Crimes Against Common Sense

What the hell is going on in this country? When did we, the majority, stop speaking up for ourselves? Crimes against common sense seem to happen every week, yet most of us stay silent.

Or is it that the media only highlights those who scream the loudest, leaving the impression that what they demand must be implemented?  

The most vocal citizens today are the self-righteous members of the so-called “woke” pack. You know, those who see themselves as the arbiters of all social and racial justice and if you don’t believe as they do you are the enemy.

The ideals of critical thinkers seems to go, virtually, unremarked upon.

So I ask here, since when did it become acceptable for politicians to order police to abandon their station and allow demonstrators – some armed with guns – to occupy square blocks of an American city? Seattle’s mayor has explained away her occupying force as a “summer of love protest” group.  

Does no one worry that this takeover of downtown Seattle might end badly or spread to other cities?

COVID-19 Vancouver's largest protest, April 26th 2020. Fww Demonstrators wore protective face masks.
Note: No Masks Worn By Protestors

It is every citizen’s constitutional right to assemble and peacefully protest. But who in their right mind thought joining those recent, massive street demonstrations in the midst of a life-threatening pandemic was a wise idea? And now that we see a rise of Covid-19 cases in several states many of the woke, bizarrely, point the finger of blame at opposition party politicians for not halting the spread of the disease.

Do we lack the common sense to see the coronavirus spike is our own doing?

The Cancel Culture that exists today pushes aside all clear thinkers who dare express an opinion or ask a clarifying question. All white people are racist … the rich are criminals … all police are bad, they say. Even television cops are to be condemned. TV producers of Live PD and Cops crumbled to demands and cancelled their programs. The main police-dog character on the kid’s cartoon Paw Patrol was targeted for elimination.

Think of the negative effect all this anti-cop fervor will have on both children and future police recruiting.  

NYPD Academy graduate reacts to becoming a police officer at the NYPD Police Academy Graduation Ceremony at Madison Square Garden, 2014. 
Credit: Diana Robinson/Mayoral Photography Office via Flickr
Who Will Want to be a Cop in the Future? Who Will We Call For Help?

Yet, disagree with these new revolutionaries, determined to make the rest of us bend to their beliefs, and you are bitterly attacked and ostracized.

Author J.K. Rowling of Harry Potter fame nearly fell victim to the Cancel Culture squad recently when she chided a headline that read, “People Who Menstruate.” She accurately pointed out that it is women who menstruate. Well, that brought howls of condemnation from the LGBTQ community and reminders that some people who have transitioned from female to male still have a monthly reminder of their assigned birth sex.

Since when does a tiny minority of a population get to decide how the rest of us think or express ourselves? Isn’t their hyperbolic response to contrary views exactly like the bullying they so frequently rail against?

And, okay, I will ask – why isn’t it okay to stand up for all humanity and state the obvious that “all lives matter?” That statement does not denigrate black lives, rather, it places black lives on the same high platform as all others. I am weary of the word play and the twisted meanings give to innocent statements.

And, finally, let’s consider the recent move to destroy our history, as if it too could or should be erased. Protestors have demanded countless statues of Civil War leaders – including the emancipation president Abraham Lincoln – be removed. Likewise for monuments depicting Conquistadores who colonized the American west. Did some of those historical figures act in ways we consider abhorrent today? Absolutely, but pretending history didn’t happen is to bury our heads.

Statue of Abraham Lincoln (Ashland, Oregon) - Beheaded, Defaced with Watermelon head -wikimedia commons
Lincoln Freed the Slaves – Today, THIS is His Reward

If you follow their line of thinking then we should stop teaching students about World Wars I and II since atrocities took place. The horrors of Hitler’s progrom against Jews should never be mentioned. The Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Struggle of the 60’s and Kent State all had decidedly ugly aspects. Do we ignore those events because remembering might make someone uncomfortable?

Students of this country’s history know the shortcomings of our system. Nothing is perfect and adjustments are underway. But considering radical ideas like disbanding law enforcement, criminal takeovers of inner cities and controlling others’ conversations is just plain foolish.

###

62 Comments

  1. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:36 am

    Reader John Barnes writes:

    You have said everything I have thought for the last month!
    I know you will receive howls of outrage from all those who wish to silence clear thinking and rational discourse. Disregard those howls! The vast majority of Americans are with you and believe this crazed attempt to bury the rational and intelligent is wrong headed and dangerous.
    The photos of Americans kneeling and apologizing for their race and heritage brings to mind Nazi Germany and the incredibly awful times of World War II. Destroying statues of American soldiers and politicians smacks of Lenin and Stalin and Mao. The Cancel Culture is a threat to free America and must be exposed!
    Thank you, again, for an important and timely article of clear thought!!

    Sincerely,
    John Barnes and Pat Sawvel

  2. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:38 am

    Reader Whitney Buchanan writes:

    Diane,

    I wish you really could understand just how insensitive you sound to those who have been made to feel that their lives DON’T matter. Let’s start there, since you actually asked your readers (although perhaps rhetorically) for an explanation. African Americans have adopted this slogan for that reason — that the way they have been treated historically leads them to believe, and feel, that the rest of us think they don’t matter.

