04.28.2015 06:24 PM

Baltimore: read this

That said, my greater source of personal concern, outrage and sympathy beyond this particular case is focused neither upon one night’s property damage nor upon the acts, but is focused rather upon the past four-decade period during which an American political elite have shipped middle class and working class jobs away from Baltimore and cities and towns around the U.S. to third-world dictatorships like China and others, plunged tens of millions of good hard-working Americans into economic devastation, and then followed that action around the nation by diminishing every American’s civil rights protections in order to control an unfairly impoverished population living under an ever-declining standard of living and suffering at the butt end of an ever-more militarized and aggressive surveillance state.

14 Comments

  1. davie says:

    Chris Hedges could have written this.

    That’s something when these observations and ideas are being said by so many diverse spokespersons.

  2. debs says:

    well said!

  3. edward nuff says:

    power speaking truth to power. never thought I’d see it.

    somethings gotta happen
    it’s time for a change
    never mind the numbers
    take down the names
    of every last mother
    who filled your brain with shame
    somethings gotta happen
    it’s time for a change

    how i see it.

  4. Africon says:

    “The principle of peaceful, non-violent protest and the observance of the rule of law is of utmost importance in any society”
    Agreed
    “Investigation must be completed and due process must be honored before any government or police members are judged responsible”
    Agreed

    “American political elite have shipped middle class and working class jobs away from Baltimore and cities
    and towns around the U.S. to third-world dictatorships like China and others”

    While it may have been American (and any 1st world country) business elite that shipped off these jobs.
    It is really not that simple.
    It is the American and Canadian public that freely choseo buy cheaper or better quality (or both) products that came from any number of overseas manufacturers.
    It is also fine to speak about the hard times of these getting by on a mere $10 -$20 per hour but what of all those third world workers whose massively underpaid work allow these hard up 1st world workers to enjoy enourmous benefits in lifestyle on their backs?

    Ever wonder how many huge union pension funds secure the pensions of N American workers by very sensibly buying into the profits of the um nasty “business elite”?

    Spare me the bullshit that conveniently ignores the rest of the story and the rest of humanity whose lot in life is so much worse than these violent protesters that would rather protest than pull themselves up by their bootstraps.
    If you don’t agree with that view then please explain how so many African and Asian immigrants that arrive here with nothing and are now too busy working their asses off or studying hard to be out protesting about anything.

    • Doris says:

      “Spare me the bullshit that conveniently ignores the rest of the story and the rest of humanity whose lot in life is so much worse than these violent protesters that would rather protest than pull themselves up by their bootstraps.”

      Well that’s it then. It’s all the fault of the protesters, so the rest of us can ignore them and carry on regardless. What utter horseshit.

      We are now into the consumer society and consumption taxes. That means the people on the bottom get to carry the rest of us by their spending habits. OK so far but the people who control production have shifted production overseas and guess what people cannot either work or buy the products. Ergo the modern consumer society has destroyed itself. Where the hell is Henry Ford when we need him.

      OK back to Baltimore and other American inner Cities. No jobs, no hope, no education, no money (except the local economy which is foodstamps welfare and drug money) and you want these people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps (neo-con code for “get off your asses you lazy bastards). With what and what would they do if they ever did no jobs – no hope.

      And you wonder why they will smash everything in sight whenever they get the chance? Jeezus you make my blood boil. Even Obama, as well as Angelos are saying the same thing here. Just because you want to close the drawbridge and stay in your nice little hidey hole with all your smugness you can’t ignore this it is a sign of the dispossessed saying “Enough” get used to it because people like you will be the first to get burned out!

  5. Africon says:

    Doris –
    “Well that’s it then. It’s all the fault of the protesters, so the rest of us can ignore them and carry on regardless. What utter horseshit.”

    Did I say that?
    No, what I did say was that I agreed with non-violent protest.
    You conveniently avoid the findings of the Justice Dept re Michael Brown and you conveniently avoid the fact much of the violence in all of these violent protests comes from outsiders rather than from locals.

    “We are now into the consumer society and consumption taxes.
    That means the people on the bottom get to carry the rest of us by their spending habits.
    OK so far but the people who control production have shifted production overseas and guess what people cannot either work or buy the products. Ergo the modern consumer society has destroyed itself. Where the hell is Henry Ford when we need him.”

