I understand that people have the right to protest. The first amendment to the Constitution guarantees “the right of the people to peaceably assemble”. That’s pretty clear. I’ve heard people say that the looting, rioting and mayhem being perpetrated by the BLM protesters is a valid form of protest. Their reasoning is that America was founded because of “terrorist acts” and, therefore, people should be able to destroy our cities as a tool for their “voice”.
It seems to me that there should be a point where things go too far and need to be stopped. Where, exactly, is that point? The rioters have caused hundreds of millions of dollars in damages. People have been terrorized, hurt and killed, and countless livelihoods have been destroyed. If the protesters haven’t crossed the line yet, how much more will it take?
If you ask a Conservative when protests should be stopped, you’ll be told that the answer is “the first time”. The first time someone is harmed by the rioters, they’ve crossed the line and can no longer be considered “peaceable”. The first time someone gets physically hurt or their property gets damaged, the protesters are no longer protected by the first amendment and should be stopped. It doesn’t matter what color the person is being harmed or how much money they have. If any single person is harmed, the line has been crossed.
But what about Liberals? I’m glad you asked.
Cheryl Selby, mayor of Olympia, Washington, was quoted saying, “We are a predominantly white community next to communities that are far more diverse. “That tells us that we are not, we have not been as welcoming and nurturing to communities of color as we’d like to think. The light switched on in America by Mr. Floyd’s murder shines glaringly on Olympia, as well.”
One day after vandals spray painted BLM messages on the front porch of her home, she was singing a different tune saying, “I’m really trying to process this. It’s like domestic terrorism. It’s unfair.”
Chris Martin Palmer, an NBA reporter tweeted a picture of an affordable housing development in Minneapolis burning to the ground saying “Burn that shit down. Burn it all down.” Just days later, he tweeted this: “They just attacked our sister community down the street. It’s a gated community and they tried to climb the gates. They had to beat them back. Then destroyed a Starbucks and are now in front of my building. Get these animals TF out of my neighborhood. Go back to where you live.”
Seattle radio host and criminal defense advocate Paul Gallant mocked President Trump and denied that the riots in Seattle are violent. He tweeted. “Walked through it last night out of curiosity and saw no burning, pillaging or deaths. Chill dawg.” But when the rioters got a little too close to home, his attitude immediately changed tweeting. “Came home to my apartment complex. The Starbucks underneath has been destroyed, and cops are telling us to stay away in case something explosive is inside.” Then he added, “I feel like I need to buy a firearm, because clearly this is going to keep happening. Enough is enough.”
How far is too far? It turns out that Conservatives and Liberals want the same thing…sort of.
Conservatives want an end to the destruction of America. They started the call for justice the first time even a single individual was harmed in any way. There are laws in America that protect people and property. They simply want those laws enforced so that everyone is equally protected.
Liberals, at best, give a blind eye to the riots and are calling to “tear down” America. They sit safely in the suburbs and claim support for the “right” of protesters to destroy someone else’s neighborhood. They virtue signal by kneeling for the National Anthem and proudly proclaiming “Black Lives Matter”. But, when the threat hits close to home, when they are personally impacted by the “mostly peaceful protesters”, that’s when they decide line has been crossed.
So, you see, both Conservatives and Liberals want the same thing. They want individuals to be protected. Conservatives want ALL individuals to be protected and the first time ANYONE is hurt, the line has been crossed. A Liberal will also call for the protests to be stopped the first time a single person is harmed. More specifically, the first time that they are that single person.
