The mission of the St. Croix Review is to end the destruction of America by reestablishing the family as the center of American life, restoring economic prosperity to an independent middle class, and reviving a culture of tradition.

The Lasting Impact of the 2020 Summer Riots

Barry MacDonald, Editorial

One wonders what would happen now if America suffered another terrorist assault similar to that of 9/11. In the aftermath of 9/11, Americans by and large did join together in shared patriotism, at least for a brief time. Six months later, we fell to bickering over who was responsible for our lapse of defense. By November 2002, when the congressional 9/11 Commission was underway, the blame game was in full swing again.

Twenty years is not a long time in the history of a nation, but within such a short span of time it seems that our political divisions have become dangerously exacerbated. If there were another diabolically effective attack, carried out by terrorists who infiltrated our porous southern border, it is easy to imagine that America would not unify, but would shatter — with some Americans shamelessly taking sides with the terrorists.

On September 1 this year, President Biden gave a vitriolic speech in Philadelphia, in which he castigated MAGA Republicans. He said:

“Equality and democracy are under assault . . .

“Donald Trump and MAGA Republicans represent an extremism that threatens the very foundation of our Republic. . . .

“They promote authoritarian leaders, and they fanned the flames of political violence that are a threat to our personal rights, to the pursuit of justice, to the rule of law, to the very soul of this country. . . .

“MAGA Republicans have made their choice. They embrace anger. They thrive on chaos. They live, not in the light of truth but in the shadow of lies. . . .

“. . . there are public figures today, yesterday, and the day before, predicting, and all but calling for mass violence and rioting in the streets. . . .

“And this is a nation that rejects violence as a political tool. We do not encourage violence. We are still an America that believes in honesty and decency and respect for others. Patriotism, liberty, justice for all, hope, possibilities — we are still at our core a democracy. . . .

“MAGA Republicans are destroying American democracy.”

President Biden’s speech pivots upon the art of accusation, even as it espouses commonly held American beliefs and ideals.

It is sad and frustrating to see the words “honesty,” decency,” “respect,” “patriotism,” “liberty,” “justice,” and “hope” so misused and drained of meaning. Personal rights, the pursuit of justice, and the rule of law were referred to with the assertion that these are ideals that are cherished and upheld by the Biden Administration and the Democratic Party today.

President Biden says that America’s foundations, its equality and democracy, are threatened by MAGA extremism, and that Republicans promote “authoritarian leaders” who “fan the flames of political violence.”

Given the 500-plus riots that spread over America in the summer of 2020, the dozens of deaths, the billions of dollars of destruction — of property, and of livelihoods — the toppling of statues — including those of Fredrick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln — it’s impossible to take Biden’s words at face value. A federal court in Portland, Oregon, was assaulted nightly for over a hundred days by Antifa thugs, while Democratic mayor Ted Wheeler and Democratic Governor Kate Brown did not enforce the law and put down the riots. Hundreds of police officers have been murdered and injured, demonized and defunded, throughout America ever since the George Floyd incident — all while Democratic members of the “Squad” in the House have continued to call for the further defunding of the police.

An entire section of downtown Seattle, Washington, was held hostage for a month by a mob who terrorized residents and businesses owners. A police precinct was emptied of officers and abandoned by the city government, and the rule of law was given over to thugs who fancied themselves outside the jurisdiction of the United States. These thugs perpetrated a genuine insurrection. A young man was shot and died, as emergency personnel were prevented from rescuing him by the mob. Democrats were in charge of the Seattle City Council. The mayor of Seattle was Democratic Jenny Durkan, and the governor of Washington was Democratic Jay Inslee — they turned their backs on the rule of law.

Vice President Kamala Harris said of the death of George Floyd and the summer riots “. . . It’s no wonder people are taking to the streets, and I support them . . .” She said:

“They’re not going to stop. They’re not going to stop. This is a movement, I’m telling you. They’re not gonna stop. And everyone beware because they’re not gonna stop. They’re not gonna let up and they should not.”

The George Floyd incident was a catalyst for an explosion of crime throughout America. The riots of 2020 were followed by the purposeful non-prosecution of criminals. The streets of New York City, Baltimore, Los Angeles, Chicago, Portland, and Seattle are overcome with the dread of violence as criminals are released, due to the dubious “no-cash bail” innovations of progressive city and district attorneys and Democratic state legislatures. Every day in America the numbers of carjackings, assaults, and murders are rising. Innocent children are shot to death by the stray bullets of rampaging gangs.

Added to the neglect of law and order within our big cities is the purposeful surrender of our southern border to the Mexican drug cartels. The drug cartels control who enters our country, as every illegal immigrant pays the cartels a fee. The immigrants suffer immensely as children and women are raped, and people die along the way into America. Democratic governors and mayors have accommodated this illegal traffic of human beings by establishing sanctuary cities and states. Fentanyl, an extremely dangerous drug that enters America through the southern border, poisoned to death more than 100,000 Americans in 2001, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and President Biden have the effrontery to say that the southern border is closed and secure.

Homelessness has been a problem in Democratically run major metropolitan areas for years now, but in the last two years these unfortunate and desperate people have become more violent and dangerous. In the suburbs of Portland, homeless encampments have begun to drive people out of their homes. Democratic mayors and city councils have no effective means of alleviating the misery of either the residents or the homeless — more importantly, they lack the will to act.

Much of the deterioration of the rule of law and safety can be laid at the doorstep of the Democratic Party and the Biden Administration. Instead of squarely acknowledging and addressing these problems, they choose to blame their political opponents.

President Biden gave an angry speech denouncing anger. He accused Republicans of being authoritarians while using the rhetoric of an authoritarian himself. He invoked the rule of law and justice while his party has busied itself undermining law and justice. He lauded “decency” in a most indecent way.

President Biden did himself and his party no favor, by offering such a bitter speech. His words are saturated with accusation and hatred, and his characterization of Republicans is outrageously at odds with the facts of law and order and justice as they are in America today under his and Democratic Party leadership.

President Biden is relying on the precarious assumption that a majority of the American people are enormously naïve and forgetful of our recent, and profound, national trauma. There is an air of berserk lunacy about President Biden’s speech. Does he really expect that most Americans believe that the 2020 riots were justified, and that the Democrats were innocent bystanders?     *