HEALTHY SKEPTICISM

One of the great things about growing old is that you develop a healthy dose of skepticism. In other words, things are rarely the way they seem and as we age, we come to more clearly understand that. 

Consider the events this past week. In Minnesota it has been reported that an individual tried to pass a phony twenty dollar bill and he was arrested. The arrest was witnessed by many people and even filmed. The film clearly shows that the suspect was handcuffed and lying on the street with the policeman’s knee on his neck. No one has offered an opinion as to why a handcuffed suspect was being held down this way.  One could hear the suspect protesting that he could not breathe. He subsequently passed out and later died. The initial report was that the policeman killed him and that other officers witnessed the act and did nothing. 

Having watched the arrest I can easily see how any reasonable person would believe events happened just that way. That particular officer has also been arrested and charged with manslaughter in the third degree and murder. The witnessing officers were all fired.

Since his arrest a report has been released by the police department that the suspect was high on drugs and liquor. He also is alleged to have had heart disease and asthma. All of these situations contributed to his death. Okay, that’s possible. It is also possible that the police officer killed him by choking him with his knee. 

Of course, this all made the local news and then the national news. Many people decided to protest the actions of the police. Our Constitution allows the free expression of protest. Well, those hundreds of protestors became thousands. In fact these protests happened in every major city in this country. The next thing that happened was that the protests became riots. Peaceful gatherings of protest became looting and burning. What started as a peaceful protest quickly became an opportunity for thugs and crooks to steal, loot, and destroy. 

The usual suspects decided to get in on the act. Antifa and Black Lives Matter sent bus loads to these sites to add to the destruction. Police officers were harmed and police equipment was damaged. Buildings and businesses were burned to the ground. Many, if not most, of the businesses that were destroyed were minority owned. 

And so the question, is this a true protest or is it just an opportunity for law breakers and thugs to loot, burn, and destroy? Being the skeptic that I am, my conclusion is that within the actual protest were opportunist thieves looking for free TVs, sneakers, and liquor. In addition to the thieves there were and are violent anarchists whose goal is to overthrow our government and our way of life. That is why our President has decided to declare one of the groups, Antifa, a domestic terrorist group. That designation allows for much more serious penalties for violation. 

Just a couple of days ago a young girl who lived in the Catskills, an upscale area of New York, threw a molotov cocktail into a police van with cops inside. She was immediately arrested and charged with attempted murder of a police officer. I am certain she regrets that particular bit of stupidity. 

As of this writing the protests haven't stopped. They have even gotten more violent. The President has said he will send in our military to bring it to an end. The thugs involved are not going to like that. They will be facing trained war fighters armed and ready to end the insurrection. In other words, this is coming to an end. 

If the initial response to this violence had been swift and sure, it would have ended at its beginning. Sadly, Mayors and Governors hide behind political correctness and refuse to treat this lawbreaking for what it is. Now our military will have to do their jobs. And they will.

Ron Scarbro June 2, 2020