Context

Beware of absolutes

   "No politician in history has been treated worse or more unfairly," said Donald Trump.

   To put that claim in some historical context, consider these non-alternative facts:
   Four U.S. presidents have been assassinated: John F. Kennedy, William McKinley, James A. Garfield and Abraham Lincoln.
   Ronald Reagan was shot while in office, but recovered.
   Robert Kennedy was slain during a campaign for the presidency.
  George C. Wallace, former governor of Alabama and a presidential candidate, was shot and seriously wounded.
   Huey Long, a U.S. senator and governor of Louisiana, was assassinated.
   Martin Luther King, a civil rights leader, was shot and killed.
   Medgar Evers, a civil rights leader, was shot and killed.
   George Moscone, mayor of San Francisco, shot and killed.
   Harvey Milk, member of the San Francisco board of supervisors, shot and killed the same day as the mayor.
   Theodore Roosevelt, shot and wounded after he served as president. The  bullet remained in his body until he died.
   
   Richard M. Nixon resigned the presidency rather than face impeachment.
   Bill Clinton, impeached but not convicted.
   Andrew Johnson, impeached but not convicted.
   Spiro Agnew, resigned as vice president.

   Also, consider Nelson Mandela, who was jailed for many years because of his political activities.

   Now consider these historical figures, who were indeed treated very badly.
   Julius Caesar, who was assassinated.
   King George III of England, roundly criticized for his treatment of American colonists, who listed their complaints in detail in the Declaration of Independence, issued on July 4, 1776.
   Or King Louis XVI of France, executed for treason by the guillotine in 1793.
   Or Czar Nicholas II of Russia, executed by the Bolsheviks in 1918.
   Or Benito Mussolini, who was killed by a mob and strung up by his heels in a public square.
  Whether these men deserved such treatment is another issue. The fact remains that the treatment was indeed harsh.

   There are certainly many other politicians, in America and throughout the world, who have been treated badly, by the news media as well as by their competitors and opponents.
   The lesson here is to beware of absolutes. There will always be an editor to counter such comments with alternative information to puncture your inflated claims.
   The danger to America is when efforts are made to stifle criticism and fact-finding.

   Violence is not the answer. Tough questions to probe for truth is part of the solution.