High Cost of Resisting Law, Order
High Cost of Resisting Law, Order
The death of Renee Good in Minnesota last week, a young mother, neighbor, friend, and family member, was a tragedy. The life of a human being ended prematurely, and it didn’t need to happen.
No one, regardless of political affiliation, should celebrate the loss of a life. However, we must look past the emotional headlines and examine the facts and the dangerous precedent being set by those who believe obeying law enforcement is optional.
Normal Americans understand that a fundamental truth of a civil society is following the rule of law. As Americans we have the right to peacefully protest, the key word being peacefully. Therein lies a major problem with many on the far left. They seem to forget the word “peacefully.” While every American has the right to protest, that right does not include the right to interfere with law enforcement in the line of duty.
Most people with the sense of a goose know the rule of law is what stands between a civil society and total chaos. Like other human beings, not all police officers are perfect. The majority, however, are well trained and are professionals in their field of work, a work that is difficult, dangerous, and emotionally taxing on a daily basis. With that, there is an understanding of most sane people in that when they ask something of you or give a command, follow it. If it is wrong, sort it out later in the courts, not in the middle of a chaotic situation that can escalate further.
The facts of the Good encounter are sobering. Video and official reports indicate that she was instructed to stop her vehicle and exit. Instead of complying, she remained in the SUV. Officials state that the vehicle was used in a manner that threatened the safety of an agent who had previously been seriously injured in a similar incident.
Anyone with sense knows that when you use a four-thousand-pound vehicle to resist or move toward an officer, you are escalating a situation into a realm where split-second, life-or-death decisions are made. Laws are not suggestions, and the tragic outcome in Minneapolis is a grim reminder that resisting lawful orders has consequences.
Perhaps the most frustrating aspect for conservatives is the blatant hypocrisy in how many of the left choose which deaths to mourn and which to mock.
Last fall conservatives were rocked by the assassination of Charlie Kirk. Kirk wasn’t interfering with an arrest; he wasn’t resisting a federal agent. He was simply on campus to talk—to engage in the very “free speech” the those on the left claim to cherish.
Yet, in the wake of his murder, social media was flooded with liberal activists cheering, dancing, and mocking his death. Teachers, public officials, and pundits expressed pleasure at the shooting of a young man whose only crime was having a different opinion than theirs.
Now, those same voices are calling Good a martyr, claiming she did nothing wrong despite the fact that she was actively obstructing a federal operation and failed to follow lawful orders. The contrast is deafening: a man killed for his words is mocked, while a woman killed while resisting the law is canonized.
We can mourn for Good while also standing firmly with the men and women in uniform. We can acknowledge the pain of her family while insisting that our streets remain under the jurisdiction of the law, not the mob.
If we want to prevent future tragedies, the solution isn’t to abolish ICE or harass agents, but to return to a culture of compliance and respect. These are the basic requirements of a functioning society.
Randy D. Gibson is CEO of RDG Communications, LLC.
