# Our Country Has To Heal Now After the Events of Last Week



## Ruthanne (Jul 9, 2016)

I know many Americans are hurting and reeling from the events of last week.  In Dallas yesterday people of all colors came together to support the fallen police officers.  Those police officers had been helping the protesters to protest safely. 

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/jul/08/dallas-police-shooting-video-vigil

There was a vigil in Dallas yesterday for the fallen officers.

There were vigils nationwide for Dallas:

https://www.rt.com/usa/350287-vigils-nationwide-dallas-officers/

Leaders are calling for Unity now.


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## Debby (Jul 10, 2016)

I get a feeling that there is a tiny bit of adjustment going on in the attitudes of both the police and especially the communities.  Like with Ferguson, terrible rioting, but this time and even with the video of Mr. Castile's death, an incredible calm.  I hope the calm prevails and there is a true coming together and talk and change.

I do think though that the NRA has really revealed its true nature (silence when the gun carriers are killed 'because they have guns').  They're willing to support taking the money of those black buyers, but not willing to stand up for them when those purchases get them killed.


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## QuickSilver (Jul 10, 2016)

Debby said:


> I get a feeling that there is a tiny bit of adjustment going on in the attitudes of both the police and especially the communities.  Like with Ferguson, terrible rioting, but this time and even with the video of Mr. Castile's death, an incredible calm.  I hope the calm prevails and there is a true coming together and talk and change.
> 
> I do think though that the NRA has really revealed its true nature (silence when the gun carriers are killed 'because they have guns').  They're willing to support taking the money of those black buyers, but not willing to stand up for them when those purchases get them killed.



Mr. Castile was not killed because he carried a gun..  He was killed because he was a Black man carrying a gun... despite he was doing do legally..   Why sugar coat it... He would not have been killed if he were White.  This country suffers from a deep cancer..   I am doubtful it can be cured.


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## Ruthanne (Jul 10, 2016)

Debby said:


> I get a feeling that there is a tiny bit of adjustment going on in the attitudes of both the police and especially the communities. .... an incredible calm.  I hope the calm prevails and there is a true coming together and talk and change......


Yes.  Me too.


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## Debby (Jul 10, 2016)

QuickSilver said:


> Mr. Castile was not killed because he carried a gun..  He was killed because he was a Black man carrying a gun... despite he was doing do legally..   Why sugar coat it... He would not have been killed if he were White.  This country suffers from a deep cancer..   I am doubtful it can be cured.




I get your point, but can it be denied that if he hadn't had that gun, if he'd just handed over his id, maybe that neurotic cop wouldn't have pulled the trigger?  Unfortunately we will never know.  And all that's left is to marvel at his girlfriends presence of mind in that horrible moment.


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## QuickSilver (Jul 10, 2016)

Debby said:


> I get your point, but can it be denied that if he hadn't had that gun, if he'd just handed over his id, maybe that neurotic cop wouldn't have pulled the trigger?  Unfortunately we will never know.  And all that's left is to marvel at his girlfriends presence of mind in that horrible moment.




I believe the victim was in the process of reaching for his wallet to produce his ID...  and told the cop that was what he was doing...  if he were white, would this have happened?


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## Ruthanne (Jul 10, 2016)

There have been some shooting of police officers since the Dallas police shootings.  I heard that on CNN.  I hope our country will take this time to look at the problems we have and find answers and also have some spiritual healing after all that has happened.


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## Ruthanne (Jul 10, 2016)

Peace is the marriage of the people and the planet, with all attendant vows.
— Anonymous

Peace comes from being able to contribute the best that we have, and all that we are, toward creating a world that supports everyone. But it is also securing the space for others to contribute the best that they have and all that they are.
— Hafsat Abiola

There is no trust more sacred than the one the world holds with children. There is no duty more important than ensuring that their rights are respected, that their welfare is protected, that their lives are free from fear and want and that they grow up in peace.
0— Kofi Annan

The first peace, which is the most important, is that which comes within the souls of people when they realize their relationship, their oneness with the universe and all its powers, and when they realize that at the center of the universe dwells the Great Spirit, and that this center is really everywhere, it is within each of us.
— Black Elk (1863-1950)

There is no time left for anything but to make peacework a dimension of our every waking activity.
— Elise Boulding

Democracy is an objective. Democratization is a process. Democratization serves the cause of peace because it offers the possibility of justice and of progressive change without force.
— Boutros Boutros-Ghali

Better than a thousand hollow words is one word that brings peace.
— Buddha (560-483 B.C.)

