Charlottesville is Representing Our Worst

Charlottesville Demonstrations
America has had a problem with any kind of authority since its inception.

• Native Americans didn’t appreciate their land being confiscated
• Puritans fled religious persecution
• Revolutionaries thought taxation without adequate representation in London was unfair
• Southern states felt that each state was a country unto itself and had the right to self-determination
• A crazed lunatic in Germany sought genocide and global domination

There are countless examples in American history where resisting authority (justifiably so) created tension, discussion, debate, and, often, violence.

What is happening in Charlottesville is not the same.

What is happening in Charlottesville is a group of small-minded, small-endowed idiots think that they can somehow improve themselves by toting guns and torches through the streets. They think they can intimidate with hate and racism.

They’re wrong.

All across this country today there are sporting events, legitimate political debates, picnics, amusement parks attended, preparations for college, applications for jobs being submitted, checkbooks being balanced. People will also go to restaurants, grocery stores, home improvement stores, see plays, movies, concerts.

And our military units (those wielding the greatest power on earth – far from the pathetic inadequacy and impotence we are seeing on display in Charlottesville) will be deployed preserving this freedom to assemble, speak, and pursue our dreams we have here at home.

All cultures. All religions. All ethnicities will be doing all these things – many of them together. There will not be hate. There will be joy. And love. And peace.

People will go about their day.

The reality is that this show of intimidation by the close-minded will be a blip on the radar and deserves repudiation (although my preference would be to just ignore it).

What’s happening in Charlottesville is nonsense. It is not based on achieving the greater good of American exceptionalism. It is not based on ideas that will continue to advance common good, decency, and democracy. It is not based on achieving our more perfect union.

It is one thing, though: pathetic.