Peaceful Protest

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

FLAGLet me start by saying this:  I love the USA.  I live in the USA, and I’m a citizen.  I do NOT agree with anyone who protests by sitting during the National Anthem or the Pledge of Allegiance;  I’m also a firm believer if one does not like our laws, customs, and culture, that one or few should just pack up and leave.

With that being said…

PEOPLE

We’ve seen protests that have involved looting, rioting, blocking highways or main roads which caused problems for emergency vehicles and rescue workers, violent acts of murder, fighting, and the like.

We keep calling out and saying, “PEACEFUL PROTESTS!”  However, when Colin Kaepernick sits down during the national anthem we are outraged, and yet Colin did not riot, burn anything down, loot, or commit any act of violence. So he chose and did a peaceful protest, and then some of us even got more outraged when another athlete followed his example.

“Stand up for what you believe” as long as what? They do it our way? As long as they believe our way? We’re still not satisfied with their peaceful protest…  And by which list of standards are we measuring these “peaceful” protests? The athletes brought no physical harm to anyone by sitting down. Sure, they may have embarrassed their fellow teammates by sitting out, but the key phrase here is THEY PROTESTED PEACEFULLY.

What would we rather the athletes have done? Would we rather them steal, harm someone, burn something down in the name of whatever it is they believe? We wanted peaceful protests. We expected people do peaceful protests and not the kind of protest that breaks out violence, injuring others, and destroying community businesses and homes.

It may not have been ideal for any of you, including myself, but they chose what was best for them as individuals.  In this country, there’s the right to protest, and that is their freedom to do so.  They chose a peaceful demonstrative protest, and no one got hurt.

And we’re still not satisfied.

This Right Called “Freedom Of Speech”

Posted on by Dr. Linda Agnes Knowles

I absolutely love my country, but the people in my country…  We hold to our Constitution.  We have rights that are given to us as citizens of the United States of America, and as citizens, we exercise those rights; however, we should exercise those rights responsibly.  While exercising those rights responsibly sounds like a great idea or something we should already be doing, many times we fail in the responsibly part.

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Write your little heart out.  Blog your little heart out.  Speak your mind, and freely speechify or grandstand as much as you want.  Don’t hold back.  Just remember  words uttered without thought to your fellow man or woman, in other words without an ounce of consideration or courtesy, will be held against you no matter whom you are addressing and by those who are merely spectators.

Freedom of speech does not allow for us to scream “FIRE!” in a crowded theater scaring the living daylights out of everyone to the point where they are stampeding out the door.  Freedom of speech does not allow for us to breathe death threats or threats of bodily harm to another.  In both those cases, consequences are sure to follow.  Admittedly though, people have the freedom to act as stupidly as they want because it’s a free country.  They should know they need to own the garbage they created and now have to pay the consequences.  Consequences are not something we choose.  Consequences happen.

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It’s always good to refresh your mind on what your rights are as a citizen.  So I got this quote from the site http://www.usconstitution.net:  “Amendment I FREEDOM OF RELIGION, SPEECH, PRESS, ASSEMBLY, AND PETITION.  Passed by Congress September 25, 1789. Ratified December 15, 1791.  The first 10 amendments form the Bill of Rights.  Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for redress of grievances…”

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…but Political rallies bring out the worst in people.  I get it.  All of us are passionate about what we so strongly believe as individuals, what we consider important and moral, concerned how whatever happens affects us and our families, the communities we live in.  The reality is though there will always be disagreements and lack of unity.  And there is only one race: the human race; but I digress.Hatred 1.jpg

People make choices as to what they say or how they’ll react.  <> I had a pastor who taught me never make decisions in the heat of emotion, and refrain from speaking in the heat of emotion.  He taught me to step back immediately, to wait until calmed down, and then THINK about what to say or what to do.  Yeah, admittedly, I have not always taken to that wise advice even though there are times I do.

Peaceful assembly?…  How can an assembly be peaceful when speeches (words spoken) incite violence?  I would like to believe the ones making the speeches would consider their words carefully before spouting them.  How is the crowd going to react?  But then again, those protesting also use words.  The responsibility of words falls upon anyone who speaks.  “If I say this, will it incite violence?”  “Do my words convey hope?”   “Am I going to regret these words later on?”  “Should I calm down before I say what I can’t take back?”  “If I say these words, is there a possibility I could end up in a full body cast or end up dead?”  “If what I say infuriates the person and that person responds with an attack, will I end up retaliating or do I just keep my mouth shut?”

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Lord, please let election time get here really fast

so the madness can end.

*Sighs*

Much love to all, Diamond In The Rough