Comment on Althouse: 18 seconds of raw class warfare.

Althouse: 18 seconds of raw class warfare.

They have clearly communicated a threat of violence and done so with both imagery of a weapon and in a group. A reasonable person can feel threatened, that is a reasonable person can feel that they have been assaulted, and if these people appear and behave in a threatening and confrontational manner then a reasonable person would be justified in defending his or herself. If I was on a jury and a defendant who was arrested after responding with force to a visit by these people articulated that defense then I would probably refuse to convict.

These self proclaimed revolutionaries believe that they can rely on the benefits of a peaceful law abiding society even as they act to destroy it. If they meet people who treat them with the public contempt that they display then they are shocked and feel aggrieved.

They think it would be a victory if they provoke violence because they think that any violence by their victims would result in the forces of civilization dissolving into incoherence when charged with hypocrisy and then losing the support of the people that confers legitimacy.

That theory is simply untrue. The people are sovereign and defend their liberty when attacked. The government reaffirms its bond to the people when it acts to protect them from threats and violence and supports them when they defend themselves.

The Communists have a right to protest. They do not have a right to threaten assault or commit violence. If there is a confrontation then the people acting through a jury, which is formally a subset of the Militia, determine which is the guilty party.