As Minneapolis burns, the abstract failure of identity politics can be seen in the plumes of smoke that hovers above the city. The system is working; holding those responsible for the death of a minor offender responsible for their actions. But arrogant and self-righteous protesters are opportunistically wreaking havoc on the city, destroying their own neighborhoods, and destroying their neighbors' dreams.

To what end?

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TRANSCRIPT

I was going to talk about how we at The Underground are going to start featuring insightful articles that will help expand the thinking about issues that are relevant in today’s ideological and political spheres, but the news coming out of Minneapolis – and from other urban centers – has circumvented those plans.

As of this recording, the city of Minneapolis and its surrounding counties are on fire, literally. The use of excessive force by at least one of four Minneapolis police officers caused the death of another human being, George Floyd. As it stands, the four police officers associated with this crime have been terminated by the Minneapolis Police Department and the chief offender, Officer Derek Chauvin, who had a history of reprimands for questionable use of force, has been charged with 3rd degree murder and manslaughter.

Ironic here is that a Progressive city administration refused to take issue with Chauvin when the use of force issue was originally brought up. Even more ironic is that when Progressive darling Sen. Amy Klobuchar served as Hennepin County attorney, she took no action against Chauvin.

But I digress.

By all rational accounts, the system – which used to ignore the use of excessive force by law enforcement – is working this time. The four cops who used excessive force in Minneapolis were terminated, Chauvin has been charged with murder, and the DoJ is looking into the application of Civil Rights violation charges. The system is working. Bad people who did bad things are being punished, investigated, charged and will get tried by a jury.

Yet, in the face of the system working, protesters took to the streets of Minneapolis and – under the guise of “he started it” began rioting, looting, and committing acts of arson on an scale that makes Devils Night in Detroit look like a quaint bonfire. This escalated to the use of tear gas, rubber and sponge bullets on the one side and First Responders being the targets of gun fire by the protesters. Protesters were shooting at Fire and EMS First Responders and police officers.

Let me give you some insight on the mentality of those who would execute such moves.

After identifying myself on a Facebook thread as a retired professional firefighter/paramedic, I made my thoughts known about how I feel about the protesters anarchic actions. This is what I got in reply:

“‘the system did what it was supposed to do’... that’s right, when a group of people are being killed by cops they should riot. Also, it’s not just “one of your brothers” who supposedly got shot at... it was one of your brothers who murdered a man over $20. So you should show some support and help keep your brothers in line. Pulling the first responders card as if that automatically makes you a hero? I’d say civil servant. One charged with protecting ALL the people. If you want to pull that card like a hero, ACT LIKE ONE, and do your part to end this police brutality instead of excusing it. There’s a huge difference between hero and boot licker.”

The idiocy of this poster – who admits he was at the protests and got shot in the ass with a sponge bullet, is immense. How did his actions “play a part” in ending police brutality? They didn’t. He served to hypocritically promote anarchy and lawlessness with the same breath he was screaming for justice. This is the playbook of Antifa, Black Lives Matter, Occupy, and the rest of the Leftist backed paid agitator movements; movements co-opted from pure original intent to serve their Progressive masters.

I do not sign-on to identity politics – which I will address in a moment – and I do not sign on to victimhood politics. We, each of us and as a society, exist now; the laws are now; the actions executed are now. If we want a free and fair society then we have to stop trying to vilify people for the sins of history and exist in the now. So, when bad actors commit crimes they should be investigated, charged, tried, and if found guilty punished. This process is happened right now.

But so is the violence at the hand of those calling for justice. Senseless, destructive violence that is hurting average people; the antithesis of who the protesters say they are targeting.

Consider the incredible and positive change that was brought forth with non-violent civil disobedience under Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi. These were real leaders of real activist movements that brought about real transformation.

Yet today, in Minneapolis and other urban centers – yes, the opportunists of the Leftist co-opted movements are fanning the flames of divide and violence to other locales, we are seeing the same people who lionize MLK and Gandhi engaging in violent confrontation and destructive acts that are destroying the very communities in which they live and selfishly and self-righteously destroying the livelihoods of their neighbors.

These protesters – and I am including the paid agitators among them (this is now documented) – are literally pissing on the graves of these two great men.

Arson does not promote equality
Arson does not promote justice
Looting does not promote equality
Looting does not promote justice
Shooting at First Responders does not promote equality
Shooting at First Responders does not promote justice
Anarchy does not promote equality
Anarchy does not promote justice

I am pained at the many smart and thoughtful people who have fallen prey to the false promise of identity and victimhood politics. Identity and victimhood politics is used by bad and opportunistic actors exclusively to divide people.

Are there bad actors in the world? Yes. That is the reason the promised Progressive Utopia will never, ever come to pass. It is the frailty of human nature. But, we can make our world, our country, our State, and our street better places if we act the way we want our society to be.

If we want equality then we must exist as equals; no special groups, no hyphenated identities, no groups of privilege, no color, sexual or dogma identity politics; equal. If we want peace then we need to be peaceful; no justifying anarchy, arson and the deadly use of force because “the other guy started it”. If you want peace, then be peaceful. And if you want intelligent outcomes the act wisely. Self-righteous and arrogant indignation in th name of activism is an ego trip, not an act of bringing about solutions. Put the Molotov cocktail down and use your brain instead of your little head. And all of these points apply to everyone, everywhere, on both sides of every issue, no exceptions.

Sadly, the people setting fire to Minneapolis either exist on an intellectual plane that dung beetles look down upon as dysfunctional or are getting checks from organizations funded by George Soros and Tom Steyer The idea of they – themselves – acting the way they want the world to be is so foreign to them a passport won’t even get them back to reality.

Today, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Gandhi weep from the heavens over a generation lost to identity and victimhood politics and the poison of Progressivism's quest to divide and conquer for the sake of chaotic power.

I weep with them.