Peace, to have meaning for many who have only known suffering in both peace and war, must be translated into bread or rice, shelter, health and education, as well as freedom and human dignity.
— Ralph Johnson Bunche (1904-1971)

Peace is the only battle worth waging.
— Albert Camus (1913-1960)

Human Beings, indeed all sentient beings, have the right to pursue happiness and live in peace and freedom.
— The XIVth Dalai Lama

Peace, in the sense of the absence of war, is of little value to someone who is dying of hunger or cold. It will not remove the pain of torture inflicted on a prisoner of conscience. It does not comfort those who have lost their loved ones in floods caused by senseless deforestation in a neighboring country. Peace can only last where human rights are respected, where people are fed, and where individuals and nations are free.
— The XIVth Dalai Lama

I like to believe that people in the long run are going to do more to promote peace than our governments. Indeed, I think that people want peace so much that one of these days governments had better get out of the way and let them have it.
— Dwight D. Eisenhower (1890-1969)

Peace cannot be achieved through violence, it can only be attained through understanding.
— Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)

It is possible to live in peace.
— Mahatma Gandhi (1869-1948)

We look forward to the time when the Power of Love will replace the Love of Power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace.
— William Gladstone (1809-1898)

Peace is every step.
— Thich Nhat Hanh

If we are peaceful, if we are happy, we can smile and blossom like a flower, and everyone in our family, our entire society, will benefit from our peace.
— Thich Nhat Hanh

Peace-making is a healing process and it begins with me, but it does not end there.
— Gene Knudsen Hoffman

Nothing is more precious than peace. Peace is the most basic starting point for the advancement of humankind.
— Daisaku Ikeda

Peace is the respect for the rights of others. (El respeto al derecho ajeno es la paz ).
— Benito Juarez (1806-1872)

A truly free society must not include a “peace” which oppresses us. We must learn on our own terms what peace and freedom mean together. There can be no peace if there is social injustice and suppression of human rights, because external and internal peace are inseparable. Peace.is not just the absence of mass destruction, but a positive internal and external condition in which people are free so that they can grow to their full potential.
— Petra Karin Kelly (1947-1992)

But peace does not rest in the charters and covenants alone. It lies in the hearts and minds of all people. So let us not rest all our hopes on parchment and on paper, let us strive to build peace, a desire for peace, a willingness to work for peace in the hearts and minds of all of our people. I believe that we can. I believe the problems of human destiny are not beyond the reach of human beings.
— John F. Kennedy (1917-1963)

You can’t separate peace from freedom because no one can be at peace unless he has his freedom.
— Malcolm X (1925-1965)

One day we must come to see that peace is not merely a distant goal that we seek, but that it is a means by which we arrive at that goal. We must pursue peaceful ends through peaceful means.
— Martin Luther King, Jr. (1929-1968)

If there is to be peace in the world,
There must be peace in the nations.
If there is to be peace in the nations,
There must be peace in the cities.
If there is to be peace in the cities,
There must be peace between neighbors.
If there is to be peace between neighbors,
There must be peace in the home.
If there is to be peace in the home,
There must be peace in the heart.
— Lao Tzu (570-490 B.C.)

All we are saying is give peace a chance.
— John Lennon (1940-1980)

If everyone demanded peace instead of another television set, then there’d be peace.
— John Lennon (1940-1980)

Peace may sound simple – one beautiful word – but it requires everything we have, every quality, every strength, every dream, every high ideal.
— Yehudi Menuhin (1916-1999)

Establishing lasting peace is the work of education; all politics can do is keep us out of war.
— Maria Montessori (1870-1952)

Climb the mountains and get their good tidings. Nature’s peace will flow into you as sunshine flows into trees. The winds will blow their own freshness into you, and the storms their energy, while cares will drop off like autumn leaves.
— John Muir (1838-1914)

There is no way to peace; peace is the way.
— A.J. Muste (1885-1967)

Poetry is an act of peace. Peace goes into the making of a poet as flour goes into the making of bread.
— Pablo Neruda (1904-1973)

To reach peace, teach peace.
— Pope John Paul II

If you want peace, work for justice.
— Pope Paul VI (1897-1978)

The true and solid peace of nations consists not in equality of arms, but in mutual trust alone.
— Pope John XXIII (1881-1963)

Peace will be victorious.
— Yitzhak Rabin (1922-1995)

Peace, development and environmental protection are interdependent and indivisible.
— Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, 1993

It isn’t enough to talk about peace. One must believe in it. And it isn’t enough to believe in it. One must work at it.
— Eleanor Roosevelt (1884-1962)

The structure of world peace cannot be the work of one man or one party or one nation. It must be a peace which rests on the cooperative effort of the whole world.
— Franklin Delano Roosevelt (1882-1945)

