Rioters VS. Protesters

I grew up in the South in the 60's, mostly Alabama. I saw firsthand the treatment that the Black people received. I did not "read" about it or "hear" about it secondhand.  Yes, I am white and I do not feel embarrased about it or feel that I need to apologize. God made me and I accept His will. But the things I saw as a child bothered me then, and they still bother me today. Not because I am a certain race but because I am a Human Being. I saw the separate bathrooms. laundromats, water fountains and stores that Blacks had to use.  I watched as Blacks had to work in the fields all day long for a dollar or a piece of clothing. It was a shameful time in history and one that we should despise.

  I admired the protesters that started a movement and brought it to the forefront of the Country. Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King Jr. and others marched and put their very lives in danger to try and change the way that this Country looked upon the Blacks. What I admired the most was the way they protested peacefully without burning and looting. They embraced Ghandi's view of "peaceful rebellion". They brought about change and forced new ideas and legislation to be adopted as the mainstream of the Country. Hats off to them all! They made good and sensible change in society. Because of their dedication, their stubborness and their desire, they helped make Civil Right changes "peacefully". You get more flies with honey, not vinegar.

  I also grew up and saw the riots and looting in cities like Los Angeles, Chicago and others. People were frustrated but instead of using common sense and words, they decided to riot and loot to try and bring focus to the problem (as well as free stuff in their pockets). The Watts riots and the DNC convention riots were shameful and innocent people got hurt. Yet, no real change was made to the Country. Why? Why did the "riots" not achieve the same change as the "protests"? 

  Americans are quick to forgive. We believe in second chances and in people getting a new start in life. That is because we are a hopeful and respectful Country..well, some of us are. When you peacefully protest, people tune in and listen to the message. The admiration and sympathy of Americans are touched when they see people trying to change things for the better without anger, hatred and underlying intentions. However, when you riot, loot, burn business and hurt others Americans tend to tune out and can only see the violence and lunacy of the rioters. The message gets lost. Case in point, George Floyd was a terrible disgrace and I am happy that the offending officers were punished. Once again, not becaue of their race or color but because it was the right thing to do based on our laws and our society. But it is shameful that BLM and ANTIFA have decided to use his terrible tragedy as a reason to burn, riot and loot.  Americans are all for change but our laws are based on, and made, through peaceful changes. Our Government does not change parties or hands due to revolution but rather by a peaceful rule of law. The Constitution of the USA. We are a unique Country with awesome citizens. The far Left and Far right organizations and revolutionaries wish to change that. They do not mind hurting fellow citizens or their businesses for change.  Rioters and looters have no problem advancing their ideology by "any means necessary". That is NOT the American way. Peaceful protest is the way, not throwing things at police, burning and looting business and toppling statues. As Americans, we tune out to that. Do not be fooled because you do not hear or see Americans standing up to the rioters and looters. We protest at the voting booth as the Founders desired. Rioters and Looters may THINK they are affecting permanent change, but all they do is further divide the Country and cause pain and anger to the majority of Americans.

  In conclusion,  Peaceful protests with good intentions and the goal of love and understanding for all have worked wonders in the past. Yes, they may have taken longer than we wanted and our patience wore thin, but the results were worth the time and sacrifice. Hats off to those that achieved these changes. In my 63 years on earth, I have NEVER..EVER..seen a permanent change due to the anger, hatred and disrespect that rioting brings. NEVER. If you want peaceful change that is good for the Country and fellow citizens, I will respect and understand your cause even if I may not agree with it. However, if you riot, loot, burn and show disrespect, I will NEVER..EVER..accept your ideology. No matter how good your intentions. Who am I? I am the American people that respect the Constitution and those that really want peaceful change. God Bless the USA and God Bless peaceful protests, not anger filled riots. Thank you for reading. All respectful comments , regardless of ideology, are welcome.

 Clay Moorer -- Treehouse of Liberty Times associate editor/staff writer

  

  

Domestic Terrorism: Change, sure. The worst kind.

At what point do real Americans stand up and say we've had enough? At what point do we meet force with force? At what point do we say that all of the burning, looting, injuring of police officers (1300+), and the flat out murder of at least 18 people is going to stop? At what point do we say, "No. You can't seize parts of the sovereign United States?" At what point do we say, "No. You cannot riot for 60 consecutive days?"

