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Charles Shaw on "Letter from Motor City "

Charles Shaw — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 08:15:23 +0100

An exceptional piece, and a kind of paean to the creative potential of human beings in times of adversity. As an urban artist the last 20 years, I have seen artist's renaissances in Chicago, Boston, New York and San Francisco. They always led to gentrification, and the ultimate expulsion of the artists from the neighborhoods they rescued and made safe and hip for the yuppies. In Detroit, there is the potential for artists to revive, and retain, significant sections of the city. The Burner community is strong there, and they are naturally inclined to build. Bravo to all there. This is truly amazing work, and incredible writing.

* * * * * * *

Charles Shaw

Author/Activist

Editor, The Dictionary of Ethical Politics

Ross Perlin on "Letter from Motor City "

Ross Perlin — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 14:50:43 +0100

A nice piece today over at the New York Times Magazine.... The city has played a significant role not only in the development of African-American music, culture, and religion (and fittingly it's home to the US' most comprehensive museum on those subjects), but has also had a major socioeconomic impact.

hikarius on "Letter from Motor City "

hikarius — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:27:32 +0100

It's a shame that Detroit has been unable to reinvent itself. The last time I was there I was amazed at how dead the city felt. Property values are practically non-existent and the number of vacant buildings is astounding. I think it's sad that the residents haven't taken better care of the city and done whatever it takes to attract new businesses to the area

DeanOR on "Letter from Motor City "

DeanOR — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 21:17:18 +0100

I lived much of my life there. The deterioration is actually much sadder and more extensive than described in this post. But there have always been great people there, and there still are. I'm not one of them. great or otherwise. I couldn't take it any more, and I was ready for the young person's adventure of seeking a new life elsewhere. The causes of the decline are many and are found in the history of America, not in simplistic racist caricatures of black people or white people. Despite the decline, there are great works of art there, universities, medical centers, and more - and a spirit that persists under the hardest conditions.

bigC - one last time on "Letter from Motor City "

bigC - one last time — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 16:50:59 +0100

<b>Its sad beyond belief but the plain fact is black people
cannot create or maintain modern civilization.</b>

It's sad and beyond belief that such a racist comment could be published here. Suggesting that the condition of the people of Haiti or Switzerland (or Detroit) has it's cause in some imagined racial characteristic of their respective populations is the kind of nonsense which you'd expect from a pretentious fraud like Buckley.

The plain fact is that anyone intellectually deficient enough to mistake his racist banalities for wisdom is unlikely to have the capacity to comprehend the forces that create or maintain modern civilisation.

Swiss Civilization on "Letter from Motor City "

Swiss Civilization — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 13:43:41 +0100

Thanks for the racist troll, Scotta. Here's a sample of Swiss civilization:

Beginning in the late 1970s Nestlé (a Swiss-based corporation) began to attract global criticism for its infant-formula marketing policies, especially those conducted in developing countries. Public outcry peaked with the Nestlé boycott of 1977 which (though suspended for several years in the mid-1980s) remains in effect today. Nestlé is the most boycotted company in the world as a result.

The thing about Haiti is that it has been perpetually invaded and colonized, first by Europeans, then by Americans. Remember the US-backed Coup D'etat in September 1991 against President Aristide?

What we're seeing in Detroit is the final result of corporatism. Always trying to stay ahead of its own waste stream, failing to innovate and relying instead of corporate cronyism, multi-million dollar lobbyists, and ultimately corporate welfare when it outplays its hand.

Westley Heine on "Chicago: tale of two cities"

Westley Heine — Mon, 15 Jun 2009 23:32:46 +0100

Mr. Charles Shaw,

How have you been? This is Wes Heine, the creator of that short film "Trail of Quetzalcoatl" with Daniel Pinchbeck. Thank you again for your help with that project. I'd like to repay you with a new venture.

I am on the board with a group called Wicker Park Nights. We are planning and event entitled: AN END OF DAYS; THE RESURRECTION OF THE ARTIST IN ALL OF US.

It will take place inside a very large, and recently abandoned, church in Wicker Park. There will be art and live music as well as speakers.

I always liked you columns, and at the showing of Zeitguist I thought you were a great group speaker. I'd like to officially invite you to do speak at this event (date still pending). I'd leave the subject to your discretion, the theme is broad, but basically what you feel are some signs of the times and how the world is rapidly changing.

You can learn more at:

http://wickerparknights.com/

Hope to hear from you soon,

- Wes Heine

PS
How is your book going? & feel free to use you work in the lecture if you wish.

I had a brief appearance in Conscious Choice last year:
http://consciouschoice.com/2008/02/oor_infinigon0802.html

earthgecko on "The plague spin of New Orleans"

earthgecko — Wed, 06 May 2009 17:08:11 +0100

This is an interesting piece Jim, it does highlight how invincible we feel, however the world case changed since those days, and changed fairly dramatically.