Here then, is the problem we present to you, stark and dreadful and inescapable: Shall we put an end to the human race; or shall mankind renounce war?
— The Russell-Einstein Manifesto, 1955

In the hearts of people today there is a deep longing for peace. When the true spirit of peace is thoroughly dominant, it becomes an inner experience with unlimited possibilities. Only when this really happens – when the spirit of peace awakens and takes possession of men’s hearts, can humanity be saved from perishing.
— Albert Schweitzer (1875-1965)

Peace is not an absence of war, it is a virtue, a state of mind, a disposition for benevolence, confidence, justice.
— Baruch Spinoza (1632-1677)

Peace is the one condition of survival in this nuclear age.
— Adlai Stevenson (1900-1965)

I was once asked why I don’t participate in anti-war demonstrations. I said that I will never do that, but as soon as you have a pro-peace rally, I’ll be there.
— Mother Theresa (1910-1997)

All works of love are works of peace.
— Mother Theresa (1910-1997)

If we have no peace, it is because we have forgotten that we belong to each other.
— Mother Theresa (1910-1997)

We, Veteran’s for Peace, view peace as a positively active and creative process which requires courage, commitment, endurance, vigilance, and integrity. Peace is a struggle toward unity, and it is characterized by an absence of violence in all its forms, including discrimination based on gender, age, race, religion, social and economic status, ethnicity, and ****** orientation. Those who labor for peace are called peacemakers because they tirelessly pursue nonviolent solutions, work for economic and social justice, celebrate diversity, and strive to build relationships between adversaries through education, conflict mediation, and humanitarian relief. We recognize that peace is both a means and end simultaneously, and that it is never finally or fully achieved. This is because change and growth require some degree of tension or conflict. Historically, such conflict has provided the impetus for military solutions. Thus we, Veteran’s for Peace, strongly believe that the greatest obstacle to peace is militarism with its reliance on violence and war. We further believe that peacekeeping action should only be accomplished by a legitimate international body.
— Committee to Define Peace, Veterans for Peace


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## Debby (Jul 10, 2016)

QuickSilver said:


> I believe the victim was in the process of reaching for his wallet to produce his ID...  and told the cop that was what he was doing...  if he were white, would this have happened?





I've watched the video too and I've heard all the talk about it and I'm not denying that what you're describing is a distinct possibility.  I'm just saying that no one has a crystal ball to say definitively that it wouldn't have gone a bit different if he hadn't said that he had a gun as he was reaching for his wallet.  (I think the ACME Crystal Ball Distribution Company went out of business about the same time that Wile E. Coyote gave up on trying to catch that darn roadrunner.)  

A clearer determination on that score would have been easier if the woman had been able to video tape the cops attitude before those horrible moments.  And did that cop not wear a camera by the way?  I thought all the  police had all decided that doing so was a necessity.  Does anyone know?

 I think I heard that too Ruthanne, about the additional police shootings!  And this is in no way a slam on gun owners but I've just gotta say this...people think that having guns and using them makes them stronger and makes their anger an even greater issue and force to be reckoned with, but seriously, it takes a much stronger and more resolute populace in a time like this to NOT use guns and instead to do like Gandhi did and use peace marches and hunger strikes to achieve a noble goal.  It seems to me that if those angry folks resort to gunning down anybody, it just reinforces the kind of anxiety and fear that has some police acting like they do.  Self control among most human beings seems to be in short supply all too often.

Personally, I'm pretty happy that we have only 17% gun ownership in Canada.  I wonder if sometimes knowing that there is a huge abundance of guns around and continually hearing the reasoning that they are needed 'to protect oneself' doesn't encourage more fearfulness and anger and it becomes a vicious cycle.


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## Southern Gentleman (Jul 10, 2016)

I wish people would stop with the shooting one another. It's driving the price of guns through the roof.


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## Ruthanne (Jul 10, 2016)

*Obama Urges Americans Not to Despair over Divisions After Painful Week...
*
President Barack Obama, seeking to soothe raw emotions after a former U.S. soldier killed five policemen in Dallas and high-profile police shootings of two 

black men in Minnesota and Louisiana, has urged Americans not to view the United States as being riven into opposing groups
.
"First of all, as painful as this week has been, I firmly believe that America is not as divided as some have suggested," Obama, who will cut short his European 

trip on Sunday to visit Dallas, told a weekend news conference in Warsaw.

"When we start suggesting that somehow there's this enormous polarization, and we're back to the situation in the '60s, that's just not 

true," Obama added. "You're not seeing riots, and 

you're not seeing police going after people who are protesting peacefully."
​More:

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-police-idUSKCN0ZN0MF


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## WhatInThe (Jul 10, 2016)

QuickSilver said:


> Mr. Castile was not killed because he carried a gun..  He was killed because he was a Black man carrying a gun... despite he was doing do legally..   Why sugar coat it... He would not have been killed if he were White.  This country suffers from a deep cancer..   I am doubtful it can be cured.