I was onboard in the beginning. We all were. George Floyd suffered a roadside execution at the hands of a bad police officer -- after being warned by fellow officers of the risks of what he was doing. He continued. He murdered Mr. Floyd. I wanted to see that loathsome cop tried and hung by whatever piece of his anatomy the executioner chose.

This was different than other cases. No one was hiding anything, and there weren't any excuses. The Mike Brown case was a travesty. He was attempting to steal Darren Wilson's weapon, and was shot as he was trying to do so. Trayvon Martin was bashing George Zimmerman's head off of a concreate curb when he was deservedly shot. Of course, our media doesn't report truth, and they don't talk to anyone on the other side. Sure, they talk to the "victim's" mom and get the, "My boy never did anything wrong. He was a good kid." They then present the false narrative that the 'good kid' was killed for no reason.

Rarely is that the entire, true story. I always wait for ALL of the facts to come out before rendering my judgment in any situation. In the Brown and Martin cases, that was certainly the right approach to take.

The Floyd case was different. I spent some time in law enforcement. I know what positional asphyxia is. I know how fragile the human neck is. I knew that what I was watching was a straight up homicide.

Not long after, nationwide riots started. Black Lives Matter, Antifa, and their associate terrorists decided that our major cities needed to burn. They decided that looting somehow honored George Floyd. They decided that injuring police officers with bricks, frozen water bottles, molotov cocktails, fireworks, and baseball bats was a good idea. They simply gunned down others where they stood -- like black retired police officer David Dorn, who was just trying to help protect a friend's business. (If you're keeping score at home, no, his life doesn't matter to the leftist terrorists.)

Shortly after that, a black man was shot and killed by a police officer after stealing one officer's tazer, and shooting it at the other. He was justly shot. He had already stolen one police weapon. Had he incapacitated the other, there is NO reason to believe he wouldn't have stolen his firearm and executed him.

What's more, the Atlanta prosecutor who filed a Golden Corral buffet of charges against the officer had said THE WEEK BEFORE in another case that "In Georgia, a taser is considered a deadly weapon."

That removes ANY question from the case. The suspect fired a deadly weapon at a police officer, and rightfully encountered deadly force.

As a result of this completely justified shoot, the Wendy's where this incident took place was burned to the ground, and the violence and destruction being committed by the leftist terrorists only intensified.

Frankly, at that point I checked out. I quit. I was done. I am not AT ALL proud to say it, but I don't care what happens in the Floyd case anymore. I am pretty sure I won't support a minority cause again. (And I hate that.) But when the response to a justified police shooting is race riots, count me out.

There have been a lot of political issues that have deeply upset me in my 46 years. I was disgusted when I lost out on a great job opportunity because quotas needed to be met. I don't like abortion at all. (I accept that it's the law of the land. It's time for leftists to accept Heller.) I think it's sad that everyone is in a protected class besides hetero white males.

But not once have I thrown a homemade bomb. Not once have I assaulted a police officer. Not once have I stolen anything. Not once have I ripped down a statue, let alone ripping it down because it's an image of a black person. And obviously, not once have I murdered ANYONE. I will not sit by and accept it when ANYONE else does.

The definition of terrorism is "Using violence to affect political change." I've used that word throughout this piece because it is wholly and completely accurate. That's precisely what these people are doing. And it sickens me that here we sit, good people who care about this country, doing precisely nothing about it.

Do not misunderstand. I support the right of EVERY American to peacefully protest. If I didn't, I wouldn't be much of a constitutionalist. I don't care if people hold a rally to scream all day about what a horrible person I am. God bless them. And thank God for the fact that I can say what I wish as well.

But the terrorism must stop, and it must stop now. If it doesn't, WE must stop it. If it continues, it will just make Americans like me even less likely to support a minority position ever again.

Yeah. Their violence is affecting political change. Just not the kind they want.

-- Jason Fornwalt, editor/staff writer, Treehouse of Liberty Times

Who We Are, What We Do

On February 15, 2019, the Treehouse of Liberty podcast was born. ToL Times editor Jason Fornwalt, created the show, a 30-minute, semi-weekly broadcast, tackling politics and current events from a constitutional conservative perspective.

Jason envisioned ToL as a place where not only could he share his opinions, but where his listeners would have an open forum to share theirs as well. In the beginning, commentary was written by contributors, and Jason would read their submissions on the show. Later, he would welcome guests via telephone so that they could express themselves in their own words. "Even I don't always want to hear my own voice for a half hour," Jason likes to say while inviting new guests.

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-- Jason Fornwalt, Treehouse of Liberty Times editor/staff writer