Ohio: Lawless Opposition 'Justifies Abuses' In The Name of Principles
Welcome to the OhioZone, which recently had a riot.
The NeoNazis were the scapegoat. The illusion in Ohio is that this riot was about race. The riots are actually about people manipulating a civilian population.
Specifically, the problem is "people using race" as the diversion from accountability and real solutions.
America doesn't have to worry about a war between the people and the government.
We already have that.
America should worry about a civil war between:
[a] the mindless actors who beat the drums of war, advocating for a vague vision of the future, but have no plan; and
[b] those who assert we need to advocate for change and have a credible solution to do that which mobilizes a broad consensus across all political parties.
This has started.
Mindless, failed actors will invoke the image of the past to justify abuse today, but never offer a broad solution which embraces the nation's soul, with a desire to contribute to a specific, desirable future.
America's problem is that it reacts to advocates for change, without advocating for solutions.
Those who use the "problem of race" are doing a poor job at finding solutions.
The record shows the NeoNazis were marching for solutions. Others were looking for an excuse to engage in mindlessness.
They made a mistake. After the NeoNazis disbanded, the demonstrators then took out their rage on the law enforcement. But then the problems only started.
The next problem was when people started using "it's about race" as a diversion from those who were uncivil, and did not meet the standards of the NeoNazis or the rule of law.
It is curious what happens when people, who oppose abusive government, or say they opposite discrimination, engage in abuse themselves.
Let's review the fundamental issue: Some say this is a race-relations problem. I disagree.
Let's review that the reason the Nazis were rallying, wasn't simply because of the race issue, but it was to call attention to the need for solutions.
Police say the squabble between the two neighbors was the catalyst for the sidewalk march planned by the National Socialist Movement. The neo-Nazi group said it wanted to draw attention to gangs and crime in the neighborhood, once a thriving Polish community that is now a mix of whites, blacks and Hispanics.
A mob that included rival gang members turned out Saturday to protest the supremacist group. But when the march was called off, they turned their anger toward police who they thought were protecting the neo-Nazis.
Fair minded people can disagree "what the first event was." But what is clear is that the NeoNazis chose to demonstrate, and were apparently well organized enough to have discussed this matter with the police, and obtained a legal permit.
Thus, when the NeoNazis heard that there could be problems, and called off the police, the linkage between the "original dispute between the neighbors with different races" and the subsequent violence is broken.
The mistake is to presume "the face problems" caused the riots.
I believe, having cursorily reviewed the matter, is that the real issue is that people who are "asserting the right to oppose groups" are then engaging in abuse themselves in the name of some "higher good."
Again, I don't see the NeoNazis engaging in violence; I see "those who opposite a group" as justifying violence.
That is unacceptable.
One cannot wave the flag of "freedom of expression" and "free association" all the while using violence.
But the issue here isn't using violence over race; it's using violence to simply vent.
The NeoNazis weren't around.
The real issue is that "those who oppose the NeoNazis" justified violence. But the curious contrast is that the NeoNazis weren't apparently using the "problem of race" to use violence; on the contrary, the NeoNazis appeared to have planned a solutions-oriented demonstration to call attention to the issue.
The problem we run into is when people think "Because they are a NeoNazi" then this justifies all actions, even when the NeoNazis are taken out of the equation, as is this case.
Thus, I conclude that the trap people are falling into is to rush to embrace the issue as "one of race," when the real issue is the difference over how people express their views on the issue.
If race were the real issue, then we should have had the "race riot" gone once the NeoNazis were taken out of the equation.
However, its far too simplistic to say that "agitators" wanted to provoke violence; because if there were "well coordinated agitators in the anti-"NeoNazi" crowd, then those agitators should have been called off once the NeoNazis withdrew.
Thus, I conclude the problem is that those in charge of the "anti-NeoNazi demonstrations' were poorly disciplined, were using propaganda to excite their members, and were so fired up, that they continued to look for an outlet of their violence, even venting on the source of order: Law enforcement.
This shows evidence that the group that "opposes the neoNazis" is more concerned with opposing the NeoNazis, than in looking for common solutions.
Simplistically, we could argue that the NeoNazis were doing what all should be doing: Looking for solutions.
The solution is not to blame the problem on race. The answer is to find out why, despite the desire to focus on solutions, groups can be easily manipulated to justify arrogance, abuse, and intimidation, all in the name of "fighting those that engage in that abuse."
