Posted on 08/12/2017 9:27:12 PM PDT by TBP
Some thoughts about the horrible events in Charlottesville:
First of all, the ideology of the white nationalists who showed up to protest is vile and unacceptable. The same can be said of many of those who showed up to counter-protest. Everyone has a right to protest, and to counter-protest. I’ve done it myself. They have every right to demonstrate peacefully, to carry signs, to shout slogans, no matter how vile they may be. They have every right to shout at each other back and forth, no matter how fruitless that may be. This is America. You get to do that.
What you do not get to do is commit acts of violence. And let’s be honest, there was violence among the white supremacists and violence among those who came to protest against them. It’s all wrong, and it all needs to be condemned. I agree with Sen. Ted Cruz that it should be investigated as domestic terrorism. All of it.
I thought President Trump sounded a good tone. He condemned the violence from all sides and called for national unity and love. Exactly what I expect from my president at times like this. I think the criticism of him for not singling out one side or the other is unwarranted and unfair. But his political opponents couldn’t help but attack it.
Now the tough but necessary points:
If you heard about this and your first thought, or your second, or your third, was how to gain political advantage from this, you’re part of the problem.
If you are upset by these events but you were justifying the riots around the Inauguration, or in Baltimore, or in Ferguson, you’re part of the problem.
If you’re offended by the white supremacist ideology but not by chants like “Pigs in a blanket. Fry ‘em like bacon” or “What do we want? Dead cops! When do we want it? Now!”, you’re part of the problem.
If you consider one of these mobs fascist thugs, but not the other, you’re part of the problem.
If you condemn one side of this or the other, but leave the other side(s) unmentioned, you’re implicitly justifying and excusing the violence of the side you won’t mention. That makes you part of the problem.
I’m sorry if that offends you, but it’s the way it is.
What we need most right now is prayer and unity. We need to pray for the victims of the violence, their friends and families, for law enforcement, for the public officials, for the people who perpetrated this horrible violence, for our leaders, for our country, for each other. And we need to stop politicizing events like this.
And we need to unite in rejection of these extremist ideologies – all of them – and in support of civilized, ordered liberty for all. We need to address each other more civilly. We need to stop feeding the hatred of extremists on all sides who promote this kind of hatred and horror. Remember, we’re all Americans. We’re all human beings. We’re all the heart and hands of God. It’s time to start acting that way.
Let us recognize the divine in each other and let us work together, hand in hand, even though we vigorously disagree, to solve this in peace and love. Together.
Now, let’s get to it.
What is that thing is that shoots fire?
“First of all, the ideology of the white nationalists who showed up to protest is vile and unacceptable.”
Why? I won’t apologize for Whites creating and maintaining civilization.
Protesting is one thing, because it is political speech directed at government policies, officials or actions that people object to and is quite in the spirit of the 1st amendment. The government is an acceptable target because government is the authority, it should be held accountable.
But counter-protesting is a whole different animal, ethically, because it is directed not at government which has authority, but against protestors - fellow citizens whose authority is no more than your own... that is, nil. It can serve one of two purposes- in the case where counter-protestors remain disciplined, courteous, and non violent, it is mainly a means of trying to prevent authorities from assuming the original protest represents popular sentiment. This is in the spirit of the 1st amendment.
But in the case where counterprotestors are violent, or even just nonviolently shouting over the original protest, it isn’t political free speech any more, it is nothing more than the hijacking of it in order to provoke and agitate, the same as shouting “Fire!” in a packed theater, or poking a hornet nest, as if hornets are responsible for bad policy. It’s not done in the spirit of the first amendment but rather, against it, as it is done to drown out or silence someone else’s protest, to intimidate, and so to strip others of their free speech, not to add to public debate.
Progressivism.
But don't obsess over the swastika.
Even as they declare themselves mortal enemies, the followers of the narrow mustache are in the same camp as those of the wide mustache.
See Dinesh D'Souza: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb5N6yLvwkI
Throwing urine at demonstrators and smashing them with bats is not protected free speech or valid political protest
It is criminal behavior by the left that should be condemned and arrested
It also falls under the definition of “ terrorism” if the goal is to prevent assembly and free speech
We need to clean up our language and not be apologetic for doing so
That thing shooting fire is most likely just a can of hair spray. Spray + flame = instant close-up weapon.
As I age, understanding comes to me as to why my father cherished a civil society. I also know that there are no spontaneous protests and that there is indeed evil on the extremes of both sides of the political spectrum. Prayer is needed in this age of Satan.
I find the Soviet flag as unacceptable as a Nazi flag; the counter-protesters are given a pass on them completely.
Good points.
I agree with most of your points but I don’t put the alt right in the same camp as antifa and BLM.
The alt right are white nationalists, but I don’t see them seeking to suppress other groups nor seeking greater than equal rights for themselves and I certainly don’t see them showing up at someone else’s protest to kick ass.
There are degrees of racism. Being “pro european-white” as alt right is, doesn’t mean they’ve stepped up to the level of KKK who want to suppress the rights of blacks and non-protestants.
If a white guy says he only wants to date white women, that doesn’t mean he’s riding around with the Aryan Nation cracking skulls with ball peen hammers.
I’ve heard you and plenty others ascribe a lot of bad behavior to this group but haven’t seen the actual history that justifies that, other than the press says it too without substantiating it, while ignoring antifa and blm.
Alt right is not a group I’d want to join, but I also don’t want to join the group that wants to prove how non-bigoted they are by falsely accusing them.
Keep in mind the only institutionalized bigotry in the US is against whites and males. This is why the alt right is here.
Stop the left’s PC, social justice bullshit and trying to erase history they don’t agree with and there would be no problems.
They’re right up there with ISIS when they try to destroy/erase history.
Ironic, since the antifa fags are all fascists, too. They want the same thing
You’d agree there is nothing wrong with being a “nationalist”, right?
Nationalist as opposed to globalist, no problem.
Nationalist as patriot, no problem.
Nationalist promoting “blood and soil” ideology, BIG problem.
Because the word can be so loaded, I would refrain from using it.
The Battle of Charlottesville
This wasn't a protest or a riot. This was a set piece battle between two well equipped armies. As far as I know no private property was damaged or business's attacked. The two sides wanted at each other the police were irrelevant.
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Can you articulate (with quotes/links) what the white nationalists were advocating?
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