    The expression “All lives matter” is the same as saying “so what?” in response to an expression that means to convey a profound sense of disenfranchisement, a sense of not belonging. It says “your struggle is no different than anybody else’s, so stop your whining and get over it.” Now do you understand? It’s like pointing out that everybody is special and unique, so why pay any more attention to the plight of one person or group — it negates what’s being communicated, that they feel they are being treated differently. It’s a rebuttal.

    And removing statues of horrific people who stood for abhorrent values is not about erasing history, history cannot be erased. It’s cast in stone. That’s what makes it history. It’s about deciding to stop celebrating those people and their ideas. Do you think there are statues of Hitler in Germany? Should there be? He was, after all, a historical figure.

    If a statue celebrates or commemorates a person known for championing the mistreatment of a race (slavery) or a person who kidnapped, enslaved, and maimed people (Onate was known to cut off a foot to keep a captured native from escaping), should we really create an everlasting altar devoted to the memory of that person, idea, or way of life? Memorials and statues are created as symbols of who and what we choose to HONOR. We don’t honor criminals and miscreants, or at least we shouldn’t. The problem lately is that some of us can’t quite seem to recognize them. It’s time to acknowledge that the “heroes” of the antebellum are no longer the heroes of today. I hope you can understand and let go. If not, you can be consoled that there will always be photos of statues of your favorite champions of slavery on the internet.

    Stay safe out there.
    Best,

    Whitney Buchanan

  3. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:38 am

    Reader Ronald Costales writes:

    Diane,

    Just wanted drop a note of thanks for your column today in the Albuquerque Journal. It feels like the adults have left, and the kids are in charge.

    Ron Costales

  4. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:38 am

    Reader Trish Petty writes:

    Dear Ms. Dimond,

    I just wanted to say how much my husband and I enjoy reading your articles. We, too, are lamenting the way the world is becoming and freedom of speech is being taken away from us. I hope the “woke” won’t fight to have your voice stifled.

    Sincerely,

    Trish Petty

  5. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:39 am

    Reader Dan Cooksey writes:

    Ms. Dimond,

    Thank you for your Saturday column. I read your column every week and find it clear, fact and data-based, and I always learn something.

    I’m 74 years old and spent a lot of my time when my two sons were born on a ship in two tours in Vietnam. When I looked up at the flag flying over our ship it reminded me not only of my country, but of my wife and children, family and friends.

    As an officer, I swore to defend and protect the Constitution. I still hold to that promise.

    I have a small blog (address below) that I started a few years ago to share our lives and my photography. Recently, I made a few posts that, in my small way, tried to say what you said in your column today. I did them with the knowledge that some of my more progressive family members will not like them.

    Your audience is much broader than mine and I encourage you to keep speaking out. I will try to do the same in my smaller world.

    I’m a Christian and God has made me responsible for the spiritual well being of my family that includes my wife, two sons, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. I want to do whatever I can, no matter how limited, to protect them and preserve the goodness of our country for them.

    Warmest regards,

    Dan Cooksey

    Dan & Betty Cooksey
    Corrales, NM

  6. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:39 am

    David and Jackie Sena

    Right On! Your article was spot on. Thank you.

    Jackie Sena

  7. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:41 am

    Reader Mark Conradi writes:

    Dear Ms. Dimond,
    Let me congratulate you on an excellent editorial (June 20 in our
    Albuquerque NM Journal) concerning common sense and honest discussion about racial and other issues today. When honest discussion is silenced,it does not convince “the other side”; instead, the other side shuts up, discusses only amongst itself, and removes itself from any further honest discussion.

    I write in part because I saw just today an example in my fields of
    chemistry and physics in Chemical and Engineering News (C&E News), the house organ of the mainstream American Chemical Society, dated 15 June 2020, article “Essay deleted after backlash”. It tells of an opinion piece that was run in the German version of C&E News, Angewandte Chemie, English Edition. The author was opining about the state of organic chemical synthesis; he said that too much emphasis had been placed on diversity, at the expense of meritocracy, when hiring. Here I use the words of C&E News, as the essay has been removed from Angewandte. Two editors were suspended and the peer reviewers (unpaid positions) were stricken from the list. The editor-in-chief appears to be on his way out. The essay attracted a storm
    of fury.

    Having run a research group in a university, I know that lots of
    group leaders ask themselves how to weight the importances of scientific skill/ knowledge/ and creativity versus concerns of equity and diversity, when selecting graduate students or hiring postdocs or new faculty. It seems the answer is that one needs to have that conversation ONLY with oneself and never NEVER let anyone know that there is a tension, or that you do not give the diversity and equity side the winning vote every time. It means people lying about what they really think and really do.

    It is not good for science and, moreover, it is not good for our
    country.

    I bet you will attract a lot of negative comments about your
    editorial. I hope you will get at least a few comments that are
    appreciative of your candor. I appreciate it.

    Mark Conradi

  8. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:42 am

    Reader Pamela Hornsby writes:

    Diane,

    Thank you for all your top-notch articles that have been printed in the paper I get – The Albuquerque Journal. I whole heartedly agree with the June 20th article “Top crime victim today seems to be common sense”. Many years ago, I took some classes on critical thinking and I don’t see any of that happening nowadays. My mother barely had a grade school education when she had to quit to raise her two brothers after their parents died but she had more common sense in the tip of her little finger than most so-called highly educated people today have in their entire being. My husband I agree with your statement “ALL lives matter”.