One loses credibility when they "fight for principles" using lawlessness; and they have absolutely nothing to stand on when they assert they are for "principled lives" when they engage in unprincipled use of manipulation to deceive those who have been lulled not to question.
All are encouraged to use your minds, even go so far as to compare what you are told to what is actually in writing.
If those you are blindly deferring your trust to use misrepresentations in order to afford themselves greater support, then they show they are no better than those they oppose.
In the case of Ohio, we see the danger of a group rallying "for a principle" to such an extent, that they blindly engage in abusive conduct, simply to "prove their point," even when their example is lawlessness, abuse, and violations of freely chosen standards.
If you dare to rise to the occasion and use your mind, then you will seek the truth, not blindly embrace the reality that others want you to believe.
If you have been told something, then it is your job to find out.
IF someone says that they have been accused, then the burden is on them to prove it.
If someone says that the world is evil and they have the solution, then by all means your job is to demand they layout the plan.
But those who cry about problems have no credibility when they, in their self-rationalization, then engage in the very abuses of those they oppose for the sake of proving "they are right, and others are wrong."
The facts will come out.
But let it be clear, no one can claim the violence in Ohio was based on race. That is an unrelated problem, and far removed.
The NeoNazis have simply exercised their lawful rights to seek solutions.
The greater evil lies with those who self-appoint themselves to engage in abuse and violence in the name of some higher good.
When you are abusive to those who are speak out and seek solutions, then you are part of the problem, and deserve to be stripped of public confidence and respect.
No one is above the law, and in this case not only did the NeoNazis follow the rules, but they were sufficiently disciplined to remove themselves from what looked to be an unsafe situation.
Those in the opposition, when they engage in mindless violence, and are so agitated with mindless opposition, that they will then go after the sources of order and peace in society, then they, not us, have a real problem.
It was appropriate to lock down the city and jail people who engaged in violence.
It remains to be understood to what extent the violence was pre-planned on the assumption the NeoNazis were going to be there to "justify it."
The real crime would be to find out that the JTTF had penetrated the opposition, and failed to call off the provocations, even after the police had entered the scene.
Rumors and innuendo spread like wildfire. IN the case of Ohio, it is clear that agitators in the opposition will fuel rumors in order to get their audience excited about an illusory threat.
But check the facts. Are their claims real? Does what they say really stand up? And who is really pressing for solutions?
Your job as Americans, if you want to remain free, is to freely use your mind, even if that means disagreeing with those you once believed were leaders.
In American, patriotism means using your mind, and standing up for principles. But it doesn't mean standing of for the "right to justify abuse", especially when that abuse is directed to the foundation of law and order.
Those who justified violence in Ohio on the basis of "opposing the NeoNazis" have done what happened in George Orwell's 1984: Become the enemy they once fought, and then justified even greater abuses and outages in the name of principles not practiced.
The rule of the day is to focus on solutions, not to then divert accountability by focusing on the problem of race. Yes, race relations can be a problem; but if they were the real problem in Ohio, the NeoNazis would not have talked to the police.
The NeoNazis are in the right: They sought solutions. Those in the wrong are holding onto the past, and fighting an image in the name of noble causes, but using the outrage of the Holocaust to justify engaging in violence.
That is not acceptable.
We look to those whose actions, not just their words or principles, speak volumes.
Those who mislead others or trump up a crisis to whip the citizenry, have done what I spoke of before: They have used the drumbeats of violence to whip up their fellow man, and then asked them to give up their mind, to assert an idea, and then use lawlessness to advance a principle.
That is unprincipled, and it is contrary to the rule of law and all that we as Americans stand for.
The time is to focus on what really sparked the violence. Do not fall for the trap of embracing "it's all about race." That may have been what started it between two people; but that individual dispute does not then become the fly paper to which all those who have unresolved personal issues to then dump their problems, lay waste to the land, and then use any event as the catalyst to engage in mindlessness, stupidity, hype, or absurd rationalizations.
Your job is to stay alert, use your mind, and recognize when the issue has subsided and no longer warrants your attention.
When the peace comes, then you must agree to embrace peace, not then find another target for your anger.
It is time America take an anger management class.
Indeed, they could learn much if they focus on the lessons of the NeoNazis in Ohio. We may disagree with what they preach; but we are worse than them when we use violence to assert a principle we are not willing to put into practice, in each and every moment.