    Henry Ford – really? that antisemitic Nazi lover – that Henry Ford? The mind boggles.
    Again you conveniently avoid the shopping choices of society in general.
    Personally, I have never shopped in a Walmart EVER, on principle, have you?
    You sidestep the reasons behind the shifting of production overseas – why?
    On what basis do you claim that the “bottom get to carry the rest of us by their spending habits”? What rubbish!

    “OK back to Baltimore and other American inner Cities.
    No jobs, no hope, no education, no money (except the local economy which is foodstamps welfare and drug money) and you want these people to pull themselves up by their bootstraps (neo-con code for “get off your asses you lazy bastards).
    With what and what would they do if they ever did no jobs – no hope.”

    You forget that I have lived in Africa for decades and have seen up close and personally what real poverty and real “no hope” looks like.
    It is pure unmitigated rubbish for you to state that in Baltimore there are “No jobs, no hope, no education’ you really do not have a clue about what that really looks like.

    I have also seen the abject failure of foreign aid and of the enablers like you who think that the “poverty industry” has actually accomplished anything after 40 years.
    How do you explain those immigrants arriving in N America with nothing, no language, few skills but who are willing to take whatever job or 2 or 3 jobs they can get to scrimp and save and who cannot believe the opportunities that life here affords them and how fortunate they are to have got here.
    Same opportunities as our local and enabled poor that you feel so sorry for.
    Oh that’s right, you simply side stepped those inconvenient facts and questions and went the self righteous and emotional route.

    “And you wonder why they will smash everything in sight whenever they get the chance?
    Jeezus you make my blood boil. Even Obama, as well as Angelos are saying the same thing here.
    Just because you want to close the drawbridge and stay in your nice little hidey hole with all your smugness you can’t ignore this
    it is a sign of the dispossessed saying “Enough” get used to it because people like you will be the first to get burned out!”

    Again, I am not “closing the drawbridge” as you put it, I am attempting to open your closed mind to the far larger issues of injustice and
    poverty of oh say 2 BILLION people that you appear content to close the drawbridge on by ignoring their plight.
    You choose to ignore their $1.00 a DAY while having so much pity for the local poor that refuse to take a $10 per HOUR job!
    I support micro-loans to truly poor people all over the world who actually just want a chance while you want to give food stamps to the same poor familys’ who are content to collect hand-outs for their entire lifetimes. How’s that been working out?

    I wonder if you have ever seen people “burned out” or starving without access to schools, clean water or medical facilities all because they have the misfortune of living under the jackboot of some dictator in conditions far, far worse than living in a poor neighbourhood in Baltimore which does have in fact have clean water, free schools and free medical AND jobs.

    • pkuster says:

      Economist Thomas Sowell does a magnificent job shining a light on this long before it happened.
      It’s 50 min long, so grab a beverage.
      I’m sure not all here will agree, so the points pertinent to Baltimore start at the 32 min mark and
      the he destroys the narrative at the 45 min mark.

      https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cdBn7MUM3Yo#t=2971

      Just remember this;

      “It’s Democrats protesting Democratic leaders and a Democratic Police Dept. and Democratic policies
      In a Democrat -run city”

  6. Africon says:

    So Scott, do you remember who opened Canadian diplomatic relations with China – was it a Liberal or a Con?

    As a diehard liberal, what is your view on Trade vs Human rights principle when it comes to China?
    What do YOU really stand for?

  7. Africon says:

    Article stated – “an American political elite have shipped middle
    class and working class jobs away from Baltimore and cities and towns around the U.S. to third-world dictatorships like China and others.”

    There is zero connection between poverty in Baltimore and Chinese productivity.
    Baltimore has had poor ghettos long before the Chinese began exporting products based upon low wages.

  8. Joe says:

    Wow those are cute cliches he is peddling too bad they are not true. This is the direct result of the soft racism of the Democrats. The low expectations – low demands on individuals based on their race is the biggest obstacle facing the average young black in the US. The ‘you’re black so we don’t expect you to do well in school”. You’re black so we don’t expect you to get a job”. “You’re black so we don’t expect you to raise your kids”. etc etc etc.

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