    My husband is from the south and they continue to tear down Confederate statues because they are labeled as racist. In our state of New Mexico, statues of Spanish conquistadors are also being removed. I believe it is wrong to destroy our history – that is what Communist and Fascist dictators did. They came to power and destroyed their countries history (monuments, books, etc). Whether we like it or not, our history happened and I believe we need to learn from it – not destroy/erase it and act like it didn’t happen. This quote has always stuck with me: “Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it”. Also it is easy to look back on things that happened in the past and be horrified by a person’s actions or say “how could someone do that?” but if we had been in their shoes in the same circumstance, who is to say we might not have acted the same. Hindsight is wonderful.

    We were also thankful for Marc Thiessen’s article today that stated “kneeling for the anthem protests America, not racism”. He stated that our flag and national anthem symbolize the ideal of equality that America stands for – not those who have failed to live up to those ideals. Men and women of all races and creeds fought, were badly injured, and many died for what our flag stands for and when people disrespect the flag or anthem I believe it is like spitting on those who put their lives on the line. We used to be huge NFL fans until those highly paid players started taking a knee – now we no longer watch any of the games or buy any NFL products.

    This month marks my 70th year on this earth and as I look at what is happening in our country, I can honestly say this is the first time I have been truly scared. My husband and I would like to travel but we are fearful to do so now. We will not take a survey and avoid conversations with those who hold liberal socialist views because we no longer feel we have a voice. It used to be ok to “agree to disagree” but that no longer seems to be the case. If you disagree with certain groups, you are automatically labelled and sometimes targeted. We are gradually losing our freedoms.

    My husband and I are also saddened by how our police are being treated. There are bad cops and they need to be weeded out but we believe the highest percentage of police are good people who truly want to serve the people. In our country’s current environment, we feel the police are in a position where they feel that no matter what they do it will be wrong.

    God bless you for having the courage to stand up and speak truth and common sense.

    Pam Hornsby

  9. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:43 am

    Reader James Patrick writes:

    Ms. Dimond,

    Regarding “Top crime victim today seems to be common sense”, once again …you’ve nailed it.

    Jim Patrick
    Sandia Park, NM

  10. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:43 am

    Reader Lanita Harris writes:

    Thank you for your article in today’s Journal.

    When I saw the title, I admit that I thought it was going to be common sense is not resisting arrest. You points are well taken and I am glad someone spoke for the silent majority.
    Lanita Harris

  11. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:43 am

    Reader Robert Monday writes:

    Thank you so very much for being a breath of fresh air in a world of chaos.

  12. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:44 am

    Reader Allan Trosclair writes:

    Ms. Dimond – thank you very much for you article – for me it was in today’s Albuquerque Journal. I am sure that it will meet with a lot of resistance. However, I appreciate the thoughts and the sentiment.
    I spent 15 years in government, the same as an executive in an international corporation. I have lived in various parts of the US and in Europe. I have taught in a small college. I have traveled, and still travel internationally every year except for this year. I have seen what you are describing and
    subscribe to your reasoning. Thank you again for the inciteful and reasoned article. I have read other recent articles of yours that are just as reasoned, but this one prompted me to write in thanks. Keep doing what you do.

    Allan Trosclair

  13. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:44 am

    Reader Bonnie Keener writes:

    Diane, you are my hero! There is someone who thinks as I do. I think your column should be put on the front page of EVERY newspaper in the country. Thank you for bringing some sanity back into my world.

    Bonnie Keener

  14. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:44 am

    Reader Kevin B. Park writes:

    I dont get it either, but one thing I do understand is reasonable people must step up to defend the constitution. All of it. Allowing “peaceful protests” while also allowing rioting and looting is not it. Mayors who are afraid they will be judged harshly are afraid to act, so they don’t. I want to hear from the property owners whose buildings and houses have been seized and destroyed in Seattle, and other places. Summer of love? They have to be beside themselves with anger. Who is protecting their rights. Certainty not Seattle’s ridiculous mayor and Washington’s clueless governor.

    Hey, and while we’re at it, let’s also defund fire departments. They just sit around half the time. It makes as much sense.

    I always enjoy your work.

    Keep it up!

    Kevin Park

  15. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:45 am

    Reader Robert Dunlap writes:

    Your column in the ABQ Journal published today (6/20) is tremendous!

    As mentioned in earlier messages, I am one of your big fans.

    I confess to being an older WASP. I am stunned by the actions of the angry people in our society, but I am more stunned by the lack of leadership throughout the country.

    I really can’t believe the news out of Seattle, for example. The “summer of love” that the mayor talks about is an abject lack of leadership, and completely forgets the people who live and work and invest in that area.

    Do you have any idea how the “ordinary deplorables” like me can get the “leaders” in our country to come out of their politically careful shells and actually lead?

    How I wish we had Harry Truman again!!!!!

  16. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:45 am

    Daina Sidrys Urbaitis writes:

    Thank you for today’s column – I appreciate your willingness to honestly reveal your bigotry.

