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Tuesday, August 22, 2017

Protest Demonstrations

The First Amendment to the US Constitution guarantees "the right of he people peaceably to assemble". I'm not sure if protest demonstrations were what the Founding Fathers had in mind when they wrote that, but the courts have interpreted it, along with the freedom of speech, to apply. The intent of a protest demonstration is to draw public attention to a cause and persuade people to support it. I don't know about everybody else but, ever since the 60s, it has had the opposite effect on me. When I see something like that on TV, it makes me want to oppose the cause, not support it. It seems to me that protesters are trying to exert influence beyond their numbers. I suppose it's better than resorting to violence to make your case, but a peaceful protest can easily turn violent, either accidently or on purpose.

I don't think there is one central authority that organizes and funds protest demonstrations. Back in the 60s, I used to blame it on the Commies, but now I think they were just opportunists trying to turn  existing social unrest to their own advantage. There must be some kind of organization behind each demonstration, but I think it's unlikely that it's the same organization each time. We should ask Uncle Ken when he gets back, he probably would know more about that than I would. He used to be a Hippie, you know.

I have not even been tryin to keep up with the comings and goings of the Trump entourage. I understand that he used to host a TV show where all he ever did was fire people, so maybe he thinks that's what he's supposed to do now.

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