I think of 2014 as the year of the protest. We saw the last of the Tea Party protests over taxation and government spending with them ending in elections to Congress. We saw the Occupy Wall Street movement over… well; I don’t think they even knew what that was all about. Perhaps Corporate greed, as if they have a corner on that particular sin. The Occupy protests were nationwide and ended in… nothing. We also have the recent Black Lives Matter protest, over the death of black males (who were committing crimes) at the hands of the police, and the controversial non-indictments decided by the Grand Juries in those cases. 

To a lesser extent there were multiple others, from drilling for oil, to saving the whales or dogs or some kind of furry little animal. To be honest most of the protests I simply ignored as I drove to work every day.

There are several important questions that were raised about protests this year. Questions such as, were they all intelligent protests, were some just crazy, how much will they be allowed to break laws, can they inconvenience or endanger others, are their rights greater than the rights of non-protesters, and how the media portray the different groups? One we should be asking is what happens if the police get fed up with the anti-cop protests and strike? Why aren’t we hearing anyone voice that very real possibility? It has happened before. Look it up.

Perhaps, I am a bit biased, but I recall multiple politicians from Rep. Nancy Pelosi to Sen. Harry Reid calling the Tea Party protesters everything from racists to un-American simply because they were mostly white, and following an exhaustive search, I could find no criminal acts associated with them.

Yet, no such colorful criticisms have been leveled at the Black Lives Matter or Occupy protesters by our politicians, despite the  numerous arrests, looting, blocking traffic, vandalism, rioting, arson,  assaulting police officers and reporters, and yes even murders have been connected to them. Is this something we should examine?

The Tea Party Protests resulted in their electing over thirty members to the US House of Representatives and two Senators, and they have been heavily criticized by mainstream politicians and the media. The Occupy protests resulted in zero members being elected to any office, no  new laws or policies, and yet they have been praised by mainstream politicians and some in the media. At the moment there hasn’t been any BLM protests aimed at electing any representatives or creating and concrete goals. So far they have been praised and supported by many politicians, local and federal.

If one were to watch only CNN, NBC, and MSNBC you would think that all the Tea Party protesters were raving lunatics and the Black Lives Matter protesters were peaceful angels despite the evidence and facts we saw with our lying eyes.

In the case of the now debunked University of Virginia gang-rape story by Rolling Stone Magazine, protesters, and Anti-male advocates didn’t need to wait for facts, evidence, or an investigation. All fraternities and sororities on campus were suspended. The Governor and Lt. Governor of Virginia voiced outrage and condemnation at the 'evil rapists'. Protesters demonstrated for days, and vandalized the fraternity. Then, after a few brave reporters at different news organizations started to asked questions and INVESTIGATE, the truth slowly came out.  Surprise, the gang-rape never happened. Jackie made it all up to gain the sympathies of a boy she liked. But what does truth matter when protesters get a chance to fight for a perfect approved victim and confirm all their oppression theories?

It seems clear, at least to the media, some protests are more important than others, even if they are only done because they are popular and make people feel good, rather than accomplish anything or are based on facts. We all know that doing what is popular is what really matters in the new America. I’m not saying don’t protest.  If you have a voice, use it. I’m only asking that before you go out with your signs and your shouting, stop and think about why you are really doing it, how much do you really know, and what will you actually accomplish?  It seems evident that we cannot rely on the media to tell us the truth or present the facts on anything.

One final note:  In 2015 I would suggest two things to remember. One that we are careful that the people we’re protesting against aren’t the real victims or become ours. Two, someone smarter than I once said, “A lie is halfway around the world before the truth gets its shoes on.”
SLOWDOWN.