  17. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:46 am

    Reader Michelle Giese writes:

    Hi Diane,

    THANK YOU! You perfectly articulated my frustration over the twisting of words and phrases that is going on in our society. Your column provided me some much needed relief. Finally! Someone who understands! Maybe everything will be ok if enough people can recognize what is happening.

    Michelle

  18. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:47 am

    Reader Edward R Fancovic writes:

    Ms. Dimond:

    I am writing in response to your column published in the Albuquerque Journal on 6/20/20, particularly the final quarter of it regarding current controversies over statue removal. I think the sentiment to reevaluate and remove statues of “heroic” figures (to reflect society’s reevaluation of their contributions) is entirely appropriate.

    It is one thing to remember the deeds of individuals, and a completely different thing to put them in a place of honor and public display. We regularly commemorate the Holocaust without erecting statues of Hitler, Himmler and Eichmann; we have also not forgotten their names and what they did.

    There is ample scholarship which shows that many Confederate monuments were erected well into the 20th century to demonstrate disdain for Black people and any attempts to provide them equal treatment in our society, not simply to commemorate “hero” secessionists. It is not the memory which is being erased, but the honor, if it is undeserved.

    That is going to lead to difficult discussions about some figures (the conquistadors built the foundations of a new culture while trying to destroy existing ones; Washington and Jefferson were instrumental in founding our country but they were also slaveholders; Woodrow Wilson was a visionary in international affairs, and a segregationist), but that is what we need: not to forget the past, but to reevaluate it and to decide when honor is deserved.

    Ed Fancovic
    Albuquerque, NM

  19. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:48 am

    Reader Jim Barnes writes:
    Diane,

    I don’t know whether you will see this or have time to read it, but I wanted to comment on your Op-Ed in the June 20 edition of the Albuquerque Journal titled “Top crime victim today seems to be common sense”.

    You write:

    “And, finally, let’s consider the recent move to destroy our history, as if it, too, could or should be erased. Protesters have demanded countless statues of Civil War leaders – including the emancipation president Abraham Lincoln – be removed. Likewise for monuments depicting conquistadores who colonized the American West. Did some of those historical figures act in ways we consider abhorrent today? Absolutely, but pretending history didn’t happen is to bury our heads.

    If you follow their line of thinking then we should stop teaching students about World Wars I and II since atrocities took place. The horrors of Hitler’s program against Jews should never be mentioned. The Vietnam War, the civil rights struggle of the ’60s and Kent State all had decidedly ugly aspects. Do we ignore those events because remembering might make someone uncomfortable?”

    I disagree with your premise that removing the statues of Confederate generals and conquistadores is an attempt to destroy our history. Removal of the statues will get rid of symbols that seek to glorify that part of our past history. We need to recognize that these people are part of our history, but we shouldn’t give them preferential treatment and respect. We need to acknowledge what they did, both good and bad. We should not forget the Holocaust and the many people who died because of it, but we should not show that part of history any respect.

    Here are a couple of references for you to consider:

    The first is a short biographical sketch of Juan de Onate with some description of why many Native Americans despise him and want his statues removed.

    http://www.famous-explorers.com/famous-spanish-explorers/juan-de-onate/

    The second is an article from BBC Magazine from a couple of years ago that describes similar situations with historical figures in the U.K.

    https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-41904800

    Thank you for your consideration of this point.

    Jim Barnes

  20. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:48 am

    Reader Angela Higgins writes:

    Thank you for being the only voice of reason In Santa Barbara. I loved and wholly agree with your recent Noozhawk article.

    Best,
    Angela Higgins

  21. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:49 am

    Reader Roger Metzger writes:

    Thanks for your column re: Common Sense – From an 86 yr. old, who thinks he’s seen it all – From WW II to Black Lives matter. It doesn’t get better! First Trigger Warnings, then covering art works that offend someone to statues that offend – I ask only one question – When do we start burning Books??

    Somewhere in Hell, Hitler and Stalin are smiling.

    Roger Metzger

  22. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:55 am

    Reader Carol Simonton writes:

    So very true, Diane. Because of the democrat politicians, who rule in their twisted glorified thrones, we feel there is nothing we can do except vote Red in November. As long as they are in office, people feel defeated. We just got our first democrat mayor in our city and I’m afraid for our future.

  23. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 11:57 am

    Reader Noah Greenberg writes:

    Think about it..The left will never admit all lives matter..Reason being,they’d have to admit unborn babies lives matter and that they won’t do; so they’ll fight us tooth and nail on this.
    And they’d have to admit conservatives lives matter which to them we don’t..Nor do old dying people as proof in NYC with the Covid death,disabled people because they suck up money like the elderly that can be used to pay for illegal immigrants wants and greeds..

  24. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:01 pm

    Reader PScott Cummins writes:

    Thanks for bravely speaking out Diane! From the perspective of someone living in Seattle, yours is a rare voice of common sense. Always appreciate your hard work of real, actual JOURNALISM too!

  25. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:02 pm

    Reader Mary Moesh writes:

    Finally a voice of reason not apology!!! Thank you for expressing what I have been feeling, and saying!!! I couldn’t agree more!

