Post by Sheila on Apr 25, 2024 15:38:34 GMT -5
I'll can start any post about protests the same way and that's by saying I have no problem with people gathering to protest whatever they want to protest. I may not agree on the stance they take about any given issue, but I don't want them to be silenced. But . . . there comes a point when even a peaceful protest turns into something else. When laws, rules, or general guidelines are broken, it's time to put a stop to the protest.
People have been gathering to support the people of Palestine, although most mistakenly identify the nation of Israel as Palestinian territory. Let's set aside that argument for now. If you want peace in the Gaza Strip, I don't have a problem with that because I'd also like to see peace. If you want humanitarian aid given to the citizens of the Gaza Strip, I don't have a problem with that because I'd also like to see the innocent people in that area being taken care of by giving them food and other necessities. But a large number of the current protestors are asking for things I can't support and the way they're going about it is, in some instances, breaking the laws and rules set forth by various levels of government. Even worse, their words and deeds are hateful and verging on violent. The state and local governments that have sent in the police to disband these protests are doing the right thing.
So what do I have a problem with? Lets start with the protests that led to the protestors blocking roads and bridges. One large group blocked the Golden Gate Bridge for hours. This should've never happened. As soon as the first protestors stepped onto that bridge, the police should've been sent and the protestors removed before it got so out of hand. The same thing should apply to any group of protestors if they don't have the required permits and infringe on the rights of other citizens to move about freely.
On the college campuses, we have an entirely different set of problems. Here are the problems with the protestor's actions:
- Many of the people are not students or faculty. By the colleges' rules, these people have no right to be on campus without the permission of the administration. When they're asked to vacate the premises, they need to do so or be arrested for, if nothing else, trespassing.
- Students, faculty, or any other person involved in the protest has no legal right to take over any part of the campus and not allow other students and faculty within that area. The campus is for the use of anyone who works there or are paying tuition to attend the college. Anyone who is part of a take-over should be removed from the area. Repeated offenders should be fired (faculty) or expelled from the school (students).
- These pro-Palestinian protestors are physically blocking other students from entering campus buildings or simply walking along sidewalks to get from one place on campus to another. The same punishments for the protestors apply here as listed above.
All of the protestors are saying things that are antisemitic and more than hateful to known Jewish students and staff and anyone who supports them or people who don't want to get involved with either side of the issue.
- "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." This statement is in reference to the area of land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. This area, except for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, belongs to Israel and has never been Palestinian. The protestors want all Jews to be removed from their own land.
- "Death to Israel!" If you think these people are simply claiming to want Israel to cease to exist as a nation, think again. A lot of the these people, when being interviewed, come right out say this a call for jihad and that they think all the Jews need to be killed.
These protestors are getting bolder as the colleges and towns let the protests go on. They may take a stand, but they back down if the protestors refuse to disband. It does no good to arrest people for refusing to take down their tents and leave the campus, have them arrested and clean up the camp, and then don't even try to stop them before they re-establish their camps. The camps only get bigger. It does no good to disband groups who block students from entering classroom buildings if they're allowed to come right back and they're not stopped before the group is even larger than the first time.
And what's the most ridiculous thing to do is to tell the Jewish students and faculty not to attend classes or participate in activities on campus because the administration says they feel they can't protect them. This is absolutely the wrong thing to be doing. If the protestors pose such a threat to even a very small part of the campus population, it's the protestors who need to be driven off campus and not allowed to return. The students are paying tuition to attend classes and be involved in activities. What about the ones who live on campus and have to go to the dining hall to eat? Are you protecting them? The Jewish professors have a job to do and they teach students who aren't Jewish. Why should they stay off campus and not be able to the job for which they're getting paid? Again, move the protestors off campus and protect the other students and staff. If anyone is going to protect the rights of the protestors to protest, they also need to protect the rights of the other students and faculty who aren't protesting.
Remember the "Summer of Love"? That's when BLM protests were called "mostly peaceful" while buildings burned, cars were smashed, and people were beat up, shot, and stabbed. Will these protests turn into the same thing. I hope not, but it's better to get things under control now instead of waiting until damage is done or someone gets killed.
