During the BLM riots that swept the nation in 2020 and beyond, critics of the violence and mayhem took to sarcastically calling that period the “summer of love.” Now a new wave of angry protests is erupting in multiple cities targeting the Supreme Court over its anticipated ruling that would mostly overturn Roe v. Wade. The topic may be quite different than the BLM marches, but the tactics are already starting to look similar. Protest organizers have already announced that they want this period to be a “summer of rage.” But is that really the way to win the battle for hearts and minds? If I had the chance to ask these organizers one question, it would relate to what precisely they hope to accomplish, since the public has no leverage over the decisions of the court whether they hand down a ruling you approve of or one that you loathe. (Reuters)
Thousands of abortion rights supporters rallied across the United States on Saturday, angered by the prospect that the Supreme Court may soon overturn the landmark Roe v. Wade decision that legalized abortion nationwide a half century ago.
The protests kicked off what organizers predict will be a “summer of rage” ignited by the May 2 disclosure of a draft opinion showing the court’s conservative majority ready to reverse the 1973 ruling that established a woman’s constitutional right to terminate her pregnancy.
The court’s final ruling, which could return the power to ban abortion to state legislatures, is expected in June. About half of the 50 states are poised to ban or severely restrict abortion almost immediately should Roe be struck down.
Thus far we haven’t seen any serious incidents of violence associated with these protests, so keep your fingers crossed. But when you start inflaming your followers by tossing around words like “rage” and “outrage,” don’t act surprised if some of them start taking your advice to heart. The very first BLM marches in 2020 actually were “mostly peaceful” and the media happily picked up the phrase. But then they insisted on continuing to use it even as the demonstrations quickly devolved into riots, with federal buildings and police stations being set ablaze, mass looting destroying retail areas, and law enforcement officers being assaulted.
Yes, that was the “summer of love.” And now we’re being warned to prepare for the “summer of rage.” Some liberal activists aren’t waiting for anyone else to issue marching orders, by the way. At Yale University, liberals are demanding “unrelenting daily confrontation.” And the subject in question on any given day doesn’t really matter. They simply want any of their fellow students or faculty members who express any sort of conservative opinions to be physically driven from the public square. (Free Beacon)
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Members of the law school’s conservative Federalist Society, first year law student Shyamala Ramakrishna said in an Instagram post, are “conspirators in the Christo-fascist political takeover we all seem to be posting frantically about.” Why, she asked, are they still “coming to our parties” and “laughing in the library” without “unrelenting daily confrontation?”
Some of her classmates were less moderate.
“It’s not time for ‘reform,’” first-year law student Leah Fessler, a onetime New York Times freelancer, wrote on Instagram. “Democratic Institutions won’t save us.” It is unclear how Fessler will apply that view as a legal intern this summer for federal judge Lewis Liman. Judge Liman did not respond to a request for comment.
While it might fit on a bumper sticker or a t-shirt, “democratic institutions won’t save us” isn’t really a very good message, particularly if you’re in the process of seeking a law degree. Also, even if you believe that unsavory maxim, please enlighten us as to what the alternative to democratic institutions might be? I hope I’m wrong, but the only thing that springs to mind is mob rule. Is that where you think this is all heading?
We’ve seen this movie before and all I would say to the liberal student activists is that it doesn’t end well for you. When angry crowds began organizing mobs to attempt to drive members of the Trump administration from restaurants and markets during his presidency, the backlash from the public was significant. Further, law enforcement was not on the side of the mobs in most cases. People don’t want to see mob rule, even if they happen to agree with your cause. This is not how you build consensus and advance your cause.
In closing, I’ll just add one other (slightly tongue-in-cheek) observation. Before we saw “summer of rage,” most of the signs showing up at these protests included the moniker “Bans Off Our Bodies.” As I pointed out on social media this morning, that slogan is pretty much on point given the topic under discussion. But did anyone stop to consider the acronym?
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