Rules are Rules

For well over two months, mobs have descended on cities such as Portland, Minneapolis, New York, Chicago, Washington, DC and small towns like Kinosha, WS. Leading Democrats, including their cognitively challenged presidential candidate and his VP, remained silent as peaceful protests morphed into ugly episodes of arson, destruction, looting, and violence—including murder. Worse, left wing Democratic mayors and governors in some locales told the police to 'stand down', allowing the protesters and the mobs they spawned to run wild. Once the mobs realized that they could operate with impunity—there was no price to be paid—groups like antifa and BLM became more violent, more destructive, and more dangerous.

But with the police gone, a vacuum has been created. It will ultimately be filled by citizens who refuse to take a knee and allow the mob to destroy their property, their homes, and their businesses. As Glen Reynolds has stated: A police presence is there as much to protect criminals from the populous as it is to protect the populous from the criminals—and make no mistake, the leftist mobs are criminals.

At first the Dems all but encouraged the "mostly peaceful protestors "(a.k.a. mobs), but now, these leftist thugs are out of their control, and it's beginning to hurt the Dems' political prospects.* Even worse, the "peaceful protestors," taking their cue from the mobs, are becoming increasingly aggressive and threatening. As examples:

• "Peaceful protestors" stand inches from diners at outdoor restaurants in D.C and scream at them. Their spittle landing everywhere. And here I though the woke were so, so, so concerned about the spread of the virus.
• "Peaceful protesters" threaten people leaving the White House with violence and have to be restrained by police. These "protesters"  truly are scum and if you don't believe that, read this.
• "Peaceful protestors" set up a guillotine and mock execute an elected president—classy.
• "Peaceful protestors enter suburban neighborhoods at dusk yelling threatening slogans to homeowners and are then surprised when homeowners brandish weapons to discourage them. 

Victoria Taft comments:

Seattle’s Jenny Durkan, Minneapolis’s Jacob Frey, Portland’s Ted Wheeler, Oregon’s Governor Kate Brown, Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers, Lori Lightfoot of Chicago fan the flames. They make excuses for murder in St. Louis and the constant assault of local and federal officers in Portland. They hate the president so much they won’t take help from him as a point of pride, salving their own egos while their cities are looted “for reparations,” pillaged for “social justice” and set on fire to leave a sick mark of “accomplishment.”

It was all very bad politics, driven by TDS and rabid leftist ideology. Over the past few days, the Dems decided 'better late than never' and cynically flipped a switch. Now they're against rioting. But their main concern seems to be the Normals who have decided that since Democrat mayors have called off or defunded the police, it might be time to arm-up and defend their businesses, neighborhoods, and homes.  The Dems are worried that these "vigilantes" (I'll can call them "mostly peaceful citizens") might decide to become as aggressive and violent as the woke mobs that up until a few days ago, were cheered on by people like Nancy P. and AOC.

After months in which they wouldn't cover the rioting, the media is now showing us video of violence, but with their own special spin. CNN be-clowned itself (but then again, when does it not be-clown itself) by showing a massive car dealership fire due to arson in Kinosha, WS with a chyron that stated: "Fiery, mostly peaceful protests in Kinosha." You can't make this stuff up. 

It seems that the leftist woke want to set the rules, but then not accept that those same rules also apply to them. They argue that violent protest is justified when you're woke and pure of heart. That you can intimidate, threaten, and even injure people if your cause is just. Hmmm. 

Now normals have decided that their own cause—protecting themselves, their families, their businesses and their cities—is even more just. And since the police are absent, they've decided to form their own vigilante 'mob' to take care of business. The Dems don't like this one bit. After all, the rules only apply when the woke benefit. 

Vigilantism isn't a good thing, but I completely understand why it's happening.  After all, rules are rules.

FOOTNOTE:

*   e.g., Six Democrat Mayors in blue collar areas of Wisconsin have announced they are supporting Donald Trump in the upcoming election.