The opinion letter from Cuesta College student Sophie Stebbins is a perfect example of what today’s college students look like (“Right to protest,” June 4): kids brainwashed by liberal college teachers or professors. Like so many, actually too many, young people today, she is anti-authority and anti-law enforcement. She does not understand that blocking roads and especially freeways is not just against the law but, even more, a serious threat to safety. What happens when an ambulance with a person inside, at the brink of death, cannot get through to a hospital. Do they just die for the greater good? Maybe in the twisted world of today’s college kids.
As for law enforcement officers showing up in riot gear and with tear gas, she conveniently forgets that more police officers are killed each year than unarmed black—or white—criminals (55 unarmed people were shot and killed by police in 2019, according to data compiled by The Washington Post), and the police are targeted by idiots with rocks, bricks, and bottles of frozen water, also known as deadly weapons. Police have the right and the need to protect themselves and have no idea how quickly “peaceful” protests will turn into rioting, with burning and looting, until it happens, with little warning. And if and when it does, they had damned well better be ready to address such anarchy, quickly and effectively, as people’s lives and property will be at risk.
Ms. Stebbins does want to accept that there is no such thing as “systemic” racism, as that would not fit her left-wing agenda. To Ms. Stebbins, all black criminals who are killed by police officers are victims of murder, and all white criminals who are killed by police—well, she isn’t even aware of their deaths because their deaths are never covered by the liberal, left-wing, mainstream press, as that too does not fit their agenda.
George Floyd’s death was unnecessary and the result of a poorly trained and possibly racist cop. But his death was the exception to the rule. Probably 99 percent of the police officers in America are good and decent people, doing a very dangerous job, often for very little money, who are now hated by too many liberals, and no longer defended or supported by most of the liberal Democrat leaders in our country, who are every bit as guilty as the looters and arsonists that they allow to run wild in the streets.
And if Ms. Stebbins ever finds herself with a potential criminal about to break into her house, I am willing to bet that the first people she will reach out to will be the police, and she will be damned grateful and lucky to have them show up in time to save her life.
Mark C. Hanson
Morro Bay
This article appears in Jun 25 – Jul 5, 2020.
You’re making a lot of assumptions there aren’t ya?
The major assumption is that liberals somehow are against law enforcement. You must think as a group they are uneducated and lack an interest in law enforcement and public safety. Quite the contrary is true. As one labelled as liberal who is very down to earth and believes in sound economic practices as do most conservatives, I cannot imagine not supporting the objectives of law enforcement, the training of officers, and the thorough prosecution of those who refuse to abide by the law or cause civil chaos. I like many others of both stripes vaunt the right to free speech just as Iaud your Constitutional Right to express an opinion that is puzzling and does not appear to be based in facts and not some fantasy of the world about you. To see the world as you want to regardless of facts is your right. It is also my right to point out your fallacious thinking and comments.
Hi, am not and never have claimed to be a “liberal.” I do not support most Democratic leaders in this country. You know nothing about me, my personal beliefs, education, experiences… you read a letter I wrote defending the right to protest and calling out unnecessary violence against teenagers.
I am anti- abuse of power. Of course I want people to be safe from danger– this is the whole point of the movement. To eliminate unnecessary and heinous brutality against innocent people at the hands of authority, which IS systemic in that these systems are built and thrive on oppression and could not exist without it.. Mass incarceration is reformed enslavement and the policing system in America is founded on slave patrols, with the intent to keep Black people disenfranchised. It’s literally in the constitution to enslave people as punishment for crimes. Sounds like you really need to do some research and listen to people who aren’t white and middle class.
Also– do you really think that the people in authority are trying to protect you? Or is it just your money and your labor that they care about?
You may benefit from a world of oppressive systems and want things to stay how they are, but to a lot of us it is painfully obvious that we are living in a fascist police state which has absolutely no regard for human life and values capital over anything. I am fighting for your right to a liberated and joyful life free of the constraints of capitalism as much as anyone else’s.
According to this Tribune article (and others) you yourself seem to hate authority, think it’s “weak and childish” and are extremely sexist, not surprising
https://www.google.com/amp/s/amp.sanluisobispo.com/news/politics-government/article226239390.html
“Hanson allegedly sent emails to Addis directly that included calling her “one of the most vile, despicable, hypocritical (expletive referring to female anatomy) I have ever had the displeasure of seeing,” (accompanied with a Nazi flag), telling her she “doesn’t have the ovaries to respond to me directly” after communicating the messages with a fellow council member and threatening to continue the attacks if she didn’t change her position on a city policy. The note said calling authorities about the emails was “weak and childish.”“
From February 14 2019.