I don't think racism is quite the factor people think. A trigger happy cop who lacked discipline and couldn't control his adrenaline probably. Also age. I think age is a big factor these incidents as well. Young people get treated differently. When I had long hippy hair I got stopped more often and treated different. A younger person period is bigger threat period to anyone.  Now a senior with gray hair and an older person's hair cut I get much different treatment. Not saying racism doesn't happen but there are other factors involved. And a broken tail light and him matching the description of a robbery suspect did not help but it does not justify shoot first ask questions later.


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## Ruthanne (Jul 10, 2016)

QuickSilver said:


> Mr. Castile was not killed because he carried a gun..  He was killed because he was a Black man carrying a gun... despite he was doing do legally..   Why sugar coat it... He would not have been killed if he were White.  This country suffers from a deep cancer..   I am doubtful it can be cured.



Well that's not very optimistic, is it?  I think we need to try and think more positive about change happening.  Have you seen the prayer vigils?  Many people want a change to happen.  There is peaceful protest going on all over.  These people have hope.  That's something that there always is..hope.  I must say, though, that I have times, too, when I feel things are hopeless just not today.


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 10, 2016)

Debby said:


> A clearer determination on that score would have been easier if the woman had been able to video tape the cops attitude before those horrible moments.  And did that cop not wear a camera by the way?  I thought all the  police had all decided that doing so was a necessity.  Does anyone know?



The St. Anthony's police department, from what I've read, did not wear any cameras.  They need to start IMO, and turn them on also.


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## Debby (Jul 10, 2016)

No camera's?  Really?  You're right, they should all be required to wear camera's.  No ifs ands or buts.  I think I read somewhere that when camera's were included in officers uniforms, complaints against the police went down.


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## Debby (Jul 10, 2016)

Southern Gentleman said:


> I wish people would stop with the shooting one another. It's driving the price of guns through the roof.




Interesting to see where your priorities lie.


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## Ruthanne (Jul 10, 2016)

Debby said:


> Interesting to see where your priorities lie.


Sometimes people who really care use humor as a way to cope with a tough situation.  Many people do.


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## Warrigal (Jul 10, 2016)

I tend to agree with Ruthanne on this one. 
Ironic humor is often misinterpreted. 
That's why it is important to use the smileys to help with understanding posts that can be taken several different ways.


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## tnthomas (Jul 10, 2016)

QuickSilver said:


> I believe the victim was in the process of reaching for his wallet to produce his ID...  and told the cop that was what he was doing...  if he were white, would this have happened?



The victim made some fundamental mistakes, he should have kept his hands in* plain sight* during the traffic stop, rather than reaching for "something".   I don't care who you are, I repeat: do not reach for "something" during a traffic stop! Do not reach into your hip pocket, do not reach into the glove box, do not reach under the seat!

It was the_ right thing to do_, to advise the police officer of his possession of a firearm; unfortunately the timing was off, should have waited until the officer gained control of the stop, that's how police officers "work".

I have worked alongside cops in my over thirty years employment wit a couple large departments....I have also had street cops draw and have their weapons at the ready, on several occasions in my youth.

Always keep hands visible to cops, when in contact with L.E. officers.

Chris Rock presented this message well, in a video clip.  It was aimed at those in the Black community, was "comedy", but was also "not comedy":

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LQLCF4Tiqg4


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## WhatInThe (Jul 10, 2016)

Throwing construction material at police during a protest won't help heal. 100 arrested and 21 police officers injured from flying objects including pieces of concrete and rebar. A major interstate shut down as well. That's a no no in most cities, the main highways. I saw where the Atlanta police made a line at the I-75 corridor. 

http://www.startribune.com/about-100-arrested-in-st-paul-protests/386197981/

And quite frankly shutting down roads like this during the work week might draw attention but will not win over many fans because they simply will be considered the fanatics that turned their trip home or to work into a 3-4 hour journey.


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## Ruthanne (Jul 10, 2016)

I still hold out hope.


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## Debby (Jul 11, 2016)

Just came across this:  http://www.telesurtv.net/english/ne...rling-Video-24-Hours-Later-20160710-0021.html

The man who took the video of Alton Stirling's murder was arrested on his way to his job  as an aerospace ground equipment technician at Dobbins Air Reserve Base.  Apparently ten police some of them armed with M16's took him into custody for the next 26 hours.....and finally let him go when he paid his parking tickets.

