First of all, a disclaimer: In stark, unmistakable contrast to the narrative being promulgated by the so-called news networks, I am not conflating rioting (with its subsets of looting, burning and pillaging) and protesting.

If there was one positive thing provided by the death of George Floyd, it was the sheer universality of the condemnation of the shameful, inhuman behavior of the police officer and his colleagues in whose custody Mr. Floyd met his end (I say "if there was" instead of "if there were" because that one positive thing is already a thing of the past).

It was the one thing that distinguished this incident from every other one that has inspired widespread protests, be it the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, Eric Garner, Freddie Gray or any of so many others. In every one of these preceding incidents, there were voices disputing the "victim" status of the departed, and often making a viable case. Not everyone was on board with the protests, even before they degenerated into riots.

But in the case of George Floyd there was nobody who was not outraged at the barbarity of the tactic used on him. Everyone, regardless of race, ethnicity or political persuasion, felt and expressed the same degree of disgust at the cruelty we all witnessed. Even the law enforcement community, famous for closing ranks to defend one of its own (sometimes justifiably, sometimes not), saw the incident as an atrocity, and its members weren't the least bit shy about saying so. There was not a single voice even attempting to blame Mr. Floyd or to put a positive spin on the actions of the police officers.

The incident had, for an all-too-brief moment, the remarkable capacity to unite our nation in a way that hasn't been seen since 9/11.

And there was a glimpse of that unity in the spontaneous protests that occurred, populated by Americans of every stripe. Across all conceivable demographics there wasn't a whiff of justification for the death of George Floyd, nor a jot nor tittle of sympathy or apology for those who facilitated his death.

But then "some people did something".

As my dad used to say, "They just couldn't leave well enough alone." All that unity, all that sympathy, all that consensus just wasn't quite good enough.

Standing shoulder-to-shoulder with fellow Americans from every walk of life and raising their voices together to shout demands for accountability somehow wasn't enough to channel some people's anger, and it did nothing to assuage some people's greed, which of course had nothing to do with the case, but that didn't matter when presented with the opportunity to go on a looting spree and bring home a new TV.

And it didn't serve the agenda of divisiveness to which some people are dedicated.

Even when the looting first started, there was still a distinction between the criminals breaking windows and stripping store shelves and the legitimate, civilized protestors (who managed to refrain from destruction and theft). Even the heavily-armed self-described “Rednecks” who were interviewed on TV while voluntarily protecting a smoke shop from the pillaging hordes were quick and unequivocal in pointing out that they supported the protestors' cause!

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It was only when the "news", and the usual gang of America-hating politicians and celebritards deliberately became apologists for the pillagers, painting protesting and rioting as two sides of the same coin, did all that unity, commiseration and sympathy come to be squandered. George Floyd's death might have actually served a positive, noble purpose, but No. The last thing these cynical, opportunistic Leftists want to see is all Americans unified and in agreement over anything.