TERRORISM OR LAWFUL PROTEST?

Hint: It Depends Whose Ox is Gored

First, we had many BLM “rallies” in cities across the nation.  Even in peaceful Walnut Creek, CA, vandalism and looting was rife.  Injuries and deaths were common, but in most cases, perpetrators were left to do whatever they wanted, in many cases, mask-free despite local mandates.  The “mostly peaceful” protests started out with a valid beef—Floyd’s murder continued to beat the drum of racially biased policing.  However, they quickly devolved into chaos, destroying neighborhoods, livelihoods and lives. 

The only concern Democratic politicians voiced was when the terror threatened their neighborhood.  Lori Lightfoot, Chicago mayor, demanded additional police protection for her neighborhood, taking away valuable resources from areas actually damaged.  She didn’t care.  Her history is fraught with racial prejudice and entitlement.  Ted Wheeler, mayor of Portland, initially stood with rioters, but ran away when his condo was in the midst of battle.  Other city officials stood back and watched their tax base vanish, giving in to unreasonable demands not supported by most people, especially minorities living in dangerous communities.

Then we have January 6, 2021.  The day started with a rally hosted by outgoing President Trump, protesting the election.  Despite the distance from the Capitol and the fact that no one has tried to prove that the crowds were the same, he was blamed for the angry rioters and breach of the Capitol itself.  The Democrats and the media hated the thought that the election might be challenged…perhaps because (as we’ve been seeing), so much fraud and mismanagement tainted it.  Only a few actually entered the Capitol and only one person was killed.  One is too many, but…    Compare this to the tally for BLM. 

Congressmen claimed to have been terrorized, even as proof rushed in that they were nowhere near the building.  I’m sure it was scary for those who were, BUT it was only a few hours.  People in Seattle would have liked the territory illegally claimed to have freed up in only a few hours.  In response, Democrats insisted on incredibly enhanced security—fences (Really?  Do those things work?) and huge numbers of National Guard (most of whom are housed in ways far inferior to the illegal border jumpers).

These same people are demanding incredibly stringent penalties for the attacks on the Capitol, including eliminating their freedom of movement.  I might agree, if the same penalties were levied on the bad actors from the BLM movements.  But no.  No talk of punishment there, except in a few cases.  And even then, blue state management tends to under-punish now, treating many crimes as trivial.  At least, until those crimes are visited on them.

Hello, governing people.  You aren’t more sacred or precious than the rest of us.  Your lives have no more value than any others.  Yet, you want to take away our guns (and other rights), claiming the police will protect us.  Will they after you defund the departments and change the laws to make a lot of criminal behavior mostly legal? 

How about giving up all your protections and rely on the police?  Would you perhaps see that your behavior has led to a dearth of young people anxious to join the force?  Every step you take in trying to deliver “equity” and to make up for the past is damaging our country, perhaps beyond repair.  Time to face up to the facts. Every year, people value your work less and less and see you as a threat to our rights and our lives. 

January 6th was a random, poorly-thought-out event.  But our country was created from the ashes of a revolution.  Perhaps it’s time to think about recapturing our nation.

The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.

--Thomas Jefferson