zlacker

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+(OP)
rioting is indeed not free speech, but surely attacking the press, one of the fundamental institutions in any democracy, is a violation of free speech.

And not only have the people in question not spoken up in defense of the press, they've actually routinely declare them the enemy of the people.

>>rpiguy+(OP)
Anybody remember the Clinton administration, when the popular cry was "Charlton Heston is my president!" and "The purpose of the Right to Bear Arms isn't for hunting, it is so that politicians fear the people!"

Yeah, I don't either.

Yes, rioting isn't free speech. Unfortunately, nothing short of rioting seems to work---the people in question are poor and already at the bottom of the social pile, so their options seem limited.

>>mcguir+92
But rioting doesn’t work. The first comprehensive study of riots was just done at Princeton and riots are found to result in crackdowns, not reform. Occupy Wallstreet, Ferguson riots, 1968 riots, LA Riots, Camden riots, all had opposite the intended effect.

Democrats already had the African American vote and the cities. Rioting will swing the suburbs back to Republicans, completing the cycle again.

>>Barrin+H1
Fully Agree. The press should not be attacked. There is no excuse for it.

>>rpiguy+(OP)
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+j5
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+i3
Likely true. But a peaceful demonstration results in no media coverage and no changes at all.

This all will not end well.

P.s. Were there significant riots with the Occupy thing? I seem to recall it being mostly quiet (and completely ineffectual).

>>rpiguy+(OP)
Not at all. When Kaepernick protested in the most quiet, peaceful and respectful way possible, conservatives were screaming bloody murder. They also did that when MLK was leading protests.

Conservatives support protests by white people, but never by black people.

>>mcguir+sg
I guess we'll have to wait and see if it results in any changes, but baltimore is currently making national news for having some of the most peaceful protests of this last weekend.

>>rpiguy+u3
When everyone has a camera, social media audiences, live streams, YouTube channel, websites, and blogs/micro-blogging, what is the definition of Press and why do Press get to ignore restrictions and closed off areas?

Are the only Press allowed to be Press those that are part of a large national news network? Is Alex Jones Press if he shows up to these with a guy with a camera and enters areas civilians are not allowed to be in?

>>rpiguy+la
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."