We know that the next pandemic is inevitable, not a matter of if but when. Therefore, assuming that everything will be alright and we will "overcome" is a fairly optimistic and in some way a naive way of looking at the situation. This is not to say all is doom and gloom. Just that a measure of caution may be required. If the next pandemic is a real killer the death toll will be incredibly high, orders of magnitude more than anything of civilisation has seen before. This is not based on any medical statement, but on our current rapidly evolving social systems, which rapid they may be, still lags behind our more rapidly evolving world

Our current defense plan against this virus is mostly based on Tamiflu (oseltamivir) which ironically H1N1 has been developing a very fast resistance to since 2007 (WHO reported) and last year achieved 100% resistence to strains in South Africa and Australia reported by Dr Niman and even the CDC on 10 Jan 2009 reported that 98% of their H1N1 samples from 25 states tested were resistant and many more.

So even if the cures do become more effective, whether we have the time and infrastructure to develop them, mass produce them and distribute them, is unfortunately a question that will only be answered when it happens.

Our recent handling of a number of disasterous events has shown us that we are vulnerable to systematic breakdown. It may even be arguable that our current social systems are too vast, complex and interconnected to actually respond to, let alone deal with a crisis on a national or global scale. Not that there is anything that we can necessarily do about that. I think if fate plays us one of those cards, all our optimism and ingenuity may be found to be lacking.

However, on a brighter note, I do believe we will bounce back, only different and yes New Orleans may bounce back as well.

We should never underestimate the power of evolution. We often forget that evolution does not only create, it is also a very powerful destructive force as well.

JFox on "Kettling: another special relationship"

JFox — Tue, 21 Apr 2009 12:36:59 +0100

I am disurbed not only by kettling but by the apparently widespread assumption that the police have a right to hit people. Assaulting children is illegal; so one of the less savoury privileges of adulthood is the right to be beaten by a police officer. It seems to me that we need a fundamental change both in the law allowing police to injure and humiliate citizens in this way, and in the underlying relationship between the police and the public.The role of the police should be confined to fighting crime and catching criminals. Once they venture beyond that remit, corralling and prodding people like cattle, they turn from being our servants to our masters.

ceedee on "Kettling: another special relationship"

ceedee — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 10:14:32 +0100

The big difference between the respective police tactics at the RNC and recent G20 protests was that in London there was absolutely no attempt to arrest those 'kettled' for hours.
The demonstrators were 'contained' in ever-contracting spaces with no escape and periodically charged by aggressive, baton-wielding officers.
By avoiding formal mass-arrests, London police deliberately frustrated the most accessible defensive legal action that you and the ACLU have since sought.

It seems that in the UK, brutal and extended detention without charge is now perfectly legal. Watch out America!

Drome on "Kettling: another special relationship"

Drome — Sat, 18 Apr 2009 22:35:07 +0100

Kettling has been widely used across Europe for a long time. The earliest example I remember was 1986 in Hamburg, Germany. Same sort of discussions about its rights and wrongs, but essentially the police needs it and does it, whether they get fined afterwards or not.

Kettling has several derivations, i.e. the 'Wanderkessel' where the police kettle protesters in and then walks with them.

Corporal Cactus on "Kettling: another special relationship"

Corporal Cactus — Fri, 17 Apr 2009 07:04:38 +0100

I do believe "kettling" made its US debut much sooner. For example, I was among hundreds of people corralled in such a manner on (I believe) 20th between I & K Streets in Washington, DC 9 years and 2 days ago. This was a pre-major event march against the prison-industrial complex in conjunction with the IMF/World Bank meetings, April 16-18, 2000.

I escaped the arrests by lifting a manhole cover in the street and clambering down inside. One other person joined me. We waited for what seemed like hours in what turned out to be an electrical conduit below a building, surrounded by high-voltage cables, connectors and transformers. Everyone above had been hauled off to have their rights violated by the DC Metro Police. I later heard those arrested were denied water and food for over 24 hours.

We eventually escaped (opened up the manhole cover again and ran like hell) and made it to where many protesters were convening. During the escape, I got separated from my companion but were reunited at this point.

But to get back to my point: "Kettling" is not so new, nor is it so unique to the UK.

Patriotic on "What will Obama do with Churchill's bust?"

Patriotic — Wed, 11 Mar 2009 15:18:41 +0000

So Obama didn't want to keep the bust because of his personal loyalty to his Father's homeland. I guess that make sense.

Too bad he and his Administration didn't feel like explaining that this was a deliberate and calculated insult rather than simply a bumbling mistake that make them look even more clueless than the they like to characterize the previous administration. Perhaps because it might invite too many other questions of when he will choose to place the interests of Kenya above those of the United States.

johne on "What will Obama do with Churchill's bust?"

johne — Fri, 20 Feb 2009 18:13:53 +0000

I suggest that the bust of Churchill be returned to the White House where it should be prominantly displayed as a door knob or door stop

It may be too big to be used as a door knob but a door stop would be most appropriate.

Jim Sleeper on "US neo-cons jump the conservative ship"

Jim Sleeper — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 17:15:00 +0000

Thanks for this note. I was quoting from what I heard Tanenhaus say in the videotape of his lecture. Apparently he was referring to Buckley's publication of the letters. I appreciate the clarification and ought to have wondered about the date myself, since I do know that your grandfather did not live to see the late 1960s, let alone 1970.