Federal agents are America’s protectors

“In Portland’s so-called war zone, it’s the troops who provide the menace.” “Federal agents in Portland are generating unrest elsewhere.”

“Federal officers escalated violence in Portland.”

“The Border War in Portland.”

And perhaps most humorous of all: “Trump’s occupation of American cities has begun.”

These are but a few of the headlines describing the situation in Oregon’s largest city. At best, they are misleading, while some are outright false.

As a member of the Fourth Estate, this author has often cringed when hearing the media referred to as “fake news,” since, in most cases, that’s simply not true.

However, being right, and, more important, being truthful “most” of the time isn’t good enough. Not by a long shot.

And the situation unfolding in Portland is a perfect snapshot of the media’s irresponsibility in its reporting. Sure, some of those headlines are opinion columns, but commentary can also be, and often is, misleading.

In virtually every news and opinion article on protests, both in Portland and elsewhere, there appears the following “disclaimer,” even when it obviously doesn’t apply: “The protests are mainly peaceful.” Absolutely not true. Yes, since the George Floyd killing, there have been many peaceful protests around the nation. There were, however, many that were the antithesis of peaceful, as riots and looting were widespread. Despite the appalling images of cities on fire and entire neighborhoods being destroyed — disproportionately affecting the very people for whom change was being advocated — the standard line, likely more the result of the herd mentality than calculated descriptor, was that protests were still largely “peaceful.”

But rather than doing their job of protecting public property, many mayors continue to stand idly by, allowing the mobs to have their way. And in case after case, police are either nowhere to be found (even though they clearly know about such nefarious activities), or, more likely, they are being told to stand down by the mayors and police chiefs.

Let’s talk about “peaceful.” Portland’s federal courthouse has sustained extensive damage, both inside and out. Rioters have attempted to saw through the fence surrounding the building. They leave mountains of garbage behind each night, especially dangerous during a pandemic. They set fires both inside and outside the fence perimeter. And worst of all, they violently attack federal agents.

The constant barrage against the federal courthouse in Portland is supposedly due to that city’s high percentage of “whiteness,” long history of racism, and brutality and systemic racism in the police force.

Really? Well, if that’s the case, why are they attacking federal government property, and waging all-out assaults on the federal officers whose sole mission is to protect that property? It was the federal government that waged war to end slavery and racism. It was the federal government that overruled states by passing landmark civil rights legislation. And it is the federal government that aggressively prosecutes hate crime cases. So the question remains — if the feds are doing their part to fight racism, and it is the local government/police/ population that is allegedly “the problem,” then why is the federal government the target?

Is this really what the NAACP, BLM, and the “Wall of Moms” wants to associate themselves with — “nightly criminal activity including assaults on law enforcement officers, destruction of property, looting, arson, and vandalism,” as the U.S. Attorney’s office in Portland correctly described?

To the dissenters, a few questions: what are the federal agents supposed to do? Should they roll over (like the police did in Seattle’s CHOP zone), and allow the mob to take control of the courthouse?

Should they allow the building to burn to the ground? Should they not fight back when violently attacked? Should they not arrest those who violate numerous federal laws? Should they not protect innocent citizens from being harmed?

And if the same situation was occurring, but Joe Biden was commander-in-chief, would the reaction of the critics be the same? If we’re being truthful, even those who disagree with Donald Trump on literally everything, from politics to personality, should be hard-pressed to find fault with the federal agents’ measured, and quite restrained, response.

The answers are obvious to anyone with common sense and respect for the rule of law. We are not Venezuela.

We are the United States of America, and we should never back down when threatened by enemies — foreign or domestic. And these perpetrators of violence are indeed enemies of the state.

The principal in “The Breakfast Club” movie taught a valuable lesson that the violent mobs should heed: “Don’t mess with the bull, or you’ll get the horns.” Enough is enough. Let’s cut the bull — and use law enforcement to run down those who violently threaten the American way of life.

Chris Freind Columnist