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 Democrats,
Donkeys & Jackasses
EDITORIAL
Frank Salvato
August 31, 2004 |
As
the Republican National Convention (RNC) gets on its way in New York City
the people of the nation, and the world, will be afforded quite a show. I am
not talking about the high-profile speakers that will transverse the dais.
Nor am I talking about the performers who will entertain the delegates
throughout the week. Rather, I am talking about the consortium of radical
liberal activists and other ne’er-do-wells that will clog the streets of New
York making it just a wee bit less safe than it is on any given day.
Just as when the World Trade Organization convenes in any given city,
wherever this collection of activist rabble manifests itself there are
always a few constants we can all depend on: there will be arrests for
disorderly and violent conduct; there will be destruction of private
property; and there will be a lingering stench from the "natural,”
un-showered, "before-they-invented-soap-like” state of hygiene which the
majority of these people choose to achieve. They gather under the guise of
"free speech” yet the goal of their activities is to silence those who
oppose them. Personally, I don’t find anything patriotic or admirable about
actions that stifle opposing viewpoints (What say you, Mr. Kerry?).
It is a fact that members of the Ruckus Society have trained massive numbers
of people on how to achieve violent civil disobedience during the RNC. It is
a fact that Tanya Mayo, leader of the "Not in My Name” activist group has
refused to discourage her "followers” from breaking the law or committing
acts of violence while protesting during the RNC. It is a fact that Tom
Hayden has been inciting activists to make a showing during the RNC that
would be "bigger than Chicago.” It is a fact that IndyMedia of New York
published the names and addresses of delegates to the RNC in an effort to
intimidate them before and during the convention. In a nutshell, these
people, the instigators and the lemmings, have less to do with truth and
free speech than they have to do with embracing civil disobedience,
violence, intimidation and the censorship of our political process.
One point that validates this contention is the fact there will be tens of
thousands of anti-war protesters descending on New York during the RNC
voicing their opposition to the conflict currently taking place in Iraq.
While it is their right to protest against war, or anything else for that
matter, it is intrinsically disingenuous for them to point a finger of blame
at President Bush while supporting John Kerry who is culpable for the US
presence in Iraq as well. It is deceitful to demonize the Republican Party
for our presence in Iraq when the overwhelming majority of Democrats elected
to national office voted for giving the president authority to use force in
that theater. If they had protested the actions in Iraq with equal vigor
during the Democratic National Convention, calling Democrats who voted for
the use of force on the carpet for their decisions, that would have been a
different story. But there can’t be consequences for one and not the other
without being hypocritical. That would give us two Americas. The very stark
fact that they didn’t protest at the DNC only proves that their motives are
less than admirable, less than honorable and in fact very condemnable.
While the mainstream media’s coverage of the protester’s actions may play
well in homes across the south of France, in Michael Moore’s
"Jaba-the-Hut-like” media room and in the coffeehouses of San Francisco,
their actions will not play out well in Iowa, Arizona and South Carolina,
where it really matters. Unbridled liberal activism, the kind that embraces
over-extended civic disobedience, violence and the destruction of private
property not only turns undecided voters off, it ironically reflects the
true ideals of today’s liberal Democrats: "If it won’t be done our way
destroy it.” Of course, this mentality is nothing more than childish.
One can argue that a mind captivated by ideology is, in a sense, handicapped
– blind to the constraints of reality. As history has revealed time and
again, the youth of the world are quite susceptible to the overwhelming
allure of ideology and all the trappings that come with it. Only when youth
progresses to "experienced” does the logical and sometimes unpleasant
partnership of ideology and reality become apparent.
That being said, until the youth of our country, and the world, can
understand the relationship between reality and ideology I suggest they cool
it with the espresso and loosen the berets a little bit. That really cool
idea of setting something on fire to make a political statement? Dumb idea.
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