Ok boomer
Yo this guy is literally calling for killings of protestors and the mayor of Seattle on his Facebook. New Times, please keep an eye on this.
Everything on this white supremacist’s Facebook page is public. Just sayin’.
I thoroughly despise you weaponizing my sister and her name to perpetuate your racist message. If you need to use a thoughtful, well educated woman as a scapegoat to further misinformation and hate then your argument probably doesn’t have any value. Keep her name out of your mouth and your thoughts you racist misogynistic pig.
“A blast from the past.
Imagine there’s no Democrats, it’s easy if you try. No arsonists or vandals, law enforcement kills them and they die.
Imagine there’s a military who kills all of the looters. Ho, ho, ho, ho. Then American citizens celebrate, yes indeed, and we all go out to Hooter’s.” – Mark Hanson
“ So hundreds of thousands of protesters marching, day after day. Pretty much all of these people are losers and lowlifes. They apparently don’t work, are not vacuuming their houses, weeding their yards, cooking meals, taking care of the needs of their families, or meeting their basic responsibilities.
In the last few days, I washed my car, vacuumed my home and my parents’ home, weeded and pruned bushes in my yard, cooked dinner, cleaned my garage, and attended meetings and appointments. In other words, I am living my life.
These marchers must be on welfare. They apparently have no responsibilities to meet. They are not making a difference. They are simply proving that we have way too many losers and lowlifes in a country full of opportunities.” – Mark Hanson
As I read, particularly the comments of Henricks and Harmon, I am extremely disappointed about the level of abusive and unfounded comments. You would think that New Times would kick these two and others of their ilk off their forum permanently. The level of discourse is without any justification whatsoever. It appears some have become less sensitive than a pile of rocks.
In response to Norman Murphy, I think you’re misinterpreting Sam’s comments. He was quoting things that Mark Hanson wrote publicly on Facebook. The point of this is that the New Times should never have allowed Mark Hanson’s opinion piece to be posted because he has a history of extreme and racist rhetoric. This context makes his response to Sophie Stebbins threatening. Sam is simply bringing to light something that the New Times failed to do their due diligence in researching. I hope that everyone reading these comments will ask the New Times to retract this piece. The author has a history of violent rhetoric that it is irresponsible to support.
Utterly disappointed in both the fact that this article was posted to begin with and that it remains online. As a news outlet please understand who you are endorsing and who you are giving a platform to. Allowing both sides of an argument equal time is one thing, allowing a know extremist/mysogynist/racist/white supremacist to gain a greater voice is irresponsible and dangerous. Disgraceful.
I love that the New Times has removed all the comments quoting the vile things Mr. Hanson posts on his social media. I emailed the editor to demand they explain why they are giving a voice to a lunatic who is openly advocating the murder of our fellow citizens and was told that “As a paper that champions the first amendment, we can’t pick and choose whose opinions are allowed on our pages“. Clearly they do pick and choose! What a disgrace. You either stand for freedom of speech or you don’t. The New Times don’t. What a bunch of hypocrites.
“kids brainwashed by liberal college teachers or professors”
Demonizing higher education in the public sphere –during a discourse on equality– makes you, literally, the subject of ridicule in Plato’s Allegory of the Cave.
“Like so many, actually too many, young people today, she is anti-authority and anti-law enforcement”
First off… you don’t speak for the younger generations, nor do you speak for women, so stick to what little you know about society outside of your creepy echo-chamber.
Secondly… it was your generation that caused this GLOBAL problem with ineffective and costly policy, biased laws, a willingness to compromise the Bill of Rights protections, a refusal to hold law enforcement accountable, the obstruction of all police reform, an uncanny penchant for hypocrisy, a desire to profit off human misery, the militarization of warrior cops, and an unfortunate tolerance for bigotry.
These are horrifying ravings of a lunatic. Why on earth would you give him a platform for this? I get it you’re a rag, but you really sunk to a new low this time guys.
I AGREE with Mark C. Hanson!
Today’s whacky liberals are not only wrong on a range of issues, but they are also wrongheaded in their thinking. They have created a narrative of police brutality and racism that simply doesn’t exist, and, in fact, black males in America are the ones who harbor violence against the larger society. Blacks are 13% of the population, yet they committed over 50% of the homicides.
ALL Lives Matter, including Blue Lives!