  26. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:03 pm

    Reader Don Comfort writes:

    A reporter may have to interview 50 people to find the opinion he wants, but once he does, that opinion is magnified into the Voice of the Nation through the magic of the press; meanwhile, the actual voices of the People are rendered invisible, and this distortion is reality for many. No wonder so many are going insane! They are imprisoned in an alternative universe, and have no contact with actuality.

  27. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:04 pm

    Reader Spontaneous Order writes:

    You’re seeing the fruits of the belief that there is a divine right of the mob to rule the people. Who have consented to it all because the ruling elite have incrementally omitted fact and reason from government schooling to enable this system of democratic slavery to solidify and seem almost virtuous.
    The only way out now is for the people en masse to withdraw their consent and emancipate themselves.

  28. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:06 pm

    Reader moiaussi writes:

    Morality can be either good or bad. Morality is a fundamental survival mechanism.

    If an ant out exploring goes into a house and finds a food source and then returns to the nest and reports it that is a moral action. The ants in the nest then feed on the food. That is good moral action for the ants. But if the food is poison bait then that is bad moral action for the ants.

    The wokists – the socialists fascist communists – are purveyors of bad morality. This obsession with morality – irrespective of whether it’s good or bad – from the left is causing massive problems. Religion, Christianity, feeding into the The Enlightenment, rule of law, democracy, Democratic Capitalism is about good morality.

  29. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:07 pm

    Reader Thomas Anderson writes:

    “Since when does a tiny minority of a population get to decide how the rest of us think or express ourselves?”

    In cooler times, a Nobel Prize-winning economist pointed out that socialists have never needed a majority to gain power. We may be witnessing what we all were confident could never happen here, and preparing realistically for the worst may not be uncalled for.

    Praise the Lord and keep your power dry

  30. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:08 pm

    Reader Joseph Paquette writes:

    There is massive ignorance, at play here. It has been pointed out many times that hypocrisy is a major contributor. If segregation is bad, which it is, then all plaques, statues, monuments, books, writings, videos, of the self imposed segregation of Tulsa and “the black Wall Street” should also be taken down, erased, destroyed, and forever forgotten. It is said, “Walls are bad.” They built walls in this Seattle area. It is said, “I.D.s shouldn’t be required for an election.” They check I. D.s in this Seattle area. It is said, “Assault weapons are bad, and should be banned.” But, they Patrol this Seattle area with assault weapons. I’m not suggesting, but, merely stating, the nicest thing that could happen in this “love fest” would be the removal of this imbecile Mayor, and allowing the police to move these “protesters”. The alternative could be something no one wants to see happen. Oh, maybe, Defund students!

  31. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:09 pm

    Reader Laird Culver writes:

    There are the Democrat and the Democrat in Republican clothing sitting in Washington, and both are letting this go on too long. It is time for those of us who still believe in what we have defended through service to this country to rise up and strike down the political establishment and these spoiled “American” protesters.

  32. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:10 pm

    Reader Ron Vanettes writes:

    Why are we paying taxes? To subsidize cowardice?

  33. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:11 pm

    Reader Sharon Brown writes:

    Facts and common sense are not part of reasoning with the left. Emotion runs their agenda and it goes down hill from there.

  34. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:11 pm

    Reader Mike Carroll writes:

    Your commentary is spot on. Why are republican legislators not leading the charge to defend the truth? Because they are lazy, cowardly and afraid of their progressive brethren. They have left their “silent majority “ out in the cold. We need some leadership so that we can take back America!

  35. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    Reader Kat writes:

    DD wrote: “Does no one worry that this takeover of downtown Seattle might end badly or spread to other cities?”

    The upside (if you will) to what’s going on in CHAZ/CHOP is that folks across America can take a good look at that and say, “No way is the rest of America gonna be like that!” That is what will stop that radical, anarchal shit from spreading. It already has, as in Asheville, Nashville, etc. Even looney lefty pro Antifa Mayor Wheeler of Portland shut down commie/anarchy playtime in Portland where they were trying to set up their own zone.

    In the meantime, the radical loonies of CHOP are the laughing stock of the country. They’re showing the country – and the world – what life would be like if they ever got power at the national level – scary. [See the sign in the photo – “The world is watching”?]

    Indeed it is, and they’re a bunch of hypocrites and their hypocrisy is on full display.

    Radical lefties dead set against borders, and what’s the 1st thing they do? Establish borders.

    Dead set against border patrol yet they set up armed border patrol.

    Dead set against 2a rights, but they’re armed.

    Have you seen their “gardens”? LOL! Have you noticed their gardens are segregated; one for white people, the other for black and indigenous people?!

    Notice how the commie kiddies have gone wild coloring everything with their crayons and sidewalk chalk?! The fine arts!

    Have you checked out their “housing development”? [Tent city]

    Radical lefties howl about how America seized land from Native Americans, yet these folks seized land from Seattle and it’s OK….

    Dead set against capitalism, yet they’re selling $6.00 a pop hot dogs.

    Grab your popcorn and enjoy this shit show….

