Well, 2021 started off with an all too familiar refrain as Portland, Oregon was rocked again last night with riots. An estimated 100 people came out with the sole purpose of destroying property as they repeatedly threw fire bombs and improvised incendiary devices while destroying nearly one dozen buildings that include both civilian businesses and government agencies. They also attempted to set fires as well, but thankfully, none of them took.
This comes one day after another group of about 40 marched through the city also destroying and vandalizing businesses and buildings as the went. This after Portland went out of their way, second only to Minneapolis, to attempt to address the complaints of the protesters going back as far as May of 2020.
Many of us had hoped that things were settling back down, and that 2021 could bring a period of respite from the civil cacophony that has broken out across the country, but by the looks of it, we're still going to have to deal with this and other things, despite the Joe Biden political victory which was supposed to make all of this go away. So much for campaign promises eh?
You see, the issue is that the people rioting, and their pollical allies in the Democrat party, are not interested in compromise and working on a solution to live together in peace. That much is apparent in their continuing action. They will not be satisfied until there has been a fundamental transformation in the US, and they're willing to continue this street war to get it. However, there appears to be some light in this midst of this darkness.
In response to this riot, Portland appears to have learned its lesson and to have reversed it's ridiculous policy decisions with regards to law enforcement. Police responded to the riots with mace, pepper spray, riot gear, and even rubber bullets. They set out to quell the riots, and they did so, by in large. As much as they should have? No, not nearly by my estimation, but it shows that they won't be responding with social workers and bullhorns to the violence that is being wrought upon our fellow citizens.
Perhaps this lone bright spot can help us to regain some semblance of normalcy again. If police departments are allowed to quell the riots with all available non-lethal tactics then perhaps we can have an enforced peace in the streets, even if a brokered peace is unachievable. It is long past time for this civil insurrection to be brought to an end, and if those participating will not do so, then it's time to do what is necessary to make it so.
Peaceful Protest? Ok.
Destroy so much as a flower pot? Harsh and heavy response that leads to incarceration and maximum statutory charges being leveled against those participating.
If we want to stop 2021 from becoming like 2020 politically, it starts with ending this "revolution" and the idolization of civil insurrection and street thuggery; because if the government won't do it, the citizens will, and that's going to lead to an all out street war, and we DON'T want that.
Our only hope is the restoration of enforced peace. It's long past time to have it.
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