Denver’s own Mike Rosen explains how far-left protestors harm their own causes. Excerpt:
But activists who engage in unnecessary, theatrical, civil disobedience are oblivious to their public perception as unhinged extremists. They’re driven by a delusional, self-indulgent conviction that only they are right and any who oppose their agenda are unworthy, irrelevant and evil. They believe they’re doing, if not God’s work, at least Gaia’s ─ the Goddess of Mother Earth. For them, protesting is gratifying and fun. They feel like it empowers them. Getting arrested is a badge of honor and pride, which earns them another civil disobedience battle-ribbon to pin on their chest.
Diana Bray could be their poster girl. A champion of civil disobedience and a dogmatic “climate activist” who brags about her participation in an anti-Keystone Pipeline protest in Washington, where people locked themselves to the White House fence. She’s also a lesser figure in the crowd of Democrats seeking the party’s nomination to unseat Sen. Corey Gardner. Thirty-eight of the Capitol protestors were arrested and charged with trespassing, disrupting a lawful assembly and obstruction of police officers. True to form, the shamelessly liberal Denver Post showcased Bray, running her guest commentary under the headline: “Drop charges against Polis protestors who fought peacefully for change.” And they ran it twice, Jan. 16 and 19!
“Fighting peacefully” is an oxymoron. Resisting arrest isn’t a peaceful act. Yes, lawful demonstrations are a legitimate activity, protected by the Constitution. But civil disobedience isn’t protected when it’s uncivil and unlawful, like trespassing, infringing on the rights of others and resisting arrest. These protestors broke the law and ought to pay the consequences, like a steep fine or jail time, which they should eagerly do as martyrs for their cause, lending even more pride to their protest battle-ribbon. (Predictably, all they’ll get is a slap on the wrist.)
Here’s the thing; when your opponent is in the process of doing something stupid, let them. Read the entire article, by all means; Mike is a treasure, and all of his columns are worth the read.
The types of protestors the esteemed Mr. Rosen describes – and let’s be honest, there are stupid, strident protestors across the spectrum, although of late the Left seems to have the lion’s share – do their own professed causes inestimable harm just by doing their thing.
I once toyed with the idea of starting a business offering protestors for hire. I jokingly described to Mrs. Animal an imagined conversation with a media type doing a story on my service:
Interviewer: “So, you offer protestors for hire. For what causes?”
Me: “Any causes. I don’t care what the cause is. As long as no laws are being broken or no incitement to violence, we’re good to go.”
I: “Really? You’ll provide protestors for anything?”
M: “Sure. Remember that big protest at the Capitol last Sunday? People screaming at each other from across Civic Center Park? Those were my people.”
I: “Which people?”
M: “All of them. Both sides.”
I: “Do you have any principles at all?”
M: “In my business? I have one – ‘did their check clear?’ Other than that, hell no.”
I’d probably never do it; there are too many causes I just couldn’t stomach. But it would offer some great entertainment.