  36. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:14 pm

    Reader Terry Reber writes:

    Let it spread I say. Let it spread to the suburbs let it spread to the country. Let it spread to where the patriots are common. This will not go away unless common people stand up and react with Equal measures. The difference between us and them is we have righteousness and the Constitution on our side.

  37. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:16 pm

    Reader Jayne Irvine writes:

    Reining the abusers of power, yes! It seems that if a governor and or mayor who refuses to defend their city/citizens should have to be fired or even arrested – Seattle??? How can the mayor get away with that? The Constitution empowers our government to take steps to protect us against ALL enemies foreign and domestic. It is clear that Seattle mayor is a domestic enemy, boot her, now!

  38. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 12:38 pm

    Reader Derk writes:

    Welcome to Socialism 101. There will be an exam at the end of this semester which ends Nov. 3, 2020.

  39. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 1:09 pm

    Reader Valene Begano writes:

    Diane,

    Thank you so very much for speaking your mind and summing up all my thoughts in your article entitled Top Crime Victim Today Seems to be Common Sense.

    I’m appalled by everything going on in our society and am glad I am isolating at home (I’m 65) and not exposed to all those who have lost their minds.

    I love history and am appalled by The Cancel Culture (thank you for the term, it is spot on).

    Bless you, and continue the good fight.

    Valene Begano

  40. Nancy on June 22, 2020 at 1:24 pm

    I’m trying to let my voice be heard, Diane. I’m not going to be silent anymore. The onslaught of absurdities and atrocities against civilization and the moral fabric of our society seem endless, now. I too am frightened of how this will play out and to what result? If this truly is a political coup to get rid of Trump, I feel the Democrats are going to be sorely disappointed when they realize they have pushed it too far and will have lost complete control of the country. They will be hard pressed to bring this back to a level of civility which I know they are frothing at the mouth to claim victory over. The liberals and anarchists have almost done it. We absolutely are losing every common thread that makes us “united.”At least that’s what the media is portraying.

  41. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 2:02 pm

    Reader Gary Maurer writes:

    diane, why do you list only “violent” street protests when most of the street protests have NOT been violent? your question would be more neutral if you omitted the loaded word, “violent”.

    • Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 2:03 pm

      Diane replies to Gary:

      Because everyone knows that peaceful assembly is guaranteed by the US Constitution. We shouldn’t worry about those. We should worry when they turn violent – don’t you agree?

  42. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 2:03 pm

    Reader Bill Voinovich writes:

    KEY WORDS…. COMMON….SENSE…

  43. Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 2:03 pm

    Reader Elizabeth A. Benedetto writes:

    Police brutality – violence under the cover of law (and behind closed doors) – is one of the worst kinds of violence. Frankly, THAT bothers ME more.

    • Diane Dimond on June 22, 2020 at 2:06 pm

      Diane replies to Elizabeth:

      Yeah. I’m bothered – greatly bothered- by police brutality and disrespect of certain citizens. I hope you take into consideration, however, that there are more than 700,000 Americans who wear a badge and take an oath to keep us safe. A vast majority – 99.9% in my opinion – do not engage in police brutality. Important to weed out the bad police officers and not paint all of them with the same brush. ~ DD

  44. Timmy T., your old friend. on June 22, 2020 at 5:43 pm

    Today’s column, as do many of yours, reminds me of the Alfred Lord Tennyson remark,

    “That a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies;
    That a lie which is all a lie may be met and fought with outright;
    But a lie which is part a truth is a harder matter to fight.”

    I know that it’s important to you to view yourself as an “independent,” yet on a weekly basis you continue to select only those “facts” and perspectives that support your right-wing stance. Confirmation bias we call it, those of us who have examined epistemology at some level, and been humbled by its nature and what it says about us humans. But I digress.

    Today you say, “And, finally, let’s consider the recent move to destroy our history, as if it, too, could or should be erased.” I’m gob smacked by this view! The idea that “countless” (your word) Confederate statues somehow communicate the complexity of history? That their removal allows us to “pretend history didn’t happen?” This is absurd. It has been said that there has been a book written about the American Civil War for every day that has passed since that war.

    When right-wingers (and for that matter, some of my more radical left-wing acquaintances) start prattling on about “history,” I can’t help but ask, “What is the last decent history book you’ve read?” Often, the reply is, “I found it on the Internet.” Great. That cesspool of misinformation.

    Let’s drill into this notion. What exactly does a statue of a historical figure represent? Is it not an honorific? Does it not celebrate the deeds or the character or the intellect or something admirable about the subject and his/her relation to our civilization that we deem worth remembering in perpetuity? Is this controversial? Is my representation on target or not? If not, let’s talk about it, because my next point depends on this foundation.

    If I’m on target, then you are saying, in essence, that “countless” traitors to the United States of America, were willing to kill their fellow citizens in order to maintain the institution of black slavery, and expand its influence into the opening up of the western lands. And furthermore, that as a society we are at risk of not knowing this happened if we do not lionize them with “countless” statues celebrating their deeds? That we will be “burying our heads” in the absence of these obscenities?

    Dear god, what “history” have you read, what “common sense” tells you that Nathan Bedford Forrest should be recognized and admired as a hero in our country?

