PA judge throws the book at protesters

(based on articles from New York Post 9/16/20)

 Judge Bruce Roth of Lancaster, PA slammed a $1 million bail for nine defendants, charged with vandalism, setting fires, and smashing cop cars.   They were protesting the killing of a 27-year-old male, Ricardo Munoz, who was charging a cop with a knife.  The cop was responding to a domestic abuse call from Munoz’s mother’s home.

Finally!  The grudge is saying, you can’t do this.

What were the protesters thinking?  That a perp had the right to charge at a cop with a knife?  That he could do this without a negative consequence?   That the cop should risk his life and stop the knife wielding perp by using minimal force?

The protesters represented a new Idea within US politics.  They were a new synthesis of political power; they had a wide range of ages and they represented the black, white and Hispanic cons.  They were a new force on the political horizon.  They were fighting against the system, that was protected by “racist” cops.

But what were they fighting for?  If they had their way, and the system was toppled, what would they put in its place?  A system where cops didn’t respond to domestic violence?  Where suspects could resist arrest with all their strength or with a weapon?  Where there were no cops at all?  Or no laws at all?

The grudge was saying that there must be laws in the country, and they must be followed in order to live in a civil society.  Granted that the laws are imperfect and imperfectly implemented, but they are better than the countries with few laws that are followed.

We forget that countries like the U.S. are in a small minority – maybe only ten in the whole world – that are ruled by laws, as imperfect as they are.  The rest of the countries are ruled by random political power.   The problems with non-democratic political power are that the governed have little control over those in charge; the power keeps shifting; and the power is sometimes necessary and good, but usually bad.  When people have the right to decide, they usually choose to be governed by a system similar to the U.S.    As bad as democratic governments are, the governed can kick them out every few years.

Imperfect, but infinitely better than the system for which the protesters are fighting.