People who were peacefully marching on Pearl Street to remind others that there are human beings being held by Hamas as we speak, after it was interrupted by a man who threw incendiary devices at elderly people in an effort to stop them. In support of the Palestinians and joining me now to comment on that. The only Jewish Republican in the State House here, Representative Ron Weinberg, is from House Strefert fifty one. He's from Loveland represented Weinberg. Welcome the show.
First of all, thank you, thank you so very much for covering this well.
First of all, I'd just like you to give your thoughts on what went on yesterday, you know.
Out of disbelief almost that something could even happen like that. I mean, a guy with five five kids, and hey, how how much mental illness do you have to have to throw gasoline and people and set them on fire. And we're not talking about twenty year old if we're talking about elderly people.
Yeah, I'm not inclined to call it mental illness.
I'm inclined to call it.
A level of hatred that is so deeply ingrained from a very young age in many cultures in the Middle East, that this is the belief system that this man has embraced. And I think he did it because he thought it was a good idea, and he thought it because these people deserve to suffer.
That's what I think about this.
So you can take a different view on that, but that is those are my thoughts on it. So what exactly can you or any of us here in Colorado do in this situation?
What would you recommend?
I'd recommend paying attention to who your politicians are, you know, houspil or Senate Bill two seventy six that just passed this session that give that grants illegal immigrants US constitutional protections. I don't know if you know anyone's aware of that.
So wait, wait, coming.
Up with state legislature.
Wait wait, say that again?
Yeah, set it built twenty five desks two seven six grants the rights of constitution to be applied to illegal immigrants the US Constitution.
Yes, okay, great that nothing surprises me at this point. You yourself, for an immigrant, tell me your views on the legal immigration process, and you know any feelings that you might have about people trying to circumvent that and come here illegally Oh, very.
Frustrating, to be honest. I mean, I moved here from South Africa and it took me I think sixteen years total to finally get my citizenship. My brother is still waiting. He's on the Dreamer Act and he's been here since he was twelve years old and now he's thirty six. My parents just got this citizenship I think four years ago, and they've been here since two thousand and one. So yeah, we've definitely gone through the ringer with this immigration stuff.
Representative Weinberg, I liked you to explain something to me, and this is I'm trying to think of a delicate way to ask this question and not sound like a jerk. But overwhelmingly in the United States Jewish politicians are in the Democratic Party. Why do you differ from the rest of the Jews that are in politics?
You know, that's an interesting question. They call me the junicorn down there. I I I'm sorry, that's really funny. I don't really understand it. I don't know how and you know what I'm gonna I'm going to go backwards on you. I think they're the ones that differ. I think the Conservative Party is the Republican Party is the place for the Jews. It's not the Democrats. I mean,
they've shown that time and time again. You know, when October seventh happened, you know, two years ago, and all the anti Semitism happened in the House of Representatives chamber, that should have been the clear writing on the wall that no Jews should ready back to the Democratic Party.
I've got to tell you, there were definitely I'm thinking, of course, of Tim Hernandez and what's her name, the other lady, thank you, Elizabeth Epps that decided to DeCamp
from the floor and go sit with Palestinian protesters. I'd like the opportunity to ask them if this is the globalized the indevada that they've been looking for, and are you really you said you were kind of surprised that it happened here, But we've also had over the last couple of months, someone tried to burn down the mansion of the Pennsylvania governor with his family in it. We've had two people murdered outside of a Jewish museum. Why would we be immune here in Colorado?
You know, that's that's also a great question, and that's where that's where I think being Jewish. It is a interesting thing because you've get that, like you rightly said, it's not a mental illness, it's this it's this indoctrination
of hatred. And that's exactly what's happened. Is that what we as Jews go through as we go through kind of this denial period, like oh, you know, people don't hate us, and we kind of get complacent, and then all of a sudden something happens and we're like, holy crap, we are still hated, and we kind of have to get back to the reminder that people truly do want to throw gasoline on us and watch us burn and supper, and it's it's something hard for the Jewis community to
get a grip around, because you know, the Jewish people, we typically are pretty peaceful and live and let live, you know. So I think that's that's what happens to the Jewish culture, at least in Colorado, and we just we forgot that we could still be attacked.
I hate to say it, but I would like to think that my Jewish friends, and I actually left a message for my friend this morning and said, hey, if you want to go to the range, if you want to learn how to shoot, I would be more than happy to to help you with this. And I hate to say it, but if I am a Jewish person right now, I am learning how to protect myself because I don't think this is going to be the last
thing that happens. Maybe nothing else happens in Bolder. I don't know, but I'm darner going to be able to protect myself and my family in a public environment where obviously they're not able to protect be protected by the authorities.
Police can't be everywhere at one time, and this guy demonstrates clearly to me that when someone decides that they are going to wreak havoc and they are going to try and set people on fire, we could have no flame thrower rules all over the place, They're still going to show up and do it. So it's sad to me that I would say I'm encouraging people to learn how to protect themselves, but what is the other option? And at least they live in a country where they can protect themselves.
Correct and quite frankly to your point, to further the point, non lethal. If this guy got shot by somebody carrying a concealed carry, it just got shot in the legs, for Pete's sake, a non lethal hit there wouldn't have been this disaster. So yeah, I encourage people to do the same as well. The best one of the best constitutional rights of the Second Amendment.
Amen to that, Representative, Why uh let me try that again, Representative Ron Weinberg, do you have any final comments before we run out of time?
All I've got is quickly to say is we've got to get this three brunch one way Democrat legislative, executive and judicial, Supreme Court, the governor and the Senate of the House. We need control of one of them if we want to see any change in the state.
Amen to that. Appreciate your time, Representative Weinberg.
Thank you.