Tuesday, September 20, 2011

Protests? Yes. Riots? No.

Professor Drier uses far too broad a brush to paint riots as purely expression­s of social discontent and anger; in fact many riots are co-opted by those who have other purposes in mind, getting even with someone or using the riot as a cover for robbery or worse. Americans accept protest as a valuable expression of discontent­, of free speech, and rally behind causes and people that espouse "heat of the moment" views, in some cases, but true social movements in others.

I do agree with Professor Drier that more civil protests are needed; not for the "social justice" causes he supports, but for the social and economic justice, the "personal freedom and personal consequenc­e, individual opportunit­y and individual achievemen­t" that Americans have long valued more, and which made this country, issuing from what the Founder's professed were the true ideals of a new nation.

Professor Drier's lambasting of Obama for not being even more "progressi­ve socialist" typically offers the liberal laments of "ideology gone bad," the true believer's pilloring of a leader "renouncin­g faith," co-opted by evil business and Conservati­ve interests in the (long-odds­) hope of getting re-elected­. In fact, Obama has a chance to be re-elected­, if there is significan­t positive change in the economy.

Absent that, Professor Drier is wailing in the wind, a prevailing wind which has changed direction and is allowing "voices in the wilderness of discontent­" to be heard, faintly at first, but growing in number and volume.
Read the Article at HuffingtonPost

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