zlacker

>>laurex+(OP)
I had been heartened by the right's recent upswing in fierce support for the first amendment, but unfortunately I've seen little of that support during the protests as freedom of assembly and freedom of the press have been attacked. For example Rand Paul has not tweeted in a week. Sadly, as always, these kind of principled arguments, on both sides, are a sham to advance whatever the partisan battle of the week is.

>>bosswi+V7
Because rioting isn’t free speech. All conservatives support peaceable assembly and protest. They also fiercely believe in property rights as inherently tied to the concept of liberty. It is right in the Declaration of Independence. No conservative worth his or her salt will defend theft, property destruction, etc.

>>rpiguy+QG
I hate to break it to you, but the Boston Tea Party that conservatives were so fond of hijacking for their own partisan purposes destroyed over a million US dollars (in today's money) in other people's property. YOU are comfortable sitting there and "defending property" because it props up a system that benefits you.

>>Mister+9M
And after the revolution the government immediately cracked down on similar tax protests like the Whiskey Rebellion. So what?

On its own I agree the Tea Party is wonton vandalism. The patriots knew that too. They wanted to start a war. They also knew it was lawless and it was debated afterwords until it set of a wave of similar vandalism.

No one outside of a very small group looks back on the race riots of 1968 with pride, or the burning of LA, or Camden.

Are the rioters trying to start a revolutionary war? I hope not. There will be a lot of death everywhere.

The rioters don’t even have a plan or goal for if they “win.” They aren’t making demands. “Fix the police“ and “end systemic racism” isn’t something that can just happen. The rioters don’t have Federalist Papers or any plan for what’s next (unless you count the Communist Manefesto).

Personally I’d like these things to happen too. The police shouldn’t be terrifying. When I was growing up they were likable Andy Griffith types. Everyone knew them. Now they are shaven headed paramilitary. I have no idea who my local cops are. Wtf?

>>rpiguy+bR
The rioters aren't trying to start a revolutionary war. They're trying to start a conversation that will never happen with a bunch of hand holding and song singing.

We're FAR past that point, and the reason that comfortable white people are so taken aback by this is because they've been given the freedom to ignore it all. Just watch the alternate dimension that is OAN or Fox News, and you will never have to worry about how a minority is ever treated in this country, because they will either tell you it's all bullshit or they will wring their hands for a segment and then go right back to bashing Obama or Clinton for things that are happening 3.5 years into Trump's presidency.

RIGHT NOW cops are shooting tear gas and grenades at peaceful protesters.

RIGHT NOW photographers are losing their vision because police officers are firing rubber bullets at their heads.

RIGHT NOW cops are destroying property and blaming it on imaginary groups of paid protesters.

RIGHT NOW cops are hiding their badge numbers because they don't want to get fired.

RIGHT NOW cops are assaulting and arresting the press.

RIGHT NOW cops have the right to wander into a woman's apartment and shoot her stone cold dead because they didn't read the number.

RIGHT NOW people in this country watch with baited breath to see whether people like that woman who murdered Botham Jean in his own home would even get charged.

It seems to me that a large portion of the conservative side of this country is more than happy with "coming down hard" on people to try to scare anyone else from trying to upset the apple cart. Because it "works."

These protesters? They're just reciprocating what "works."