by Mustang
Our friend at Freedom Conspiracy is well known for posting on thoughtful topics. In one recent post, he wrote about “threats” to public officials. It is worth your time. In essence, he quotes the New York Times that claims a rise in incidents of violent political speech crossing over into personal intimidation.
At first blush, I would question the use of the term “violent political speech” as something most Americans have a difficult time understanding. Traditionally, Americans view political speech as “political talk” and violent speech as akin to “I am going to kick your ….”
Note: This isn’t quibbling. Words are important, and I think the media distorts word usage to gain sympathy from their readers or lead people down their particular ideological pathway. Let’s not call something violent political speech if it’s something else.
People do not make threats unless they’re furious, and for the most part, verbalizing anger is a necessary release valve. People who are very angry and unable to release that anger verbally often turn to violence to make their point. We should strive for more speech and less violence. This point could be lost on people who make their living reporting violence. I would argue that no entity does more to keep people angry than the media.
We should be asking, “Why are people so angry that they are driven to make threats against government officials?” As someone mentioned on Kurt Silverfiddle’s blog, government officials are responsible for most of this anger. When people feel that officials have mistreated them, they become angry. Note that the word unfairly in this context means “denied justice.”
An example is if you irritate government officials, you may find yourself on a “no-fly list.” It may not be justified, but that doesn’t matter. What does matter is that you may not fly on a commercial aircraft, and there isn’t anything you can do about it — unless you’re prepared to spend a lot of money on attorney’s fees.
“Justice sends mixed messages” by Dan4th is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
Okay then, what is justice? In its broadest sense, justice or fairness is the principle that people receive that which they deserve. The problem, of course, is that everyone has their own view about what constitutes justice and what they (and others) deserve. Here’s what I’m talking about: Americans want to be heard, they want the government to value what they think, and they want to believe that the United States of America offers justice for all.
Whenever people are mistreated, they want an apology and an effort to make things right. Absent that, anger smolders — and for those who can’t seem to let things go, the anger intensifies. This is where the threats come into play, and violence becomes more likely.
We’ve been arguing about justice and fairness for around 2,700 years since the time of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. The problem is that everything is subject to one interpretation or another in the modern world.
Today, justice means more than it ever did before.
We expect people to respect others, irrespective of their sexual orientation, skin color, religion, brand of politics, economic status, and so forth. But today, there are demands for reparations payments from events that happened 160 or more years ago, and people who demand that they be allowed to change their six-year-old son into a daughter. As always, some lines must be drawn — which makes me ask, are we even capable of drawing lines anymore?
We might also ask, as food for thought — who benefits most from an angry, divided, illicit society? Well, firearms companies are doing a heck of a good business of late, the New York Times is still in business, and no one in Congress or the White House seems to mind that people today seem much angrier than in the past. It is fair to lay this at the feet of government officials (federal and state) and the mainstream media moguls who stir the pot for personal gain.
What does God tell us about this? The Lord Loves Justice (Psalm 33:5), Righteousness and justice are the foundation of God’s throne (Psalm 89:14). Ezekiel 18:5-9 tells us that a just man does not oppress anyone or seek to take advantage of them to make a profit. A just man is fair, obeys God’s laws, and cares for those in need. Micah 6:8 makes it clear: He has shown you, O’ mortal, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God.”
American Justice — what is it to you?
Mustang also blogs at Fix Bayonets and Thoughts From Afar
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