Copyright © 2024 by Sheila Rae Myers
People have been gathering to support the people of Palestine, although most mistakenly identify the nation of Israel as Palestinian territory. Let's set aside that argument for now. If you want peace in the Gaza Strip, I don't have a problem with that because I'd also like to see peace. If you want humanitarian aid given to the citizens of the Gaza Strip, I don't have a problem with that because I'd also like to see the innocent people in that area being taken care of by giving them food and other necessities. But a large number of the current protestors are asking for things I can't support and the way they're going about it is, in some instances, breaking the laws and rules set forth by various levels of government. Even worse, their words and deeds are hateful and verging on violent. The state and local governments that have sent in the police to disband these protests are doing the right thing.
So what do I have a problem with? Lets start with the protests that led to the protestors blocking roads and bridges. One large group blocked the Golden Gate Bridge for hours. This should've never happened. As soon as the first protestors stepped onto that bridge, the police should've been sent and the protestors removed before it got so out of hand. The same thing should apply to any group of protestors if they don't have the required permits and infringe on the rights of other citizens to move about freely.
On the college campuses, we have an entirely different set of problems. Here are the problems with the protestor's actions:
- Many of the people are not students or faculty. By the colleges' rules, these people have no right to be on campus without the permission of the administration. When they're asked to vacate the premises, they need to do so or be arrested for, if nothing else, trespassing.
- Students, faculty, or any other person involved in the protest has no legal right to take over any part of the campus and not allow other students and faculty within that area. The campus is for the use of anyone who works there or are paying tuition to attend the college. Anyone who is part of a take-over should be removed from the area. Repeated offenders should be fired (faculty) or expelled from the school (students).
- These pro-Palestinian protestors are physically blocking other students from entering campus buildings or simply walking along sidewalks to get from one place on campus to another. The same punishments for the protestors apply here as listed above.
All of the protestors are saying things that are antisemitic and more than hateful to known Jewish students and staff and anyone who supports them or people who don't want to get involved with either side of the issue.
- "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." This statement is in reference to the area of land between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. This area, except for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, belongs to Israel and has never been Palestinian. The protestors want all Jews to be removed from their own land.
- "Death to Israel!" If you think these people are simply claiming to want Israel to cease to exist as a nation, think again. A lot of the these people, when being interviewed, come right out say this a call for jihad and that they think all the Jews need to be killed.
- "Death to America." The same thing can be said about this as was just stated above. Some of the most radical protestors would rather kill people than the idea of a nation.
- "We are Hamas." Anyone who claims to part of a terrorist group such as Hamas should be treated like a terrorists. They may just be lying, but why take the chance they won't become an active terrorist?
These protestors are getting bolder as the colleges and towns let the protests go on. They may take a stand, but they back down if the protestors refuse to disband. It does no good to arrest people for refusing to take down their tents and leave the campus, have them arrested and clean up the camp, and then don't even try to stop them before they re-establish their camps. The camps only get bigger. It does no good to disband groups who block students from entering classroom buildings if they're allowed to come right back and they're not stopped before the group is even larger than the first time.
And what's the most ridiculous thing to do is to tell the Jewish students and faculty not to attend classes or participate in activities on campus because the administration says they feel they can't protect them. This is absolutely the wrong thing to be doing. If the protestors pose such a threat to even a very small part of the campus population, it's the protestors who need to be driven off campus and not allowed to return. The students are paying tuition to attend classes and be involved in activities. What about the ones who live on campus and have to go to the dining hall to eat? Are you protecting them? The Jewish professors have a job to do and they teach students who aren't Jewish. Why should they stay off campus and not be able to the job for which they're getting paid? Again, move the protestors off campus and protect the other students and staff. If anyone is going to protect the rights of the protestors to protest, they also need to protect the rights of the other students and faculty who aren't protesting.
Remember the "Summer of Love"? That's when BLM protests were called "mostly peaceful" while buildings burned, cars were smashed, and people were beat up, shot, and stabbed. Will these protests turn into the same thing. I hope not, but it's better to get things under control now instead of waiting until damage is done or someone gets killed.
Copyright © 2024 by Sheila Rae Myers