Now that the news cycle is moving on, the effort to begin intimidating the public to prevent future video's has begun?


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## QuickSilver (Jul 11, 2016)

People are firmly entrenched in their own prejudices and opinions.. Sadly, there will be no healing...  ...only festering until the next killing or mass murder.


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## Debby (Jul 11, 2016)

I think I'm in agreement with you on this QuickSilver.  It is sad.


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## Bobw235 (Jul 11, 2016)

Frank Bruni wrote a wonderful essay in yesterday's NY Times Sunday Review section.  It's entitled Divided by Race, United by Pain.

*It begins:
*
"THERE aren’t any ready answers for how to end this cycle of bloodshed, these heart-rending images from Louisiana and Minnesota and Texas of a country in desperate trouble, with so much pain to soothe, rage to exorcise and injustice to confront.


But we have choices about how we absorb what’s happened, about the rashness with which we point fingers. Making the right ones is crucial, and leaves us with real hope for figuring this out. Making the wrong ones puts that possibility ever further from reach.


So does a public debate that assigns us different tribes and warring interests, when almost all of us want the same thing: for the killing to cease and for every American to feel respected and safe.

We have disagreements about how to get there, but they don’t warrant the inflammatory headlines that appeared on the front of The New York Post (“Civil War”) or at the top of The Drudge Report (“Black Lives Kill”). They needn’t become hardened battle lines."

*Here's a section from the mid-point of the essay:*
"Separate, divided: I kept hearing those words and their variants, a report card for America as damning as it was inarguable.


Separate, divided: I kept seeing that in pundits who talked past and over one another, in a din that’s becoming harder and harder to bear.


Separate, divided: I kept thinking of Donald Trump and how he in particular preys on our estrangement and deepens it."

*He ends with these paragraphs:*

"And then there was Deputy Police Chief Aziz, who is also black. Referring to nationwide instances of excessive police force, he said, “We should be held accountable, and that is what we have a criminal justice system for.”


But of equal importance, he said, was “a real dialogue with the community that we can no longer be separate. We can’t divide ourselves.”


Separate, divided: those words again. They’re our curse right now. Must they be our fate?"


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## Debby (Jul 11, 2016)

Another article that's titled:  'Alton Sterling Wasn't the Right Guy'.  It goes on to say that the store owner considered Alton Sterling a friend, and not the sort of person who would ever threaten anyone with a gun and they confiscated the stores video without a warrant.  The wagons are being circled.



http://www.inquisitr.com/3281381/alton-sterling-was-the-wrong-guy/

http://usuncut.com/black-lives-matter/alton-sterling-new-video/  (this is a clearer video of Mr. Sterling's last moments)


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## Bobw235 (Jul 11, 2016)

One more op-ed, this one from a former NYC officer of color.  Good piece.


*The Thin Blue Line Between Us*


It begins:
"THERE were days when I marched shoulder to shoulder with outraged New Yorkers, after the police-involved death of Amadou Diallo in the Bronx and police assault on Abner Louima in Brooklyn, and we chanted, “No justice, no peace.” There were evenings when I was policing the same protests and keeping the peace, and people came up to me and voiced their anger, not realizing I had stood with them just hours earlier.

They saw the uniform but not the man wearing it.

I have worn the blue uniform of the New York City Police Department, upholding the law even as I raised my voice to reform its enforcement and make policing better. I have also worn the blue jeans of a black father concerned about the safety of his family."


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## Debby (Jul 11, 2016)

Excellent article Bob and thanks for sharing it.  I was glad to see that the writer included greater education for the police as well!  He suggested community policing, does that mean cops that get out of their cars and walk the streets and getting to know the people who live in those communities?  Maybe if they had 'known' Mr. Sterling, they wouldn't have done what they did.

I think the one thing he didn't touch on because it's kind of outside his area of expertise is that there have to be jobs for people.  Somehow, those rich one percenters have to lose their hold on your government so that the rules that allow industry to head to where wages are lowest, etc., can no longer do that.  If people can count on a job when they get out of high school or college, they have hope.  Nowadays though, what hope?  A hope that maybe you'll find a job, maybe you'll be able to pay off a mountain of student debt by the time your first child is leaving high school.....can't live on maybes'.  It's not a lot different where I'm living these days....menial jobs maybe and little opportunity to work your way up a ladder.

It's a difficult process that's for sure.


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 11, 2016)

Debby said:


> No camera's?  Really?  You're right, they should all be required to wear camera's.  No ifs ands or buts.  I think I read somewhere that when camera's were included in officers uniforms, complaints against the police went down.



The majority of the police force are good officers and they don't mind the cameras because they have nothing to hide and they also want to crack down on the bad cops who are killing people for no good reason. 

