Civil disobedience is ugly and inefficient. It is uncomfortable, costs us property and sometimes even lives. But civil protest is by far the most powerful force that exists in society. Certainly the United States would not exist today as a nation if small groups of drunken colonialists had not engaged in shameful behavior of destroying property in order to trigger the wrath of the government’s forces.
It was reported that police in Seattle brought out lethal weapons yesterday in response to peaceful protests yesterday. We’ve also read that professional journalists and attorneys were arrested and prosecuted in DC last week for peaceful protest actions.
I’m convinced that it is only a matter of time until we suffer an event like the 1970 Kent State massacre by police against peaceful protesters. At the same time, I commend the actions of police in DC and Philadelphia who handled recent peaceful protests with poise and professionalism.
Protests against the federal government will increase in coming months and may even lead to violence exceeding the level we saw in the late 1960s. Some will support the protestors calling for upheaval and change, others will support the government and laws. Our collective reaction to the strife will determine our fate.
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