    Something that concerns me, as a person who reads history books – do you who go on about “history” even understand the nature of history, how it is produced, how it changes over time as new insights are discovered, new evidence comes to light?

    My final comment. For those who might actually want to read something that draws out the beginning of the tragedy of the Civil War and its aftermath, read W.E.B Dubois’ classic Black Reconstruction in America 1860-1880. To deepen the experience, read about what he had to go through to get access to white-controlled libraries in order to do his research.

  45. Diane Dimond on June 23, 2020 at 1:02 pm

    Reader Sharon Rager writes:

    The big truth here is that our law enforcement officers are WAY OUT GUNNED and way out numbered by the lawless of all sorts, mostly those involved in drugs and the drug culture. The court systems struggle to keep these criminals off the streets and out of the neighborhoods of decent and honest people. This, while disallowing our officers the right to protect US, themselves, their lives and their reputations. Disgusting. The good guys are NOT winning. WHO is going to help the cops we need SO badly??? Better yet. …. WHO will be willing to fulfill this country’s need for these protectors???.///
    OH and need I mention one of the most odious jobs of all??? DOMESTIC violence. Yes.

  46. Diane Dimond on June 23, 2020 at 1:16 pm

    Reader Ron Smock writes:

    Ms. Dimond:

    In regards to the recent article “Top Crime Victim Today Seems To Be Common Sense”….THANK GOD SOMEONE SAID THIS! I have been saying for a long time that the majority has put their head in the ground and let the minority rule things. This country was built on the majority and it is time to take it back. doing so will not be easy or quick and will really piss a lot of yuppies off, but so be it.

    This country has fallen in disarray with all the crying about some of the most insane things and ideas that I am totally fed up with and hope this year’s elections will provide individuals that have the cojones to bring things back into line with sanity. Common sense is only a term in the dictionary (remember those) these days and very few know that that is. I believe it is time for them to learn – or learn again. Demonstrators are only hurting themselves but if they can make the news..so be it as they destroy their own neighborhoods.

    I come from the age of hippies with peace and love….so what happened to them? Now days everything is ME an only ME and if you have what I want, I’ll sue to get it from you. What happened to their common sense?

    America took a wrong turn somewhere and got lost from it’s original foundation. There is no respect for law enforcement and the politicians are out only for themselves. So why are they going to change the world only during election time and do nothing in between according to their own agenda and forget about the people who elected them afterwards? When I was a kid, the Supreme Court and was the last place you wanted to be and now it’s all politics-lost respect there too. What has happened to their common sense? I could go on and on, but think you know where I’m coming from.

    Thanks for letting me vent and keep up the good work!

    Ron Smock

  47. Diane Dimond on June 23, 2020 at 2:14 pm

    Reader Pamela Shumard writes:

    I wanted to thank you for the excellent column you wrote that was published in today’s Albuquerque Journal. I am 76 years old and for the first time in my life I feel totally helpless against the ongoing anger and lack of respect for ALL peoples’ opinions. We live in the most wonderful country in the world…even at it’s worst…and it is so upsetting to see it being divided instead of united. At a time when many are being fired for expressing an opposing, unpopular point of view, I applaud your honesty and integrity.

    Pam Shumard

  48. Diane Dimond on June 23, 2020 at 7:19 pm

    Reader Lee Snarr writes:
    ~ Excellent Ms. Dimond, this needs to be understood.
    ~ If things don’t ‘calm down’ a bit – they will be trying to destroy the Jefferson Memorial, after all Thomas Jefferson owned slaves and then some. ENOUGH! If you want support for your ’cause’ – better chill out. Erasing out history good or bad is not the way to go.

  49. Diane Dimond on June 26, 2020 at 12:33 pm

    Reader Keith McFee writes:

    THANK YOU !!!
    After reading your article ” Crimes against Common Sense” I have hope. Hope that more people will speak up, and speak out about things that break common sense. It breaks common sense, that we punish all members of a group because of the actions of a few. It is Logical that all life is precious! and we should not be HATED for saying it.
    Thank you!
    Please continue this writing, and call people to action. Our representatives in government need to hear our side too.

  50. Diane Dimond on June 26, 2020 at 12:36 pm

    Reader Benebeth writes:

    Statues aren’t there to honor, Diane. They are just there to remember, nothing more. This craziness started a long time ago. Can’t have a manger on city property! Why not? Christians pay taxes. If Jews want to put a menorah on city property, they also pay taxes.
    Winston Churchill was torn down in London because a black man said he wasn’t fighting for blacks, just colonization. Actually, Churchill was fighting for England and waiting for America to enter the war.
    Illiterates are now calling the shots. Emotions rule the day. An SUV passed me in traffic the other day with “STAND FIRM” written on the back window. I don’t go around looking for a fight but I’ve been wearing my “Back the Blue” t-shirt this week. God help us all if this chaos doesn’t stop and soon.

  51. Diane Dimond on June 26, 2020 at 12:36 pm

    Reader Monterey Jack writes:

    “Common Sense” author Thomas Paine was an abolitionist, presumably. “On March 8, 1775, one month after Paine became the editor of The Pennsylvania Magazine, the magazine published an anonymous article titled ‘African Slavery in America,’ the first prominent piece in the colonies proposing the emancipation of African-American slaves and the abolition of slavery.” (Rodriguez, Junius P. 2007. Slavery in the United States: A Social, Political, and Historical Encyclopedia.) But let’s not get carried away! Paine may have authored the Declaration of Independence. “All men are created equal” obviously did not include slaves or “merciless Indian savages.” So let’s burn the Declaration and swear fealty to the Queen… of Wakanda!

