Ken Padgett

  There are numerous questionable ways to defend looting; "The media won't pay attention unless there is violence or looting" "Looting rejects the legitimacy of ownership rights and property" "Boston Tea Party" etc. Author Vicky Osterweil mines them all in her new book, In Defense of Looting. But no major change is possible in America without the support of the people who reject violence and looting. Greater violence during protests only leads to repression and marginalization. Non-violent protests will attract media coverage and foster change in America, but only if they are very large, consistent and sustained.   Vicky Osterweil revealed her Marxist frame of reference in an August 27, 2020 interview published by NPR: "It also attacks the very way in which food and things are distributed. It attacks the idea of property, and it attacks the idea that in order for someone to have a roof over their head or have a meal ticket, they have to work for a...

On May 25, 2020 George Floyd, a 46-year-old black man, died in Minneapolis, Minnesota after Derek Chauvin, a white police officer, knelt on Floyd's neck for almost nine minutes while Floyd was handcuffed face down in the street. The murder of George Floyd triggered massive protests in the US and around the world. T he police response to the unrest has been very aggressive. T here have been so many examples of wanton police violence against mostly peaceful protesters and the media covering them in so many different cities that it's clear the problem is a lot bigger than rogue cops killing unarmed black men without consequence -- as if that weren't bad enough. The shocking brutality meted out by cops when charging at innocent protestors of all ages is being captured on video.        Respect the Police...or Else? Too many Americans are authoritarians who love it when cops bust a few heads in response to a protest. Even during normal times, i f you are ...