May Day Protesters, Please Return to the Ash Heap of History

FREEDOMWORKS.COM

It happened again. A peaceful gathering of truth-seeking progressives was marred by a small group of violent anarchists. These politically unaffiliated youths unexpectedly took over a polite May Day celebration in Seattle, to the horror of the placid, tolerant majority.

Odd, isn’t it, that these so-called “anarchists” only seem break windows and attack cops at leftist events. Even stranger since they tend to shout leftist slogans as they rampage. Why do you never see these completely non-partisan rioters hurling rocks at a county/western bar in the midst of an Amarillo Tea Party rally?

The media tirelessly warns America of potential violence from the right, while ignoring or minimizing actual violence from the left. Whether it’s vandalism at anti-globalization protests, assaults at political conventions or rapes at occupy rallies, the MSM is quick to pin the leftist crimes on a few anarchists if they bother mentioning the violence at all.

It seems that the media definition of “anarchist” is “a liberal who embarrasses the media.”

To honor the socialist holiday, protesters threw rocks, bottles and profanities at police. They tossed construction barriers, trashcans and newspaper bins onto the streets to stop emergency response personnel from protecting the public. They banged up passenger-filled vehicles and smashed storefronts.

"What do we want?" "ATTENTION FROM DADDY!" "When do we want it?" "NOW!"

Two weeks ago, all Americans were praising the sacrifice and dedication of our first responders. This week, the left was physically attacking them, to the shrugs of the national media. I guess disagreeing with wasteful police unions is unforgivable, but hurling bottles at officers’ heads is just ducky.

Unsurprisingly the press was quick to characterize the Seattle May Day riots as “mostly peaceful.” As I told a Seattle Times photographer the night of the event, "mostly peaceful" is a synonym for "violent." But where the local press downplayed the damage, the national press mostly ignored it.

On the right, we expect to be smeared as violent and hateful, so we are vigilant about policing our events. Tea Party crowds are famously well behaved, even leaving the gathering places cleaner than we found them. We abide by the Tea Party Ethos: Don't hurt people and don't take their stuff. 

But the organizers of leftist marches seem fine with the mayhem they often bring. Political violence intimidates the public and policymakers, and the leaders know that the press will never hold them accountable. Who knows? Perhaps if these events were held 30 years ago, Barack Obama’s associates might have been the organizers.

Liberal elites are always quick to demand “national conversations” on race, guns, and any other subject they believe will provide political advantage. We’re long past due on a national conversation about leftist violence.

It must be frustrating for progressives to try to control others when they can't even control themselves.