Notebook: To peaceably assemble

EDITORIAL MUG: Larry Anderson

I am reasonably tolerant when it comes to demonstrations. After all, the right to peaceably assemble is guaranteed by the First Amendment, and protest was a big part of how the country came about. Indeed, the Boston Massacre was triggered by activism, and the Boston Tea Party was a lively demonstration against authority and injustice. Dissent can lead to something bigger.

I was an undergraduate student from 1969-73. These were critical years for the unpopular Vietnam War, and college campuses were rife with explosive anger at America’s involvement. Demonstrations, even riots, were commonplace but also tolerated to a degree because of First Amendment protection.

There were draft riots during the Civil War. Women’s suffrage eventually succeeded in large part due to marches, banner waving, and social pressure. Tent cities protesting unemployment and other grievances sprang up in Washington, D. C. during the Great Depression. Civil rights protests have been commonplace as have been demonstrations against political policies and failures. These are historical and should be part of the context.

Still one can argue the nation is too patient with activism. For security’s sake, doesn’t the government have the responsibility to maintain order quickly and efficiently? It seems so, but where is the line?

Total calm is rare in America, but one must remember that is because we are the freest nation on Earth. Many governments crush dissent without preamble. Citizens elsewhere long for the freedom that was guaranteed here decades ago by real revolutionaries. Rebellion is never easy, but it must be righteous.

I have been an observer of activism rather than a participant. This is partly because I question the motivation, sincerity and dedication of those who use big words and sound like they are paraphrasing a manifesto.

America’s current indignation was triggered by the ugly war going on between the nation of Israel and Palestinians. This began when Hamas, the militant arm of the Palestinian populace, attacked Israeli citizens and slaughtered, raped or imprisoned over 1,400. Israel struck back hard, and its determination to end the threat to its people is unflinching.

America has been an ally of Israel since its inception; therefore, many Americans support Israel’s right to peacefully exist as a democratic nation. Some support Palestinians’ argument for a homeland of their own but are also making a concerted effort to stop Israel’s military action. Others are content to mind their own business and become tired quickly of preachy, demanding post-adolescents angrily stomping about with mask and phone.

It is important for a president to take a firm stand in this touchy situation, but Biden’s position is inconsistent in an election year when politicians too often seek the center of the road. Biden needs the Jewish vote but also wants to appease a hefty Palestinian faction in needed Michigan as well as unhinged leftists in Congress. He is weighed down by indecisiveness.

Demonstrations on liberal college campuses have shifted in favor of the Palestinians. This is peculiar since they were the instigators and the killers of hundreds of innocents. Suddenly the Israelis are to blame for everything. This is illogical and raises questions.

Who is funding and guiding the demonstrations? Why are so many detained for lawlessness on campuses not students? Is the goal of the demonstrations to help Palestinians or to disrupt, to intimidate, to spread hate and suspicion, to encourage anti-Semitism, or to aid the leftist cause? Is this really about breaking down America? It seems so.

There is a huge difference between the right to peaceably assemble with poster and attitude and deliberate disruption. No one has the right to block traffic, damage public buildings, stop graduations, block commerce, deface statues, or pummel others in the name of tolerance. These behaviors aren’t persuasive, which is why I believe there is dark purpose beyond the determined stand Israel has taken. It has more to do with domestic politics than international empathy.

This is leftist/Marxist/anarchist destruction at its worst. All the signs are there if you know for what to look. I do, and I don’t like what I see.

Larry W. Anderson is a retired educator.