Guest Post: When Things Don't Go Your Way

When Things Don't Go Your Way

Colonel Donald J. Myers USMC (Ret)

Last weekend was the latest example of what happens when the left has its expectations denied. George Zimmerman was found not guilty in the Florida trial while the left had all of its hopes on a guilty finding. This was a trial that was aired on TV for its entirety and the TV networks spent untold hours discussing what was happening ad nauseam. When the jury released its finding, demonstrations erupted in many parts of the country and some of them caused property damage and personal injuries. The cry, "No justice, no peace" seemed to be the rallying cry. I suppose justice in this sense is defined as agreeing with what you desire not with what the jury determined. Al Sharpton has called for demonstrations in 100 cities this weekend and Attorney General Eric Holder has directed another investigation into the incident even though the FBI has determined that there was no racism involved.

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It is definitely sad that a young man was killed, but what about all the young boys and men killed on a daily basis in all of our major cities. There is very little discussed about that except perhaps a cry for more gun control, but it is not law abiding citizens doing all of those killings. Criminals are responsible, and by definition they do not obey the law so they will not give up their guns, only law abiding citizens will.

It is truly rare when demonstrations are held by those on the right. The Tea Party has held numerous demonstrations, but in each case, there has been no property damage or violence and the area was policed as they departed. After President Nixon made his famous "Silent Majority" speech, there was a demonstration in Washington by the right, but again it caused no damage. Compare that to the left.

When Governor Scott Walker passed legislation in Wisconsin, the unions took control of the state capital and caused untold damage because they did not agree with the laws. The Rodney King riots in Los Angeles occurred when the court found police officers not guilty in the beating on Rodney King. Property damage and deaths resulted for an extended period of time. The riots and demonstrations during the Vietnam War are legend in their destruction and disruption. 

The assassination of Dr. Marin Luther King caused riots throughout the country that resulted in millions of dollars in damage and some cities took years to recover. What positive actions did those riots cause other than to waste resources that could have been used more productively in other areas?

I totally agree with conducting demonstrations in order to publicize ones concerns or frustrations, but they should follow the example of Dr. King and be peaceful. Our country has a bloodless revolution every two years for congress and every four years for the presidency. Not many countries can claim the same. Look at what is happening in the Middle East today. Violent and destructive demonstrations are not conducive to our style of government and should be avoided, but it is the left that does not seem to understand this concept.  

Donald J. Myers a retired colonel in the U.S. Marine Corps, is a regular columnist for Hernando Today. He lives in Spring Hill and can be contacted at  dmyersusmc@aol.com.