  52. Diane Dimond on June 27, 2020 at 11:18 am

    Reader James Hehling writes:

    Great article. I believe this whole thing is being orchestrated and funded by the power people who are deathly afraid of President Trump. Who is providing all the funding for these ‘protest marches’? The bull horns and other devices used and not to mention all the unique clothing worn do not come free.

  53. Diane Dimond on June 27, 2020 at 11:24 am

    Reader Nolibindoc writes:

    Give the mob a one day notice, then bring in the military to clean it up . The only way to put a stop Or (delay) this without civil war .

  54. Diane Dimond on June 27, 2020 at 11:25 am

    Reader Jeffrey Bacon writes:

    Great article, I have had it myself with it all we just need a spark!

  55. Diane Dimond on June 27, 2020 at 11:25 am

    Reader amanda.harris writes:

    I have had it as well, how do we organize that spark? I know most people black and white feel the same way. How do we, the silent majority get our voices heard, when we are being shut up at every turn. I’m so frustrated. I agree with our voices being heard in November at elections, but between now and then, we also need a voice. I don’t want the vigilante justice BS, in my town and community. I feel horrible for those poor people that are stuck in their apartments and businesses in that autonomous zone, they must be scared and they are extorting mo yes from business owners. If I hadn’t watched it unfold, I wouldn’t have believed it. The media is literally promoting and supporting anarchy, unbelievable.

  56. Diane Dimond on June 27, 2020 at 11:26 am

    Reader Kae Thompson writes:

    Absolutely top notch article and no one could have stated it better! Thank You!

  57. Diane Dimond on June 27, 2020 at 11:26 am

    Reader Anonymous writes:

    Diane, you just earned my respect by stating what needed to be stated

  58. Diane Dimond on June 27, 2020 at 11:26 am

    Reader Mark Manley writes:

    Yes Diane the unthinkable leftist antisocial virus has turned the brains of the so easily influenced into mush. I agree we must speak up about all this madness taking place by these misguided few who are attempting to dismantle the foundation of this great country. Its obvious that the CCP and their leftist minions are behind all this. You have a house speaker calling to change names of military bases because it doesn’t fall into her revisionist criteria. Basement Joe is doing it too. Look at the cities where the protests and rioting got out of control and who was in charge. That answers many questions there of why anarchy is rampant in these locals. You have hate groups advocating hate and try to put the blame where it doesn’t belong. They want to reopen old wounds that have been long forgotten and resolved. True Americans are sick and tired of this madness and won’t take it anymore. We are taking notice and speaking up. Come November the little whiners will be whining more because the leftist movement and their agenda will be defeated at the ballot box. They are only hurting themselves because of their actions and misguided ways.

  59. Diane Dimond on June 27, 2020 at 11:26 am

    Reader William Tuck writes:

    Well said!! We’re getting to the tipping point. There is a real possibility of Militias forming and putting a stop to this madness!! I figure there are at least twenty million well armed Americans ready to hit the streets and put a stop to all this Anarchy!!

  60. Diane Dimond on July 3, 2020 at 10:25 am

    Reader Peter Huested writes:

    Dear Ms. Dimond,

    I was catching up on some delinquent reading today when I read your “Crime and Justice Column” in the June 20th Albuquerque Journal, “Top crime victim today seems to be common sense.”

    It was spot-on!

    Since Mr. Floyd’s death on Memorial Day, my wife and I have wondered aloud your opening question, “What the hell is going on in this country?” We also concur there is a silent majority who is generally receptive to calls for improvements and reforms of policing and related matters, but the “self-righteous members of the so-called ‘woke’ pack” seem to own the microphone…and the genitals of many political and business leaders (though these leaders willfully, apologetically in some cases, surrendered them). It also seems a minority of Americans are exempt from the requirements of law, order, and the requirement for peaceful protest.

    I’m trying to do something—I have a lengthy editorial I’m refining that I may submit to the Wall Street Journal…I expect the woke folks will find some way to be offended, but the silent majority can’t presume our leaders will be the adults in the room, so we have to say something. Thank-you for speaking out.

    In your column you wondered how so few people, bereft of common sense and critical thinking, could command such a monumental chain reaction through our institutions. For some insight, may I suggest Nassim Taleb’s book Skin in the Game. He has a chapter titled “The Most Intolerant Wins: the Dictatorship of the Small Minority.” He explains how only a fraction of a population can cause waterfalls of change for all—his explanation is fascinating but sobering because it shows an indifferent, ambivalent, or disorganized majority will always lose to a motivated and cunning minority. You can find this chapter online at this URL.

    https://medium.com/incerto/the-most-intolerant-wins-the-dictatorship-of-the-small-minority-3f1f83ce4e15

    I’ll always look forward to your column.

    Many thanks!

    Patrick W. Huested

Leave a Comment