More justification of political violence from the Left
More Lefties who are both fine and dandy with the thought of political violence, via blogger David Thompson:
Readers may recall Priyamvada Gopal and her efforts to redefine violence so as to include anything to which she and her peers take political exception, thereby elevating actual thuggery to the status of retaliation. For Ms Gopal, setting fire to occupied buildings isn’t “real” violence and is no more objectionable than “hypocritical language.” This bold and convenient philosophy appears to have been embraced by other Guardian contributors – among them, chronic confabulator Laurie Penny, whose recent pronouncements on Twitter included the following (now deleted):
I have no problem with principled, thought-through political ‘violence.’
He later quotes someone named Leah Borromeo:
There are no “good” protesters and no “bad” protesters. The state sees anyone who publicly declares their dissent to its laws and policies as one thing – a threat. When a state is threatened, it sends its henchmen out to quell it.
The “henchmen” being the police.
The irony is: the very police state this woman fears is exactly what we’ll get if enough people take her philosophy to heart, and engage in what they’ll surely say was “principled, thought-through political violence.”
Case in point: two months ago, the Wisconsin State Capitol was entirely open to the public without obstacle. Very little visible security. No metal detectors. No phalanxes of state police at a limited number of entrances.
Today, there are only a couple entrances open to the public, and the public must go through airport-like security (minus the full-body scans and the groping).
I’m sure the assumedly small number of protesters who’ve issued death threats, vandalized both public and private property, and engaged in intimidation tactics would claim that their actions are “principled and thought-through.” Also completely justified. And look now: cops everywhere.
The people who most fear the “police state” bogeyman are the same people who, by their actions, are pushing us toward that very thing.
I wonder if they might notice.
Via Hot Air.
Previously:
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