A Fire in the Governor’s Yard
On the night of April 13, 2025, while Governor Josh Shapiro and his family celebrated Passover, a man scaled the fence of the Pennsylvania governor’s mansion and threw Molotov cocktails into their home.
The attacker, Cody Balmer, had posted about political violence. By day’s end, he was charged with terrorism, attempted murder, arson, and assault.
Some will say he snapped. But we know the truth.
He played his part. The system lit the stage. This wasn’t a breakdown. It was a blueprint.
Because that’s how Private Equity State Capitalism (PESC) governs: With fear. With theater. With fire.
Because they burn, and they burn because they cannot build.From Christmas to Passover: The Spectacle Strategy
On Christmas night, 1951, a bomb exploded under the home of Harry T. Moore and his wife Harriette in Mims, Florida—a small town that now sits in the long shadow of American apartheid. They were murdered for registering Black voters, investigating lynchings, and speaking truth in a place that punished it.
That night, the message was clear: Sacred days make the best stages for public terror.
From the orange groves of Central Florida to the stone steps of Pennsylvania’s governor’s mansion, the pattern holds: Shock the public. Punish the visible. Silence the righteous.
They burn symbols, which remind us we’re free. They cannot build power without first burning the possibility.
PESC: Governance by Flame
In “How Private Equity State Capitalism Consumes Democracy,” we wrote, “Chaos is not a byproduct. It is the strategy.”
Governor Shapiro wasn’t just targeted because he’s a public official. He was targeted because he’s Jewish, inclusive, visible, and uncompromising. Because he held a Passover Seder in the governor’s mansion. Because he governed with light—and the system survives in shadow.
And in the PESC playbook, symbols must burn. Because they cannot build transparency, equity, or belonging.
They can only ignite fear. They burn because they cannot build.
The Authoritarian Ensemble: Cast of Compliance
This violence wasn’t random. It was rehearsed. Balmer was the arsonist. But the cast is broader.
PESC is a production—and it needs its performers:
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- Architects who design extraction
- Enforcers who impose control
- Evangelists who spin the story
- Believers who strike the match
The play repeats. The audience watches. The stage burns. And the lie stays alive.
Because they cannot build truth—only rehearse power. They burn because they cannot build.
From Lynchings to Firebombings: The Same Script
The United States has always specialized in ceremonial destruction. Its hospitality industry for hate has never closed.
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- Lynch the person, then burn the body.
- Bomb the home, then rewrite the narrative.
- Burn the book, then erase the curriculum.
They murdered Harry and Harriette. They bombed Black churches. They erased freedom schools.
They act like it’s new. But we know the script. They burn because they cannot build.
Meditativist Response: Stillness Is a Structure
In Session 2: American Fascism & Democracy, we say: “Locate fascism and democracy not just in institutions—but in the body.”
And so we respond not with panic—but with presence:
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- We see the pattern.
- We feel the impact.
- We investigate the source.
- We move with clarity.
We don’t flinch. We don’t freeze. We resist without performance. We rebuild from the breath up.
Because clarity is resistance. And stillness is structure.
AfricanAmericanist Response: Rhythm Over Reaction
AAism teaches us that equanimity is a tactic, not a retreat.
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- They burned Harry T. Moore. We sang his name.
- They flooded New Orleans. We built mutual aid.
- They keep burning. We keep designing.
Not numbness. Not escape. Discernment. Anticipation. Strategic endurance.
We don’t just survive—we build memory into infrastructure. Because we come from builders. And that’s what they hate most.
Final Word: The Songs Gird Us
They burned on Christmas. They burned on Passover. They’ll burn again.
But they burn because they cannot build.
They cannot build community. They cannot build liberation. They cannot build joy that isn’t stolen.
But we can.
We will build. We will organize. We will remember.
And when our hands tire, the poems and the songs will hold the line.
Langston wrote it. Sweet Honey sang it. Ella Baker lived it.
“We who believe in freedom cannot rest until it comes.”
And we won’t. We will resist. We will rebuild. And we will keep building—until what they burn can no longer fall.
References
Firebombing of Pennsylvania Governor’s Residence – April 13, 2025 (Wikipedia):
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pennsylvania_Governor%27s_Residence_fire
Langston Hughes – “The Ballad of Harry T. Moore” (1951):
https://www.nbbd.com/godo/moore/ballad.html
Sweet Honey in the Rock – “The Ballad of Harry T. Moore” (from Raise Your Voice, 2005):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QoBCJGLVwHo
Sweet Honey in the Rock – “Ella’s Song (We Who Believe in Freedom Cannot Rest)”:
https://www.sisterhelen.org/ellas-song/
Ella Baker – Civil Rights Icon (Britannica Biography):
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Ella-Baker
RECAP: Retain Your Agency: American Fascism & Democracy, by The Meditativist
https://whatsonjeromesmind.com/2025/02/13/recap-retain-your-agency-american-fascism-democracy/