Why did I title this \u201cFerguson, Part I\u201d?<\/p>\n
Because we all KNOW there\u2019s going to be more than \u201cone part\u201d to whatever happens when the Grand Jury announces their determination of the facts based on the testimony they\u2019ve spent so long hearing.<\/p>\n
As we all wait on tenterhooks for the determination of the Grand Jury, and for what happens next, we have to consider some basic facts.<\/p>\n
Intelligence from the field has told Missouri\u2019s Governor Nixon that he needs to call out the National Guard and have them ready.<\/p>\n
Agenda-driven outside protesters are already there, and have been poised for quite some time. The protesters\u2019 alliance encompasses many of the usual suspects in the race-baiting-for-money world, and more.\u00a0 In a New Thing, the protesters have issued Rules of Engagement that they, uh, demand that the police follow: No protective gear allowed for cops, more than they\u2019d usually wear, that sort of thing.\u00a0 Uh, yeah\u2026<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s a hint: when YOU propose \u201cRules of Engagement,\u201d YOU are preparing to ENGAGE.<\/p>\n
Some of the \u201cprotesters\u201d are on the internet requesting donations of things like gas masks and, I\u2019m told, even bullet-proof vests.\u00a0 Huh.\u00a0 Wonder what they\u2019re planning to draw upon themselves\u2026<\/p>\n
I am hearing, \u201cDon\u2019t worry. It will be a peaceful demonstration.\u201d\u00a0 This from the same people who are talking about blocking highways (in bitterly cold winter weather) and keeping people from getting to and from work, ambulances from getting to hospitals, fire trucks from getting to fires, people from arriving at or departing from the St. Louis International Airport, etc. Keeping parents from picking up kids at school, and causing parents and kids alike who can\u2019t make that connection, to panic.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m sorry, but that sounds to me very much like \u201cdisturbing the peace.\u201d\u00a0 Can anyone tell me how disturbing the peace of people who are not involved in the thing you are protesting is NOT a crime?\u00a0 Can anyone tell me how, by definition, disturbing the peace is PEACEFUL?<\/p>\n
Both sides seem to expect a verdict exonerating the officer who pulled the trigger. If it goes that way, I sincerely hope that people who have invested themselves heavily in potential violence protesting that verdict experience a sudden attack of massive self-control, and don\u2019t do it.<\/p>\n
But, a long cynicism-producing life tells me that this is not the most likely outcome.<\/p>\n
If things \u201cgo south,\u201d I can think of at least one cop (not me) who has suggested flamethrowers.<\/p>\n
Many more observers, looking at the frigid weather in the Ferguson\/St. Louis area \u2013 which many of us \u201cin the business\u201d believe may be a factor in the announcement being delayed this long \u2013 are of the opinion that fire hoses could come into play if extreme mob violence has to be contained.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m not recommending fire hoses, mind you, but given that the police in Ferguson have been shot at repeatedly since this whole thing began, and to the best of my knowledge the cops haven\u2019t thrown anything but gas and rubber back, if things go violent a Night of the Frozen Ice Protesters might be preferable to another Kent State.<\/p>\n
Readers, your input is welcome.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Why did I title this \u201cFerguson, Part I\u201d? Because we all KNOW there\u2019s going to be more than \u201cone part\u201d to whatever happens when the Grand Jury announces their determination of the facts based on the testimony they\u2019ve spent so long hearing. As we all wait on tenterhooks for the determination of the Grand Jury, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":6428,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,10,11,13],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2952","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-current-events","8":"category-politics","9":"category-preparedness","10":"category-safety"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/MassadAyoob\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2952","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/MassadAyoob\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/MassadAyoob\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/MassadAyoob\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/MassadAyoob\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2952"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/MassadAyoob\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2952\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/MassadAyoob\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/6428"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/MassadAyoob\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2952"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/MassadAyoob\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2952"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.backwoodshome.com\/blogs\/MassadAyoob\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2952"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}