Your job it to be civil, not use the excuse of the day to whip the citizenry into mindless furor, only to use their outrage for your own purposes.
The next question will be: OK, now that you've got us all excited, what do you want us to do with this excitement?
The answer, we learn, from Ohio is: They have no plan. Their only goal is to use the current "issue of the day" to agitate others.
Look to those you follow. Ask whether they have a credible plan to mobilize the mobilized. DO they really have a clear path, with specific action items, and do they have a track record of being able to manage in a lawful way?
Or is this person you blindly follow someone who is using the latest ruse to manipulate you to get excited over something that is specifically designed to distract your attention and muddy your mind?
The answer is yours to find with evidence; not something to blindly embrace "just because everyone else says the same."
If you want to be mindless cattle, then do not ask questions; dare not challenge that which appears to be "beyond reproach" and do not dare to compare what they are saying with what is actually in the evidence or the record.
Those who desire to inspire others with falsehoods will quickly have their world come crashing down when the people, not inspired with mindlessness but logic, simply choose to examine the record and see whether what they are being told matches what is actually in the report or the e-mail.
We are a nation of laws. That means evidence. Do not fall into the trap of embracing principles, then using all sorts of absurd rationalizations to violate the law, avoid responsibility, or diver attention from your self-evident failings.
The truth will come out in Ohio. And I suspect the NeoNazis are going to be a source of valuable experience for others: How to peacefully advocate for change, and all the while maintaining discipline within the ranks so that your conduct is an example for other to emulate, not simply deride for illusory reasons.
I would like to have the regional Special Agent in Charge meet with the DOJ Office Of Professional responsibility, and affirm under penalty of perjury that there were no undercover JTTF officers in the field who were engaging in provocations.
I expect the DOJ OPR to conduct a full review of the undercover JTTF operations. I would like a timely response to the House and Senate Judiciary Committee explaining exactly how the undercover JTTF officers are managed; and to what extent, if any, there is an operational control problem within JTTF during public demonstrations.
I would like to have the Committees get detailed information on the live communications and audio transcripts that are recorded.
I would like to know why, if at all, these audio transcripts and data files are not available.
In the event that these recordings are not timely provide by JTTF to the House and Senate Judiciary Committees, I shall presume that JTTF knows it has a command and control problem with its undercover officers and failed to have a mechanism in place to either control them or communicate directly with them once the events changed.
I would also like the NYC Special Agent in Charge who recently may have been moved, and the former US Attorney provide a detailed review of the ongoing investigation into the RNC Demonstrations.
It appears as though undercover JTTF officers in both NYC and Ohio are in need of more attentive oversight.
Let us remember that all your communications, even if they are this late in the game, can still be intercepted.
Recall, the Canadians to the north and UK Echelon have the ability to record and provide information.
If you want to hide, or play games, then we have every confidence that the truth will come out. If needed another Grand Jury can be empaneled to look into the apparent pervasive pattern of abuse at the hands of undercover JTTF officers, who may want to take some lessons from the NeoNazis in how to discipline themselves and maintain effective command and control.
Once all affidavits are taken form the officers on what JTTF role was in the area, I would like the DOJ OPR to review copies of the individual tapes of the area and specifically find out who, if any, of the personnel involved in the violence may be directly or indirectly related to JTTF.
Further, I expect within 45 days a talking paper for the House and Senate Judiciary Committee outlining in detail the common problems JTTF has in overseeing their officers in re issues the ACLU has identified:
I fully expect JTTF and DOJ to stonewall and play games. This shall be part of the record when it comes to 42 USC 1983 claims.
I fully expect the ACLU to have access to all the civilian video tapes, and there be a detailed examination of the evidence in court to determine whether JTTF is more of a problem than a solution.
If there is any problem with the ACLU getting access through FOIA to this information, I fully expect the ACLU to file a complaint in Federal District Court.
Let us hope that this matter is quickly resolved, and does not drag on for years as have the many current cover-ups as we have seen in the wake of 9-11 and the bungling in Iraq, Abu Ghraib, and Guantanamo.
The Department of Justice has the burden of proof. The question remains will American heed the lessons of those who engage in abuse, or simply enjoy going on another ride to la-la land.
The NeoNazis showed they are disciplined and focus on solutions. Let us hope that DoJ and the JTTF can somewhat approach that standard and fall under the umbrella of discipline, not excuses.
posted by Constant @ 3:21 PM
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