Yet another shooting, this time in DC.

Centrists will provide cover for Trump by treating this shooting as a worse tragedy than the tens of thousands of annual gun violence fatalities.

Whether they are motivated by fear or genuine concern for human life, the consequence will be to give the Trump administration and its supporters a free hand.

Remember, Trump and his henchmen are hastening into fascism as fast as they can. They have already scripted the scenes in advance. They will make use of whatever opportunities arise, however far-fetched. The important question is whether others will enable them to do so.

The burning of the Reichstag in February 1933 enabled the Nazis to consolidate power in Germany only because others responded to it by granting the Nazis emergency powers. The way to stop a Reichstag fire is not to attempt to control those who act in response to state violence, but rather, to refuse to legitimize fascist initiatives or narratives under any circumstances.

Anything else is complicity.