Port: No Political Cause Justifies Violence Against Innocents
MINOT, N.D. — I can’t help but feel terrible for the organizers of the George Floyd protests around the country who now have to stand in front of news cameras, and take to social media, to apologize and disavow violence and criminal activities they never wanted to happen.
What a galling thing.
I have some familiarity with the feeling.
Circa 2009 I was a young blogger and participated in organizing “tea party” rallies around the state. When that movement started it was something very pure and beautiful. Citizens coming together to express deep-seated concerns over the way our country was being governed.
But then some extreme elements turned up at our events. People holding obnoxious signs, or doing and saying obnoxious things. Eventually, our movement was co-opted by grifters and political operatives who turned it into something very cynical.
Those were not people I wanted to be associated with, but how do you stop them from showing up to an open rally? How do you stop the news media — made up of left-leaning journalists who are deeply skeptical of conservative initiatives anyway — from lumping you in with them?
It was deeply frustrating.
