It’s been 15 years since I graduated from the University of Michigan and believe it or not, there’s a lot I still miss about living in the People’s Republic of Ann Arbor.
My tobacco shop. All the great bars and restaurants. Football Saturdays.
What don’t I miss?
Protesters.
On any given day, you could find some shabby-looking group protesting something somewhere.
I always found it amusing ? but certainly not surprising ? that these protests typically consisted of the same group of people.
These are the folks who love to protest anything and everything ? rebels with too many causes and too much free time.
Just name a cause ? the more obscure, the better ? and they’ll immediately begin expressing their indignation as they strap on their Birkenstocks and load their pre-made picket signs into the car.
Based on what I observed in college, their main struggle isn’t against oppression or evil corporations, it’s against personal hygiene and gainful employment.
A bar of soap and a timecard have about the same effect on these hippie-dippy types as garlic and crosses to vampires.
After so many years of living and working in conservative Oxford, I thought I’d left all those nutty protesters behind.
But lo and behold, they followed me here.
Twice now, anti-Enbridge protesters have caused a scene and managed to get themselves arrested at the Koenig Sand & Gravel property on Lakeville Rd. A portion of this gravel mining site is being leased by Enbridge and used as the staging area for its crude oil pipeline replacement project.
Now, if these activists want to waste their time staging their little protests, I could care less. Personally, I find them to be generally annoying and useless people, but as long as they’re not bothering me, hurting others or breaking any laws, they can do whatever they want ? that’s libertarianism in a nutshell.
It’s a free country which means we’re all free to pretty much do as we please, no matter how silly and pointless it is.
But I draw the line when these professional protesters start costing the taxpayers money and violating property rights.
It cost the Oxford Fire Department $1,600 in personnel, equipment and damaged materials to free those two chuckleheads who allegedly used large U-shaped bicycle locks to secure their necks to a pipeline construction vehicle.
I don’t know about you, but this is not why I pay taxes. I pay for my fire department to protect lives and property, not extricate attention-seeking hippies.
I sincerely hope the fire dept. is able to recoup its $1,600 from these two activists.
We taxpayers should not be forced to foot the bill for their protest. When you and I have to pay for it, it’s no longer free speech.
The other thing I’m upset about is how these anti-Enbridge protesters have been allegedly trespassing on Koenig property.
I don’t care how just or noble you think your cause is. I don’t care how morally superior you think you are to those around you.
Nothing gives anyone the right to violate another person’s property rights.
Property rights are an essential element of a civilized society. Trespassing isn’t a harmless crime; it’s a blatant and serious violation of property rights. A man has a legal right to keep others off of his property and others should respect that right.
Whenever a person sets foot on someone else’s land without permission to engage in an unauthorized activity, that person should be punished to the fullest extent of the law, period.
I don’t care if the activity is protesting, hunting, walking dogs, jogging, riding horses, racing dirt bikes or enjoying nature, if it’s not your land and you don’t have permission to be there, the sign says it all ? ‘Keep out!? That means you.
Bottom-line, if you’re one of these people who feels an overwhelming urge to march around, wave a picket sign and chant inane slogans, please follow three simple rules ? 1) stay on public property; 2) obey the law and police officers? orders; and 3) keep your hands to yourself.
Now, if you’re one of those people who actually wishes to accomplish something within the political realm, forget protest rallies and focus your time and energy on things that matter such as staying informed, voting, supporting good candidates, running for office yourself, writing letters and attending government meetings.
And if you want to be taken seriously, make sure you have a job and own something besides an acoustic guitar.