 Until the police stop overstepping their bounds and regain the trust of the citizens (of all races), this won't be resolved.  It appears some are starting to have a conversation and make changes, but they need to quit the stalling.  This isn't anything new, it's been happening for years, only now the new technology is blowing their cover.


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## WhatInThe (Jul 11, 2016)

Minnesota police officer injured/spine fractured after concrete block thrown on head during protest.

http://finance.townhall.com/ticker/...r-threw-a-concrete-block-on-his-head-n2191085

One of the 27 officers injured Saturday night in Minnesota.


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## Butterfly (Jul 11, 2016)

Debby said:


> I get a feeling that there is a tiny bit of adjustment going on in the attitudes of both the police and especially the communities.  Like with Ferguson, terrible rioting, but this time and even with the video of Mr. Castile's death, an incredible calm.  I hope the calm prevails and there is a true coming together and talk and change.
> 
> I do think though that the NRA has really revealed its true nature (silence when the gun carriers are killed 'because they have guns').  They're willing to support taking the money of those black buyers, but not willing to stand up for them when those purchases get them killed.



*OR*, it's the proverbial calm before the storm.


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## Don M. (Jul 11, 2016)

Butterfly said:


> *OR*, it's the proverbial calm before the storm.



You may be right.  I have a feeling that these upcoming Political Conventions are going to be a catalyst for even more violence in coming weeks.  The 1968 Democratic Convention in Chicago was marked by waves of violence and protest, and I see a real potential for this years conventions...both Parties...to increase the divisions in our nation, and serve as "justification" for even more senseless shootings and riots as the year progresses.


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## Debby (Jul 11, 2016)

Butterfly said:


> *OR*, it's the proverbial calm before the storm.




You may be right Butterfly.  I've been watching a bit of American news tonight and it is a bit dicey in some areas. My heart goes out to all the people involved.  The world is really crazy isn't it?


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## Debby (Jul 11, 2016)

WhatInThe said:


> Minnesota police officer injured/spine fractured after concrete block thrown on head during protest.
> 
> http://finance.townhall.com/ticker/...r-threw-a-concrete-block-on-his-head-n2191085
> 
> One of the 27 officers injured Saturday night in Minnesota.




Gosh I hope he recovers!  How horrible if he's a paraplegic for life because somebody did that to him.  So horrible for all.


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## senile1 (Jul 12, 2016)

QuickSilver said:


> Mr. Castile was not killed because he carried a gun..  He was killed because he was a Black man carrying a gun... despite he was doing do legally..   Why sugar coat it... He would not have been killed if he were White.  This country suffers from a deep cancer..   I am doubtful it can be cured.




He had informed the police he was licensed and was carrying a pistol, to avoid confusion he should have been told to keep his hands above his head and get out of the car, assuming that position. The officer could then remove the pistol,  avoiding any misinterpretations of the subjects action. I must agree the shooting was intentional or the officer was poorly trained.


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## fureverywhere (Jul 12, 2016)

It's just sad...in the late 1930's they let a certain leader rise to power, now not quite a hundred years later they're letting a racist, sexist, certain businessman rise to power. There was still segregation when I was born. Now fifty four years later...gay people can legally marry, we've had an African American president...yet we still can't solve race relations in America.


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## Don M. (Jul 12, 2016)

fureverywhere said:


> ..yet we still can't solve race relations in America.



Racism is Not a U.S. phenomenon, nor is it a recent problem.  Racism has existed throughout human existence...going back as far as when the Cro Magnon species competed with the remnants of the Neanderthals.  Every "race" thinks it is superior to the others, and this has led to numerous conflicts throughout history.  I doubt that this "flaw" in human character will ever be resolved...unless/until interracial marriage, for example, creates a global race that is virtually all of the same color and genetic makeup.  

"Race" is used as an excuse for many of today's conflicts....but in reality, those conflicts are more the result of social/economic differences that go far deeper than just the color of a persons skin.  There are some low life scumbags out there that make me almost ashamed to be part of the White race...while, at the same time, there are Blacks that have reached levels of intellect and success that few of Any race ever achieve.  

I think the bulk of conflicts have their root causes in the increasing "disparity of wealth", and the increasing inability for millions of people to make a decent life for themselves.  Eventually, I see the world essentially divided between the "Haves" and the "Have Not's"...and that day may not be more than a few decades from now.  

I see nothing that is going to bring the races together....and now, we are faced with a new, and equally disturbing issue with Islamic Radicalism, which seems to be accelerating globally.  It's a crazy world, and getting nuttier every year.


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## Ruthanne (Jul 12, 2016)

I will not be looking at the debate threads for now.  Good luck to you all.


