Disclaimer: This rant morphed into a little more than I
anticipated.
I am not against protests. But when protesters start
vandalizing and trespassing, it no longer is a protest. That is a riot.
Everyone has the right to protest. I don't believe the majority of law-abiding
citizens are against any protests. Citizens get upset when the protesters take
things too far and start vandalizing and trespassing on innocent people's property.
Over the last year there have been protests about pretty
much everything including the pipeline protest near Cannonball, North Dakota,
etc. For some reason, protesters think they need to take things to the extreme
to get their point across. Peaceful protests are becoming a thing of the past.
When groups get together they start to get that mob mentality. All it takes is
one douche canoe with a lighter to instigate others into the Stone Age.
Another thing that protesters or anyone with a different
idea bring up is the race card. If you think these things are about race, that
is your problem. If that is your only argument, your argument isn't very strong.
I know a handful of national guardsmen and police force that
were involved in the protests. They all say the same thing as Sheriff Laney. They
all mentioned how disrespectful the protesters were to the people trying to
keep the peace and how disrespectful the protesters were to the environment
they were there to supposedly protect. Let's get this straight, the military
and police were not on one side. They were there to do a job. To keep it
peaceful. From what I have read and learned, they did that job to the best of
their ability. I can't imagine how hard it would be to stand there and take the
onslaught of negativity and just take it without any retaliation. But that is
why I commend them for the job they do.
I only know a couple
people that were there on the side of the protesters and were at the protest
site. They have been shockingly silent. That was sarcasm.
I will back the blue pretty much 100% of the time. We all
know there are bad people in every walk of life. That includes cops. But the
benefit of the doubt from my end is on the side of the blue. Here is Sheriff
Paul Laney's side of the story in the link below.
Not all of the protesters are gone and not all of the
protesters are sitting on their hands. As stated in the article below some are
helping out with the cleanup. But, I wonder where Susan Sarandon, Jesse
Jackson, Jane Fonda etc. are now during the cleanup. If they were so concerned
with the environment they should be there now. I would like to give them a
pitchfork with a broken handle, a scoop shovel with a hole in it and have them
stay there until everything is cleaned up.
I commend the protesters that are helping
clean up. I am assuming the protesters that are still there are not the "Paid"
protesters. I imagine that the paid protesters are on to their next propaganda
filled agenda to fill their wallets.
The links below talk about the cleanup.
The link below is from Tomi Lahren. She is a little
outspoken, to put it lightly. But sometimes she hits the nail on the head.
My stomach literally rolled when I saw the video of the
protesters harassing and killing the deer that was swimming across the
Cannonball River near the protest site. Just another example of how some of the
protesters had no respect for the land including wildlife. Another assumption
on my part but I bet none of the protesters that took part in this wildlife
harassment had any hunting background. Hell, you don't need hunting background
to have respect. This is just blatant disregard for wildlife. The link below
provides info on the incident and video.
There has also been violence and disregard for other
people's property that includes killing of livestock. There have been numerous
attacks on livestock throughout Morton and Sioux Counties. These killings have
not been linked directly to the protests, yet. But shockingly they started and took
place directly around the protest site. Follow the link below for more
information on the livestock killings.
Some people will say that being a hunter like I am, is
disrespecting the land and animals. I would like to point out that outdoorsmen contribute
billions each year to help protect the environment and regulate wildlife. The
majority of the money from licenses and permits that hunters purchase go
directly back to protect the wildlife and land hunters cherish.
I would also like to point out that the majority of hunters
belong to local wildlife and national wildlife groups that help them protect
our hunting heritage. I myself belong to three local wildlife groups and at
least three national wildlife groups. I can never keep track. I wonder how much
money the protesters put back into their cause…
Another thing that blows my mind about a lot of the protests
is the misinformation spewed on social media. Anyone with an agenda can click
share and get their message out whether it is true or not. They like to use buzzwords
that catch people's attention.
Over the last couple weeks there has been a lot in the media
about "Fake News." If people are just realizing that news outlets
have their own agendas and produce fake news, we are in a lot of trouble as a
society. The main reason for fake news is money. Media companies are like any
other company, they will do anything to make a dollar. So choose the information
wisely which you choose to consume. Read both sides. It isn't easy to find
reliable sources but it is possible.
Thanks for reading and have a great day.
Yours truly, Clint Lindemann
Sidebar: After reading this, some of you will jump to
conclusions and point the finger saying I must be a Republican. My answer to
that is, "I am an American." I don't consider myself in any political
bracket. That is for another rant.
Update:
