It Was the Best of America, It Was the Worst of America

Two events that happened this weekend highlight the best and worst of America.  One will make you feel like there actually is hope for the United States of America while the other will make you feel like the traditional America that we know and love has reached a point of no return.     

 

Let’s start off with the worst.  In Berkeley, California, a small group of right-wing activists gathered for a “Say No to Marxism” event were met with thousands of counter-protesters attending a “Rally Against Hate” event.  Apparently, opposing Marxism makes someone hateful.  Amber Cummings, the organizer of the “Say No to Marxism” event, had previously called off the event due to fear of violence breaking out.  In spite of the event’s cancellation, a small group of Anti-Marxists still showed up to talk about their cause.   About 100 of the left-wing counter-protesters inflicted enormous pain on the right-wing protestors, storming past police barricades with sticks and shields in hand.  As this surprisingly fair Washington Post article reports, “A pepper-spray wielding Trump supporter was smacked to the ground with homemade shields.  Another was attacked by five black-clad antifa members, each windmilling kicks and punches into a man desperately trying to protect himself.”  Causing physical harm to people you disagree with definitely represents the worst of America; as well as the worst of humanity.  

 

Antifa and the violent left seem to enjoy using the threat of violence to shut down events that make them uncomfortable.  The threat of violence led Toronto’s Ryerson University to cancel an event called “The Stifling of Free Speech on University Campuses”, which would have featured speakers including The Rebel Media’s Faith Goldy and University of Toronto Professor Jordan Peterson.  The event’s cancellation seems to directly contradict Ryerson’s policy statement on free speech, which states that “Ryerson does not avoid controversies, difficult ideas, or disagreements over deeply held views.  When such disagreements arise within the University or within a broader social context, the University’s primary responsibility is to protect free speech within a culture of mutual respect.  The right to freedom of speech comes with the responsibility to exercise that right in an atmosphere free of intimidation and in an environment that supports the free speech of those with opposing views.”  The idea of supporting the free speech of those with opposing views clearly makes Antifa vomit.  Apparently, they have little confidence that their ideas will hold up against their opponents’ in a spirited debate.        

 

While the “stifling of free speech” on America’s college campus has only reached the breaking point in the past couple of years, many of America’s college students have embraced this fascist behavior for quite some time. A few years ago, a documentary was made about this phenomenon called “The Free Speech Apocalypse.”  This movie featured Pastor Douglas Wilson, who had to deal with the militant left while giving a speech at Indiana University.  The leftists gave him such a warm welcome, chanting “Racist, bigot, anti-gay! Douglas Wilson, go away!” And to think these people consider themselves the tolerant ones.  This exchange happened in 2012, long before the election of President Trump.  A President who actually fights back certainly caught left-wing agitators by surprise.     

 

Unfortunately, the mainstream media tends to give Antifa a pass.  They let them completely off the hook for the violence in Charlottesville earlier this month. CNN published an article on the group titled “Unmasking the Leftist Antifa Movement: Activists Seek Peace Through Violence.”  What an oxymoronic statement. If Antifa really wanted to seek peace through violence, they would probably support a Neo-Conservative foreign policy.  In reality, they do not.  If anything, they seek attention through violence. 

 

While leftists violently attacked right-wingers on the left coast, folks in the heartland had a very different problem to deal with.  Hurricane Harvey has dumped feet of rain on the Texas gulf coast, causing severe flooding in the heavily populated Houston Metropolitan area; home to more than million people.  The storm, which made landfall Friday night as a Category 4 Hurricane, has left hundreds of thousands of Texans without power and cost billions of dollars in property damage.  Nearly a week after the storm first made landfall, the death toll continues to rise.  Even after its downgrade to a tropical storm shortly after making landfall, Harvey continued to drench the Lone Star State for days; giving its residents little relief. While many smaller towns ordered their residents to evacuate, the City of Houston did not; subjecting Mayor Sylvester Turner to a lot of criticism.

 

In spite of the tragic circumstances, Tropical Storm Harvey has certainly shined a light on the best of America.  Two residents of Louisiana have selflessly decided to help rescue their neighbors to the west trapped in the floodwaters of Tropical Storm Harvey.  The City of Dallas, located more than 200 miles north of Houston, has turned the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center into a “mega-shelter” designed to house thousands of Gulf coast refugees.  The City has set up 5,000 cots in the Convention Center’s air-conditioned parking garage and AT&T has agreed to provide charging stations for the evacuees.  The City of Dallas and AT&T obviously did not have to do this; the fact that they agreed to donate their time, space, and resources to the victims of Hurricane Harvey reflects well on their character. Governor Abbott has activated the entire Texas National Guard to assist with the search and rescue effort as well as the recovery.  The Cajun Navy, an all-volunteer group of Louisianans who sprung into action last year to rescue their friends and neighbors during a severe flood, has also travelled to Texas to help with the search and rescue efforts.  In addition, New York City has decided to send 120 emergency personnel to Texas to assist with the cleanup effort.  New York City can certainly sympathize with the residents of flood-ravaged Texas; as it has had to endure its share of tragedies in recent years including Superstorm Sandy and the 9/11 terror attack. All of the help coming in from dedicated citizens all around the country will certainly help the cleanup effort go a lot smoother.  These noble American patriots certainly represent the best of America, as well as the best of humanity.   

 

If more people behaved like the patriotic Americans generously donating their time to help with the Harvey cleanup rather than the violent Antifa thugs, I think The United States of America could very well heal its deep-reaching divisions and truly become “One Nation, Under God.”  While the worst of America seem to have much more influence and a larger megaphone, the good deeds of the best of America do not go unnoticed.  I would like to hope that someday the worst of America will learn from the best of America but I’m not holding my breath.