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## fureverywhere (Jul 12, 2016)

I think you're right. It boils down to the " haves" and " have nots". I mean I don't see people in color at all. But when I'm parked in the lot next to Whole Foods...yes I hate them all. Folks who can shop organic and hand-crafted when some of us worry how the heck we'll find food for our families eventually. Someone who can spend what we make in a month on one or two shopping trips. Okay if I ever became the shooter...Whole Foods and Trader Joes goes first. Sorry to joke about such things but really I understand the simmering anger.


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## QuickSilver (Jul 13, 2016)

fureverywhere said:


> I think you're right. It boils down to the " haves" and " have nots". I mean I don't see people in color at all. But when I'm parked in the lot next to Whole Foods...yes I hate them all. Folks who can shop organic and hand-crafted when some of us worry how the heck we'll find food for our families eventually. Someone who can spend what we make in a month on one or two shopping trips. Okay if I ever became the shooter...Whole Foods and Trader Joes goes first. Sorry to joke about such things but really I understand the simmering anger.



The GOP would tell you "tough!"    The people able to shop at Whole Foods for the organic and handcrafted products DESERVE it more than you.   They are harder workers and smarter and earned the right.  They will never mention how they have worked to stack the deck in favor of well off families and creating an "upper class"  right here in the USA...  Hard work sometimes never enters the equation.


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## Debby (Jul 13, 2016)

fureverywhere said:


> I think you're right. It boils down to the " haves" and " have nots". I mean I don't see people in color at all. But when I'm parked in the lot next to Whole Foods...yes I hate them all. Folks who can shop organic and hand-crafted when some of us worry how the heck we'll find food for our families eventually. Someone who can spend what we make in a month on one or two shopping trips. Okay if I ever became the shooter...Whole Foods and Trader Joes goes first. Sorry to joke about such things but really I understand the simmering anger.




Hmmm, I've shopped at Whole Foods a couple times, I'm glad you weren't in the parking lot when I walked in there in those brief moments.


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## WhatInThe (Jul 13, 2016)

Medics had to be called during a protest in Tennessee when the parents of a sick child got stuck on a bridge en route to the hospital during a protest.

http://newsok.com/article/5509369

No one, no cause or no organization is going to make friends like this.


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## WhatInThe (Jul 13, 2016)

*Police Pay Bill For Couple Who Refused To Sit Near Them*

A group of police officers near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania  paid a restaurant bill of a couple who refused to sit next to them. Including tip.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/07/13/us/ap-us-police-pay-bill.html


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## Eric (Jul 13, 2016)

We're strong Ruthanne, we'll heal just fine.  We're more united than divided.


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## fureverywhere (Jul 13, 2016)

They will never mention how they have worked to stack the deck in favor of well off families and creating an "upper class"  right here in the USA...  Hard work sometimes never enters the equation.

Exactly if you examine how many working poor there are. Those people are working harder than many white collar folks. But it's like a house of cards. All it takes is one benefit being reduced or denied. One person becoming ill, and the whole family can fall.


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## senile1 (Jul 13, 2016)

Throughout the history of man there has been the same struggle, those have vs. those who do not. Money dictates government, which dictates law, which in turn supports money .In the event one is able to arise out of the ashes of poverty and join the affluent, their priority becomes the same as the affluent, thus the vicious circle never ends. There are exceptions, but they are few and far between . You will notice, racial unrest stays amongst the middle and lower classes; though the upper classes deal the cards. Corporate America's influence in government allows them to dictate who runs the show,  as well the laws governing commerce ,trade , and labor. Tis why socialism is such a "bad " word in the USA because it's priorities are the health and welfare of the population as a whole. The majority would rather see a Hilary Clinton or a Donald Trump over a Bernie Sanders; pretty sad.


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 13, 2016)

fureverywhere said:


> I think you're right. It boils down to the " haves" and " have nots". I mean I don't see people in color at all. But when I'm parked in the lot next to Whole Foods...yes I hate them all. Folks who can shop organic and hand-crafted when some of us worry how the heck we'll find food for our families eventually. Someone who can spend what we make in a month on one or two shopping trips. Okay if I ever became the shooter...Whole Foods and Trader Joes goes first. Sorry to joke about such things but really I understand the simmering anger.



I never had a lot of money growing up or in my adult life.  I was always middle class, my family worked hard and spent what they had wisely, and I followed suit as an adult.  Never spending more than I had, and never putting something on a credit card that I couldn't afford to pay off in one lump sum.

