"All men are created equal."
To be honest, I have never really fully appreciated that phrase. First of all it excludes women. I am pretty sure the word "human" existed back then, so why did they use the term "men"...? It is because they were men, who had power, who were literally otherizing anyone who was not them. Black men, weren't, and neither were women. They never have been, and today they still are not equal to men.
White men don't normally get shot while they are unarmed in the street. They are usually arrested, taken to jail, where they bond out before going to court to resolve the issue. In Ferguson, Missouri protesters weren't arrested, they are driven away with tear gas and rubber bullets. Instead of peacefully arresting protestors who violated curfew, they were physically assaulted by SWAT teams.
The problem is that this is not a peacefully sit-in styled protest. A few of these protesters have used this as an opportunity to cause chaos and violence. This gives state officials reason to use excessive force, only raising the levels of tension and anger between citizens and their government.
The problem seems to be that the the people of Ferguson do not feel adequately represented by their officials. Moreover, the escalation of violence on both sides does not seem to be easing tensions.
What is needed is for cooler heads to prevail, for those willing to be arrested for civil disobedience, to do so peacefully, so that their cases are heard in court.
My biggest questions are for those who have previous railed against government violence against citizens, and stoking fears of martial law. Well, we have it in Ferguson Missouri. People are not fee to roam the streets of their own town, under the threat of physical violence and arrest. So, why aren't Tea Party Loyalists supporting the rights of these protesters!? They are actually under threat of real physical violence and fully enforced martial law.
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