John Hinderaker’s post on Powerline is today’s must reading. To say that John is upset with the anarchists is understatement. He’s got a right to be. I’ll let John’s words speak for themselves. Here’s what John said:

The first day of the RNC was fun but muted. One group, though, wasn’t deterred from pursuing its agenda by events in the Gulf. The Communist/anarchist/truther/pro-Obama protesters were out in force, committing various crimes and attempting to disrupt the proceedings.
The most shocking events are described by Jim Hoft, who was on a bus that was attacked from above when a group of protesters dropped sand bags on to the top of the bus. This is attempted murder: if the protesters had succeeded in hitting the windshield, a sand bag would have crashed through and killed the driver. The resulting accident would have killed or injured others on the bus. To my knowledge, the left-wingers/would-be murderers were not caught.
A little later, a busload of Cub Scouts were en route to the convention, where they were to present the colors to open the convention. A group of protesters–liberals, Obama supporters, or whatever–blocked the road, surrounded the bus, and attacked it, rocking the bus back and forth, denting and scratching the sides, and generally terrifying the children trapped inside. The left-wing protesters attacked a number of buses in the same way, but there is something especially despicable about attacking a group of Cub Scouts.
Among us conservatives, it’s pretty much an article of faith that people of all political persuasions are good folks who should be treated with respect; we just disagree about issues of public policy. (Liberals generally don’t adopt that view, although there are some honorable exceptions.) But sometimes that model doesn’t apply. The liberal/anarchist/Communist/pro-Obama protesters we have seen today in St. Paul are terrible people who, in many cases, should be subject to long prison terms. Let’s hope that a few of them, at least, are prosecuted.

Seeing as how John’s one of the best lawyers in Minnesota, I take notice when he uses the term attempted murder. I join with John in expressing my disgust with anarhists like this. The First Amendment doesn’t protect acts of violence, which this certainly is.

What’s worse is that this isn’t the only case of anarchists doing the despicable. Here’s another instance of violence:

When Chairman Healy’s mother Lila was spat upon by a protester, former U.S. Rep. Rob Simmons stepped between the elder Healy and the crowd. He was doused with a liquid substance that was later determined to be a mix of clorox and water. At least 10 other delegates also were hit with liquid.

With police assistance, the delegation managed to break through the crowd and slip inside the security perimeter. The police quickly responded to the altercation and were able to prevent it from escalating further.

Let’s hope that the people responsible for these hideous actions are put away awhile. It’s also worth commending Rep. Simmons for responding to the anarchists’ attacks. That showed alot of bravery.

Demonstrations are one thing. Acts of violence aren’t tolerated. Acts of violence should be stopped with as much force as is necessary.

Technorati Tags: Anarchists, Protesters, Attempted Murder, Violence, First Amendment, Rob Simmons, Republican Convention

Cross-posted at LetFreedomRingBlog

1. I’m a little surprised that you and John are treating this as though it has nothing to do with the Minneapolis police department. The video shows that the police were complicit. Why are you ignoring that fact?

   Comment by Frank — September 2, 2008 @ 11:21 am

2. A lot is two words.

   Comment by gwen — September 2, 2008 @ 2:11 pm