So here we are again. Police murdering a man on camera – not suddenly with a gunshot, but slowly, deliberately, cruelly – for more than eight minutes. And it wasn’t just one “bad apple ” cop. There were four of them. They seemed to act without question or hesitation: empowered, apparently, by a belief that, beyond their paid functions to enforce the law, they personified the law itself. They became self-appointed arresting officers/charging prosecutors/presiding judges/jury of peers all at the same time. In short, they became a lynch mob. And they did it under the cover of law.

We have seen this kind of event before – many times in the 1960s, for example. And rather than memories of society quickly condemning such behavior, I have a vivid (and revolting) image of a photograph of four law enforcement officers on trial, sitting in a court of law with their feet up, and with broad open-mouth grins, eating popcorn – during their trial! They seemed confident they would suffer no more than hand-slaps for what they had done.

It is terrible that a handful of law enforcement officers could subvert the oaths they swore to uphold the law, to protect the rights of citizens. It is appalling they did it seeming to believe they had, and would have the support of their superiors and the public at large. It is astounding they did it so blatantly on camera. But perhaps that is not the worst thing that happened.

Even worse, to my mind, is some of the government response to the public protests and demonstrations. And here I mean to impugn certain actions taken at various local, state and federal levels, not merely the execrable federal response. I am alluding to certain statements and actions in defense of the officers and conversely to condemn protesters. Decisions to disperse crowds with “flash bangs,” tear gas, or police cavalry resemble the tactics used in places like Birmingham or Chicago in the 1960s. Seeing that kind of thing again on television contradicts the concept of a government of the people: it conveys a sense of government AGAINST the people.

So. Here we are again. The People of the United States are protesting again to PROTECT and DEFEND their country from their government!

When we go beyond our rituals of allegiance to the deeper truth of what is going on, it is clear that a minority of the population (many of whom believe the Bill of Rights is unAmerican) have deposed the House of Representatives, subverted a national popular vote, seized control of the purse strings, legislative policy, and international relations, and devastated the court system.

It is clearly time for action. And the most responsible and enlightened action we can take is to vote responsibly – and in overwhelming numbers.

At the same time, protesting remains a serious channel of communicating our grievances and concerns. I do not include or condone looting or opportunistic destruction as protest activities: those distract and trivialize the agenda; furthermore they often injure the oppressed rather than the oppressors. On the other hand, some actions may embody symbolic content of great power beyond words; I think of burning draft cards or flags in another era.