I agree with everything you have said above. One can take a stand against looters and violent protestors without being a racist. We all should be against looters and violent protestors. That's black and white. It's ok to support the "open up CA" without being a racist. We should all support people's right to protest to open up - regardless of our view points- because it's an exercise of the 1st amendment. I fully support opening up with social distancing and required face masks - like two months ago. It's ok not to have a view point until you gather more information or simply not have an opinion at all after you gather all the information if you think it's too gray.
I'm sure there will be people who say extreme things and lump things together incorrectly, but don't let those people define your morality and obligations as citizens of this great nation.
There's no room for police brutality. It's wrong no matter how you slice it. It's not ok for 3 police officers to help murder someone because they are just following orders. I don't allow my children to use the excuse that they did it because their peers did too or someone with authority told them it's ok. The buck stops with you kid. I raised you to think on your own and I expect you to. I will not stoop so low as to think that the majority of the police force do not have moral values and are comfortable just following orders to allow murder of it's own citizens like Nazi Germany.
It's not ok to use your police powers to cover up a killing of a human being because he's your friend or peer. I respect most of our police force and I give them leniency and perk to give free get out of jail cards to family and friends for small things, like speeding or vandalism. However, covering up a murder of an innocent jogger amounts to aiding and abetting in a murder. If any common citizen were to cover up a murder crime for family and friends, we would be inside a court defending ourselves against aiding and abetting in a murder case. This is not a gray area.
I do agree that in today's society, we have too many people on the far left and right, who deem too many things as black and white issues. Police brutality using excessive force is is black and white. Now - some people go to the extreme and look at cases where there's not excessive force or where force IS necessary but resulted in a death, and lump it in incorrectly. Don't let those people make you think that being against police brutality is wrong or is a gray issue. They are wrong for lumping it together. An officer, defending himself against lethal violence must use lethal force if necessary and at times s/he might make mistakes and it's ok. An officer, not under real or reasonably perceived lethal threat or great bodily injury, should NEVER be allowed to use physical threat.
Don't confuse the gray areas with the black and white issues. Don't use the gray areas as an excuse not to stand up for the black and white issues.
JK rowlings didn't say anything wrong. Aziz Ansari should never have been added to the MeToo movement. Does that mean we should not be against discrimination or rape? NO - it's still wrong to discriminate or rape.
Kneeling .... name another circumstance in which we ever think kneeling is treasonous and evil? It's an act of submission used for God and your spouse. (don't go there, think proposal)
Somehow, someone, convinced a large group of people and myself for a while, that it's an insult to our flag. What's the logic and reason behind defining kneeling before our flag as treasonous? drop all your annoyance with KAP and RAP. Think about the act itself. It's not burning the flag or cutting it up. It's not vandalizing it with curse words or nazi symbols. It is an act of submission to our great flag. It was an act, which was thoroughly thought out in conjunction with a fellow military peer in order to show respect to the flag and the military.
Don't use the gray areas as an excuse not to stand up for the black and white issues. Police brutality is wrong. Covering up a murder is wrong. Discrimination is wrong. Not holding yourself accountable and your peers accountable is wrong.
