Protests vs Anarchy

In these most difficult times, we are now faced with a serious action taken against all Americans...protests that have turned into violent actions bordering on anarchy.

It is not bad enough that so many families and businesses have been sorely impacted with the COVID-19 Virus but now we have to deal with the destruction of businesses and public buildings that already are suffering from the economic downturn brought on by the virus.

Those protesting certainly have the right to do so in a peaceful manner and I commend those who do just that...protest against disparity and injustice for any reason. Race, color or creed should have no place in whether anyone receives fair treatment in this country. But when protest become violence and looting, the protests lose traction and become a scourge on the very fabric of our society. When lawlessness supersedes common sense, the message of a protest is drowned out entirely. The focus now becomes on those who defy logic and think violence actually adds credibility to anything. It doesn't. In fact, people who may have been sympathetic to the protests now are enraged at what it has become.

I commend the authorities who have had such restraint in the face of violence. Having had to deal with a riot many years ago, I know the difficulty in being threatened, assaulted and still not responding with force. It is an almost uncontrollable urge to strike back, and only training stops that response action.

What amazes me is how the looters and arsonists target any business at all, and many are businesses that are owned by individuals, many minorities, who have or will lose everything as a result. One man, himself a minority, had just opened his smoke shop the day before the violence, and is now left without a means to feed and clothe his family, all because some idiots decided to loot and burn his business. He did nothing to deserve this...a hard working man who was trying to build a future for his family and better himself. What a sad scenario.

Then we have the elderly couple trying to defend a business who were beaten with 2x4's. Why not leave them alone and move on? And the person who saved for many years, just opened a bar and restaurant, and it was burned to the ground..destroying his future. And even sadder is he was a black man trying to build a better life for himself and his family. I wonder what he thinks of the protests now.

Those who damaged so much will be the same ones looking for handouts and freebies when this is all over. They don't work so looking for work won't be much of a chore for them; many likely live on the public dole or with parents so they have the freedom to be idiots on someone else's dime.

And, when the ravages of COVID-19 comes to these rioters and protesters door, then what? They will want the very society they decry to save them from the disease and possible death. They will want the paramedics and ambulances they are blocking now to respond quickly to assist them or their family. How many will end up on ventilators due to their own actions, failing to adequately distance themselves and protect each other from the virus? Only time will tell. 

2020 has become a year for the annals of history. The virus, huge unemployment, business failures and now the protests and riots. What is next for our country? We can all pray the future is brighter than the immediate past.