Recently, there have been -- in Ireland, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy and Greece -- riots protesting government policies. In the U.S. -- that troglodytic region -- there were some gatherings in D.C. But they all fell under the rubric of the Constitutionally acknowledged right of the freedom of citizens to peaceably assemble, and nothing remotely violent occurred.
Instead, we had an election. Americans still think they -- the citizens -- are where the power comes from. If anyone disapproves of how the vote went -- well, that's their problem. Maybe they should move to Europe and join a riot.
Case in point: THOUSANDS Of Protesters Storm Government Building After Rigged Elections in Belarus – Opposition Candidate Beaten to a Pulp.
Case in point: THOUSANDS Of Protesters Storm Government Building After Rigged Elections in Belarus – Opposition Candidate Beaten to a Pulp.
Well, despite the pathological rantings of some, there was no question about the legitimacy of the latest elections. Rioting is, if not necessarily (but not unnecessarily) appropriate, is understandable in the midst of an obviously fraudulent election in a country like Belarus that is still more-or-less a Soviet dictatorship.
ReplyDeleteSome people thought the Tea Party was a riot!
ReplyDeleteThere is no such thing as "the Tea Party," Lincoln. There was a network of tea parties. If you go to Insrapundit and scroll down to where on the right you see the search box, you can type the phrase "tea party." You will then get a series of posts tracing the whole phenomenon from the beginning and from long before the major media took any notice. Seeing the media's coverage alone is worth the effort. Moreover, the "riot" was a lot more interesting -- and yes, generally more substantive -- than the bi-partisan jokes they were trying to influence.
ReplyDeleteI agree, Frank, that the people in Belarus had little choice but to riot in order to vent their frustration. Such was not the case with the others, however. The point is that in this country the people still know how to organize and get things done on their own, even if it annoys those who kowtow to the establishment.
Sheesh, I failed again. Perhaps I should have put Ha Ha after the post.
ReplyDeleteI was thinking of those pundits who referred to the 'rabble' when they saw video of so-called tea party deomonstrations.
I agree with you, Frank. I remember as a kid seeing news reels in movie theaters that showed students rioting in the capitals of Europe, Paris, Rome, etc. I remember being pleased that didn't happen here.
Hi Lincoln:
ReplyDeleteThat's what happens when I get up after a largely sleepless night and try to get the old brain primed. My apologies for being uncharacteristically humor-challenged.
I remember those student riots, and remember thinking the same as you did. Guess we were in the minority, since student riots soon became all the rage over here, too.
We had no riots in Ireland, just a few over-boisterous demonstrations. But most of us think our government is a riot.
ReplyDeleteRight after a visit we made to Dublin a few years ago, there was a similar hubbub having to do with a world trade meeting (I think). But I don't think many who participated in that were actually Irish. Nice to hear the latest was just an excess of enthusiasm. ANd the Irish goverment isn't the only one that's a riot.
ReplyDelete