I don't hate anyone who has money whether they were born into it or worked for it.  It's a fact of life that there will be rich people and the businesses will provide high priced goods for them, why wouldn't well-off folks shop in those places?  I've been to Whole Foods only a couple of times in my life to see what they had, and only bought a few things there.  Overpriced for me and their goods aren't very high quality, IMO.  Certainly not worth the money they charge.

Why would I hate someone who shopped at fancy stores, just because I frequent Walmart and Target?  If you hate people who shop at Whole Foods, how do you feel about the celebrities, people like the Kardashians, singers and actors that buy engagement rings for tens of thousands of dollars or more? The ones who own a half dozen elaborate homes and a car for every day of the week.  It's comforting that people like you in that mindset are against guns, it's safer for you and all concerned that you never get one...not really a joke when it's driven by simmering anger.  

It's true that the middle class is rapidly disappearing in this country and becoming poor.  Rather than have one more thing to divide us and make us hate each other, why not point the finger at the real culprit?  The government on _both _sides of the aisle are in bed with big corporations and money interests and they couldn't care less about the average American citizen. They do each other favors to fatten their own wallets, even if it hurts the citizens of our country.

 I'm not going to despise Mrs. Jones who drives the fancy car and wears expensive furs, I want to see a fair playing field so the middle class can work their way up.  I would like to see businesses thriving and jobs created in inner cities like Chicago that have been going down the toilet.  The government has the power to help this country, but greed and corruption seem to make them help only themselves and other countries that wish us harm.  Very sad situation.

America is a great country, I'm blessed to be born and raised here.  We have the intelligence, the technology and the resources to provide for each and every individual in the US.  We need to rebuild our torn down neighborhoods, and have employment available for all those who need it.  Working two or three jobs to pay the rent and utility bills is a disgrace.  Crime will go down and hopes will be raised only if the powers that be move forward and make some desperately needed changes.


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## fureverywhere (Jul 13, 2016)

The Kardashian's should be taken out one by one...But I mean of course I understand that Daddy was a celebrity lawyer who made sure his little darling's could make a career out of selfies and vapid smiles. I know some of these people have hellish commutes to the city every day to earn the right to Whole Foods. But we live in an area that just has a cutting edge between mere blocks. Walk down the street around the corner...
Yoga places that offer aromatherapy and every other new agey service available, they can adjust your chakra's too...
Next block and we get into wings and braiding places...oh and liquor, lottery and smokes.
Next block and most of the store fronts are empty or chained.
Next block grown over lots and stores that have been for sale for a decade.
Next block and you can smell Whole Foods...do you think for a minute those folks would be comfortable walking there?


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## Butterfly (Jul 13, 2016)

SeaBreeze said:


> I never had a lot of money growing up or in my adult life.  I was always middle class, my family worked hard and spent what they had wisely, and I followed suit as an adult.  Never spending more than I had, and never putting something on a credit card that I couldn't afford to pay off in one lump sum.
> 
> I don't hate anyone who has money whether they were born into it or worked for it.  It's a fact of life that there will be rich people and the businesses will provide high priced goods for them, why wouldn't well-off folks shop in those places?  I've been to Whole Foods only a couple of times in my life to see what they had, and only bought a few things there.  Overpriced for me and their goods aren't very high quality, IMO.  Certainly not worth the money they charge.
> 
> ...



I agree, SB, I don't hate the wealthy, either.  If we do that, then we justify people who have less than we do (and there are a lot of people who have less than I do) hating us, and the hatred just goes around in circles.


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## Debby (Jul 14, 2016)

WhatInThe said:


> A group of police officers near Pittsburgh Pennsylvania  paid a restaurant bill of a couple who refused to sit next to them. Including tip.
> 
> http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2016/07/13/us/ap-us-police-pay-bill.html




That was pretty cool of them.


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## SeaBreeze (Jul 14, 2016)

fureverywhere said:


> But we live in an area that just has a cutting edge between mere blocks. Walk down the street around the corner...
> Yoga places that offer aromatherapy and every other new agey service available, they can adjust your chakra's too...
> Next block and we get into wings and braiding places...oh and liquor, lottery and smokes.
> Next block and most of the store fronts are empty or chained.
> ...



Your post reminded me of this speaker I heard on a radio show some time ago.  He spoke of how on one side of the highway there were people in poverty, while on the other side there was affluent, and how those people rarely interacted with each other.



> In the first half, Harvard professor of public policy and author Robert D. Putnam discussed his groundbreaking examination of why fewer Americans today have the opportunity for upward mobility.
> 
> Americans have always believed in the equality of opportunity, but now, he argues, the central tenet of the American dream seems no longer true or at the least, much less true than it was.
> 
> ...




I haven't watched this whole video, but saw a shorter one that I can't find now that was very good, and he was an interesting guest on the Coast radio show.


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