So much not to like

The AP reports a dude went to the headquarters of hate group based in Washington, DC, and shot a security guard:



Now, I understand that – as with the last month's mass shootings in Aurora, CO, the Sikh gurdwara in Wisconsin, and near the Texas A&M campus – the time is not right to talk about making it harder to get guns or ammunition.

Until that time, can we, at least, impose a waiting period on Chick-fil-A purchases?

Also, two special comments:

  • Security guards don't necessarily share the politics of those they guard.
  • "I don't like your politics" is never, ever, a reason to shoot someone.

The second should be obvious, but bears mentioning, since it seems not to be obvious to people.

The first is important because it's often folks like the security guards or janitorial staff who bear the brunt of the abuse at protests.  When people are camped out in front of an office they find objectionable, whether they're objecting to medical procedures performed inside or the foreclosure orders being issued there, the easiest people for them to hassle actually have no say in the issue.  Folks like janitors, security guards, and people making deliveries can't decide whether a company will forgive delinquent mortgages, or change which medical procedures it provides, or alter the company's stance on segregation.  Blocked doorways or vandalized buildings may send a signal to some executive someplace, but at the end of the day, the guards at the barricaded door aren't making policy, and they and the underpaid janitors who have to clean off the graffiti are part of the public on whose behalf protesters are protesting.  Making them work harder doesn't force anyone at the top of the org. chart to do the same.

So, many tactics that seem like they might be reasonable, really require careful planning if they're to be used, to avoid placing most of the burden of the protest on the wrong shoulders.  That's a lesson that applies across the political spectrum.


More like this

I agree completely. I mean obviously don't shoot people because you don't agree.
But also with stating you should harass the common day work for a company. In todays economy you take whatever job you can get whether you like the politics of your new boss or not. Security guards, janitors, drive through window attendants at Chick-fil-A. Don't be cruel to those people, they are just trying to make a living.
For instance, I work for the Kansas State Government... and I disagree with pretty much every policy the put into place but they keep paying me, so I keep coming to work. If I were the brunt of a protest of some kind, chances are it would be for something I agree with the protester about.
So yeah, we have to stand up for things, but we need to keep in mind that the employees you see are not the business policies you hate.

But also that you should *NOT* harass the common day work for a company.