When do we stop backing up? When do WE stand OUR ground? When do we respond to

[Atticus]

threats from these MAGATs with a steely-eyed "Bring it."

They object to being ordered to wear masks when shopping and threaten violence? "Oh, excuse us all to hell. The order is cancelled!"

Armed militia creeps invade the Michigan legislature and shout threats: no arrests. The next week, they return "armed to the teeth" ( their words ) and---the legislature cancels the session and stays away.

A salon owner defies her state's order to close, she is arrested, put in jail and then released the next day because too many thugs were raising hell and threatening more protests. "We don't want to make a martyr out of her" was the reason given for ignoring her defiance.

We are not being seen as "the adults in the room". We are being seen as patsies---too weak and cowardly to stand up for our beliefs.

Either laws and orders mean something or they don't. If they don't, let's quit pretending and admit it's "Lord of the Flies" time.

[Nay]

1. Thank you. It makes me tear my hair out to watch this shit. Does no one realize that

being patsies is how we've gotten into this predicament??? And, over the years, the yahoos have been emboldened by our unwillingness to confront them? Jeezus.

[virgogal]

2. Protests---the 60s in reverse.This too shall pass.

[jmg257]

3. Hear hear! Go get em! (Just make sure to wear a mask, and dont get too close).

[abqtommy]

4. I occasionally take refuge in the Wholly Writ: "To every thing there is a season and a time to

every purpose under the heaven."*

*complete text at Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, https://www.findshepherd.com/everything-there-is-a-season.html

1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

Addendum: And all the reTHUGS said "Oh Shit, here they come!!!!"

[bluecollar2]

5. Amen...

I too am getting tired of the bullying...

It is beyond time to draw a line.

[Jake Stern]

6. In short it's all about "optics" to our side

“If we come down too hard on this lady for opening up her salon it might turn off moderate voters!”

“If we don’t work with Elon Musk, we’ll get blamed for the job losses!”

“If we enforce this law and take this crew on it will be Waco 2.0!”

Republicans don’t give a fuck how something looks or how it polls.

[nolabear]

7. What would you do?

Me, I’d station a security perimeter around the Capitol building and not let anyone past it with a gun, real or fake. Real for our protection, fake for theirs. It’s too easy to shoot someone with a fake gun.

As for the salon owner, pull her license for violating health department regulations. That’s the legal course. If her operators are under contract, which most are, let them know they are working under threat of losing their license. Point to the regulations. We didn’t make the law. We’re enforcing it.

Let them yell themselves hoarse. Go full Buddha on them. No response but kindness. They’ll get tired.

[Atticus]

8. The security perimeter is exactly what I would have recommended, but we have to be prepared

to enforce it. Simply put, if an armed protester refuses to be disarmed and resists arrest and, in the process brandishes his AR 15 at a LEO, we have to be prepared to back the cop when he or she shoots the protester.

This is where a lot of folks start "backing up"---"Gee, I'd sure hate to see someone get shot and maybe killed!"

So would I, but that is part of the deal. If you are not willing to use deadly force against armed men who have threatened violence then you have already surrendered the field: they will do as they damn well please.

[nolabear]

10. I hate the very thought.

I’m thinking about how to do it. A physical barrier bearing a constant warning, over and over, that for the protesters’ own protection they are forbidden from crossing the barrier. Security stands well back, in tear gas gear, on the other side. If they relinquish the arms they may cross at a point of entry. If not they may stand there and yell. Make it clear that should a shot be fired or the barrier breeched tear gas will be used in great quantities and it is likely people will be, regrettably, shot. And then stand back far from spitting and shoving range and get your Zen on.

[cwydro]

9. Well, sadly, the truth is going to come home fast and hard to these covidiots.

What’s really sad is that there’ll be a lot of collateral damage.

[Nature Man]

11. There's an old street saying that I dare not repeat here

. . .