Freedom of thought not to blame for group think riots

L&T Publisher Earl Watt

More than 50 Palestinians have died since The United States moved its embassy to Jerusalem, a tragic and needless loss of life. And those who choose to live in the polarization universe couldn’t help themselves when they firmly placed the blame for these deaths on President Donald Trump.

This is typical of the far left movement that claims tolerance as long as everyone believes exactly what they do. Any other views are met with vicious attacks that range from divisive, racist accusations to all-out riots and acts of violence.

The riots and loss of life in Israel is an indication of how far people will go to force their political view on others.

For decades, it has been a bipartisan view that the US Embassy should be moved to Jerusalem, but other presidents failed to do what was right because of the threat of violence.

We have become accustomed to avoid doing what is right for fear of a violent response.

Even when Trump bombed Syria for using chemical weapons, the far right attacked for getting involved at all. While they may not have responded with violence, they did seek to do political damage.

But the far left goes beyond disagreeing with court rulings or even having political discussions.

The far right reverts to violence to back their political views.

When courts have exonerated officers accused of racist actions after juries have heard all the evidence and reached not guilty verdicts, the far left riots.

But when three bombing suspects were found guilty even when questions of government meddling were part of the trial, there were no far right riots.

On campuses, where all views are supposed to be explored, debated and discussed, conservative views are being suppressed by the threat of violence.

Speakers who could explain conservative values are not allowed to do so because the far right will not tolerate even hearing views other than their own.

When speakers have been allowed on campus, students heckle or shout them down, and professors protect the students’ actions as the exercise of free speech.

When these irresponsible students choose to loot, burn or attack conservatives, the violence is blamed on the conservative for coming on campus in the first place.

“They knew their presence would create a hostile environment,” the far left argues. “So they caused the violence.”

Freedom does not reward violence because of different political views any more than it tolerates bullying.

If that were true, the most violent reaction to any view would simply force others to agree with their political views, and those who disagree will be beaten, jailed or killed.

We can’t allow the threat of violence to prevent us from doing the right thing, and those who choose to break the law by burning and looting are the ones who caused the violence, not someone who wants to share a political view that differs with the far left.

It is true that Trump’s decision to move the embassy provided an opportunity for the Palestinians to react, but they could have done so peacefully.

Interviews since have revealed what Palestinian students are taught, sometimes with the blessing of the United Nations — that they have a right to take Israeli territory and use violence against the Jewish population to do it.

And the media will blame the United States and Israel for every Palestinian rioter who gets killed.

If we can easily see what is happening in Israel, and who really is to blame, why are we allowing the same violent tactics to be used in America?

You can’t force someone to agree with your politics with the threat of violence in a free society. All views should be shared, and then we each make a personal decision on which we will choose to support.

And those discussions should be robust. They should share why people have different views, and we should celebrate that true tolerance only happens when we defend someone for disagreeing, and that we allow them to be different while they allow us the same courtesy.

But don’t blame the freedom of thought for poor behavior of those who choose group think violence.