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Us vs. Them
Let me start this off by saying that I’m a patriot. I love my country and believe we’re a leading example of prosperity and conviction among the many nations on this earth. That being said, we are not perfect, and there are still uphill battles to face in communities across these United States. We, as citizens, are on thin ice. Amid an unprecedented global pandemic bringing the economy to a screeching halt, misguided political polarization is ever-growing.
On May 25, Minneapolis police murdered George Floyd. Plain and simple. And the issue surrounding police brutality and systematic oppression is much larger than the rhetoric of “All Cops Are Bad” and “POCs against White Americans.” This is not a Republican or Democratic issue. It’s a populist issue. It’s the regular folks in counties and cities across America against the oligarchical elite in Washington.
To my fellow Monterey County Republicans, do you not honor the nine core principles you claim to abide by? Your supposed convictions in limited government and the constitutional protections of every single citizen fall short when a government official kills a man without due process on U.S. soil. If you genuinely believe in libertarian values and accountability within our government, you shouldn’t have to remain neutral about how the events unfolded.
The government failed in protecting George Floyd’s rights to Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. I, as a conservative, don’t think about the identity politics involved and understand that true Republican values elicit a full denouncement of state-sanctioned transgressions of constitutional authority.
To the Democrats in Salinas, Monterey County and California, do you stand by your principles of protecting Americans of all backgrounds against discrimination by the government? The Democrats claim to be bastions of equity, yet time and time again support crime bills and funding for institutions that promote mass incarceration and for-profit prisons.
To the presumptive democratic nominee for President, who to this day defends his prominent part in passing the 1993 crime bill and pathologically lies about what he’s done for the black community, how can you convince me that you’re better than any other Washington insider controlled by the party leaders? The audacity of Democrats who trample on majority-minority communities then claim to be their only option in an election year astounds me.
To the progressives reading this, understand that if you want to follow through with your values, then Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, Joe Biden and so many more are as much your adversaries as the Republican party leaders, if not more.
The events unfolding in the last few days are more than socials issues. They’re political issues. Not against any one candidate or party platform. But against the elite who run our lives. The things that unite us as a people outnumber the things that divide us tenfold. We, as citizens of this country, need to realize that.
The movement against the systematic oppression of minorities is being taken over by anarchists and rioters who are destroying the businesses they claim to care for. They’re generalizing all law enforcement as evil and publicly making death threats, which gives the corrupt and discriminatory officers more of a reason to justify their intolerance.
We have the potential to unite the disenfranchised and transcend identity politics and cultural differences. We can vote out the partisan politicos in elected office. Reform the system. But through our division and in-fighting, we’re giving the people with power a stronger hold.
We are set to use this frustration to destroy neighborhoods and get violent, but in the long run, we will only get pushed down with twice as much force as before. The ideological turf wars need to stop. For a people united stand, and a people divided fall.
Jayden Morales
Salinas
