Defeat Of The Will

Twenty five years ago when I was but a naive libertarian a friend of mine stole (Yes, he committed an actual act of theft) a VHS copy of the film Triumph Of The Will from a local neo-Nazi. It was a display of soulless conformity to the will of the leader. It was a display of the power of Adolf Hitler.

There was no other message and It literally put me to sleep.

On Sunday it was a clear and sunny morning when I went down to the Veterans Memorial in Saint Paul. There were about a hundred people gathered in support of the Million Veteran March in Washington. An unmarked camera crew from a local TV station was briefly present. There was a general invitation for participants in the rally to speak. And I made a mental note to bring a prepared speech next time.

It was upon returning to my home I was astounded by the images and videos from the veterans march in Washington. This demonstration was the open display of disobedience to the will of Barack Obama.

It was the defeat of the will and the power of Barack Obama.

Now, does the President of the United States have the authority to shut the public out of public spaces?

I don't know at the moment but an argument in favor of doing so on the basis of public safety falls a bit flat when the cost of doing so is greater that the cost of properly manning the sites.