This isn’t a spontaneous act of anger. It is a theory of how to achieve political change, and there is a full court press right now to get America to accept assault, looting, and arson as normal and acceptable forms of political activism.

We should take a moment to think what that actually means. It means that argument, debate, and voting would be replaced as the means for making political decisions with a kick to the teeth. Persuasion would be replaced by terror.

Isabel Paterson once described Maximilian Robespierre, the instigator and leader of the Reign of Terror, as “the humanitarian with the guillotine.” That captures the contradiction of today’s rioters, who tell us they’re going to make the world a better place through terror and mayhem.

The only cause served by this is totalitarianism. If you are for violence as a means of achieving political change, then you are not against the abuse of power. You are only against its abuse by somebody other than you.