply and not a new post.

::smooches::

appreciatively,
Bright

[Hermit-The-Prog]

3. I confess I only checked the draft once. May be some spellink errors.

[Igel]

4. The dominant irrealis speculation is that it was staged.

Ignore later reports, let's consider the initial speculative claims.

If Trump staged it, what's the likelihood that the Secret Service would play along?

"But there were loud pops." Look, I head a loud bang from outside in my mostly sealed house I'm pretty good at telling if it's a gunshot or a car backfiring or a firecracker. Outside, the report's different--different spectral center, different distribution of frequencies in the sound. And outside provides directionality. That's *without* training and minimal in-person experience with gunfire that's not either 3 feet from me (from friends out pinging cans in BLM land) or a .22 at Scout camp when I was a Scout back in the '70s.