With possibly 99 percent of the political violence originating with the “Left,” some are asking a question. To wit:

Is violent left-wing rhetoric responsible for yet another criminal incident, this time the recent Catholic Mass shooting?

As most already know, the attack occurred on Wednesday at the Annunciation Catholic Church and School in Minneapolis. The killer, a man named Robert Westman who masqueraded as a woman (and went by the name “Robin”), murdered two young children and wounded 18 before taking his own life.

The response to the crime has been predictable. The once-mainstream media and other left-wing sources have, of course, been beating the “gun control” drum. Yet Westman used a rifle, a shotgun, and a pistol during the crime. So we could ask:

Taking what category of weapons off the street would’ve made this heinous act impossible?

(In reality, too, taking any or all categories of weapons off the street is itself impossible.)

Then again, maybe the issue is making it harder for the “mentally ill” to acquire firearms. The problem here, however, is that the Left won’t label “transgenderism” a mental disorder; it’s a “lifestyle choice,” they say. So this wouldn’t have stopped Westman, either. (Not to mention that guns can be obtained illegally.)

There also have been efforts to brand Westman a “white nationalist,” even though such links may be tenuous at best. And ex-talk show host Rosie O’Donnell actually labeled the killer a “MAGA” supporter, despite his expressed desire to assassinate President Donald Trump.

But then there’s what really did help spark Westman’s murders, asserts the Washington Examiner: a barrage of violent left-wing rhetoric.

This is, of course, where some will reflexively say, “No one is responsible but the killer.” Legally this is true, too. But what of morally? Sayings like “The pen is mightier than the sword” and “Little pitchers have big ears” exist because words are powerful. And how have the Democrats been using theirs?

Their rhetoric has been “unhinged,” writes the Examiner. And if it “continues, so will the killing.”

Making its case, the outlet cites the following examples of left-wing violence and agitation:

Cherry-picked? One-sided? The above is anecdotal, of course. But as I illustrated in 2020’s “Violence, Inc.: A Leftist Enterprise,” it’s also illustrative of a pattern. In fact, I’ve yet to see anyone even try to refute my estimate that approximately 99 percent of political violence is a left-wing phenomenon.

This doesn’t mean, however, the Left isn’t trying to obscure its culpability. For example, Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) told MSNBC, relates the Examiner, “There’s no way to pin an ideology on this.”

Yet this is a case in which we could rightly pin the tale on the donkey. As the Examiner explains, Klobuchar’s claim

is a guilty lie. The killer wasn’t an all-purpose hater. Although he was, it seems, mad, ideology was part of his motive. His manifesto is filled with antisemitic language — “filthy Zionist Jews” — and hatred for Trump. He doesn’t speak ill of any other minorities or any Democrats.

The New York Times, which leads the Left’s propaganda media, headlined its story on the shooting, “Minneapolis Shooting Suspect Knew Her [sic] Target, but Motive Is a Mystery.” But is his motive really a mystery when the New York Times also reports that his manifesto included a sticker that “displays LGBTQ and transgender flags with a gun and the slogan ‘Defend Equality.’” Sounds like the killer got his gun and defended equality just as the sticker advised.

That sticker is not the only symbolism on the Left encouraging violence. Minnesota Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan likes to wear a shirt with the words, “Protect Trans Kids,” surrounding a knife. The same slogan can be seen on other Democratic Party activists with two swords with tips dipped or drenched in blood. What did Democrats think was going to happen with this imagery?

The Examiner then illustrates how Democrats’ vile rhetoric — calling conservatives “Nazis,” “fascists,” and threats to democracy — may reflect its base. It cites university research showing that 55 percent of self-professed “liberals” say killing Trump is justifiable for political reasons. It also quotes a Democratic Party official’s shocking confession.

“Our own base is telling us that what we’re doing is not good enough,” the individual states. “[T]here needs to be blood to grab the attention of the press and the public.”

“The Minneapolis shooter has delivered blood,” the Examiner then summed up.

Yet there are deeper issues here, too. If Klobuchar has a point at all, it’s that killers, not being politicians, don’t act like politicians. That is, politicians generally join a party and adopt its platform; sometimes they’re even doctrinaire. Non-politicians, however, will often embrace a collage of beliefs. Yet this doesn’t mean they won’t have a basic left or right orientation — and Westman sure did.

It’s also true that certain people are at least somewhat deranged — and Westman sure was. His MUSS (Made-up Sexual Status, aka “transgender”) is relevant here, too. For such people are more likely to kill than be killed; they’re also overrepresented among pedophiles. In fact, they generally have a host of problems.

And the Democrats, of course, have been enabling this derangement with deeds and rhetoric. Why, the MUSS agenda has been a sort of religious crusade for them.

Put differently, they’ve been working to create madmen.

Second, as the Examiner pointed out in an earlier piece, Westman’s murders were also a case of obvious anti-Catholic bigotry. In fact, Westman wrote “Where is your God?” and other anti-Christian messages on gun magazines.

And the Left, of course, has been engaging in anti-theistic rhetoric, the anti-Christian variety in particular, for decades now. Why, they never rest in trying to purge God and the Bible from our public sphere — including from the schools.

And what happens when you encourage godlessness and its attendant relativism along with insanity-breeding vice and psychological dysfunction? Acts such as Westman’s are the result.

So, yes, words matter. Words are powerful. The Left’s words are yielding precisely what such words would, too, in every time, every culture, and every place.