If the United States were to be represented as a comic, whether hero or villian, it would John Two-Face.
This year saw historic protests in Arab countries. These protests were famously dubbed “The Arab Spring”. The irony of these protests is that the United States government not only encourage, but in many cases lent support whether financially or through a show of force in favor of the protestors. Regime change seemed to be the pressing order of the day.
I should point out that these protests and rallies did not:
a. Require a permit from local government
b. Advocated for much worse than removing corporate greed from the political spectrum.
The “Occupy” movement, though non-cohesive is a kind of American Spring. An awakening of the people after realizing that their government, duly elected by the people has the interest of only a handful of its population at heart.
The hypocrisy of a Wall Street bailout followed sharply by a Main Street fallout should have long been challenged by Americans.
Now we have the hypocrisy of support for the Arab Spring but arrests and charges for a more peaceful equivalent in America.
I firmly believe that the electorate has no business applying for protest permits. Protesting against injustice is a given human right, not an action that should be regulated and profited upon by any government.
Rightful liberty is unobstructed action according to our will within limits drawn around us by the equal rights of others. I do not add ‘within the limits of the law’ because law is often but the tyrant’s will, and always so when it violates the rights of the individual – Thomas Jefferson.
Perhaps our learned government need a quick refresher in history and civics.
