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by Michael Snyder
November 26, 2014
from
EndOfTheAmericanDream Website
Barack Obama says that the notion that
our laws are not being enforced uniformly is "rooted in reality" and
that the rioting in Ferguson will "make for good TV".
Time Magazine says that the Ferguson riots,
"are part of the
American experience" and "are a necessary part of the evolution of
society".
Statements such as these stir the pot in Ferguson and
provide fuel for the violent protests that have erupted nationwide.
And now that protesters are rioting and looting in major cities
all over America, all sorts of angry and dissatisfied
individuals are coming out of the woodwork.
For example,
CBS Seattle is reporting that "communists" and
"Palestinian groups" have joined the protests in Portland.
This kind of civil unrest draws them in
like a moth to a flame.
But instead of stirring the pot in Ferguson
like Obama
and the media are doing, real leaders are trying to bring
us together. Setting fires and destroying businesses is not going
to solve anything. But if we love one another and resolve to work
together, anything is possible.
If federal, state and local authorities
wanted to prevent the violence that we have witnessed in Ferguson,
they could have done it.
They had more than three months to
prepare, and they had control over exactly when the grand jury
decision would be announced. All of the key areas of Ferguson could
have been absolutely inundated with police and National Guard
troops.
But instead, police and firefighters
were held back, and National Guard forces were nowhere to be seen on
Monday night. So either this was a case of gross incompetence on the
part of the authorities, or someone wanted this to happen.
For a complete analysis of this, please
see recent article "Did
They Want More Violence in Ferguson? - 10 'Coincidences' Too Glaring
to Ignore".
In addition, authorities also had to
know that if images of rioting, looting and burning buildings were
broadcast nationwide from Ferguson on Monday night that it would
likely spark similar incidents in other cities. And that is
precisely what has happened.
For example, the following is from a CNN
report about what happened in Oakland on Tuesday night…
Perhaps the greatest concentration
of turmoil Tuesday night was in Oakland, where vandals smashed
the windows of a car dealership and looted several businesses,
including a T-Mobile cell phone store.
Some also set several bonfires in
the city. One row of bonfires stretched across a road, blocking
off access, footage from CNN affiliate KPIX showed.
Sadly, similar acts of violence are
being reported all over the nation on Wednesday.
But these are not spontaneous protests.
This kind of rioting has been hyped for so long on the big
mainstream news networks that it became something of a
self-fulfilling prophecy.
Even Barack Obama knew ahead of time
that the violent reaction to the grand jury decision would "make
for good TV"…
"There is inevitably going to be
some negative reaction, and it'll make for good TV."
And after the violence that we saw on
Monday night, Obama added even more fuel to the fire
on Tuesday when he made the following statement…
"A grand jury made a decision
yesterday that upset a lot of
people. And as I said last night, the frustrations that
we have seen, are not just about a particular incident.
They have deep roots in many communities of color, who have a
sense that our laws are not always being enforced uniformly or
fairly. That may not be true everywhere.
And it's certainly not true for the
vast majority of law enforcement officials, but
that's an impression that folks
have and it's not just made up. It's rooted in reality."
Of course the mainstream media is
generally taking the side of the violent protesters as well.
For example, Time Magazine's Darlena
Cunha actually penned an article entitled "Ferguson
-
In Defense of Rioting"…
When a police officer shoots a
young, unarmed black man in the streets, then
does not face indictment, anger in the community is
inevitable. It's what we do with that anger that counts. In such
a case,
is rioting so wrong?
Riots are a necessary part of the
evolution of society. Unfortunately, we do not live in a
universal utopia where people have the basic human rights they
deserve simply for existing, and until we get there, the
legitimate frustration, sorrow and pain of the marginalized
voices will boil over, spilling out into our streets.
What in the world is happening to our
country?
There are protesters burning
American flags right in the heart of Washington D.C., in
Ferguson, and in major cities all over America and very few people
seem to care.
This is not the way to resolve things as
a society. If our forefathers could see us today they would be
absolutely ashamed. For example, the University of Pennsylvania was
founded
by Benjamin Franklin.
What do you think he would have made of
this statement by University of Pennsylvania religious studies
professor
Anthea Butler?…
America's racist god requires black people's
blood to atone for the sins committed by its followers.
This time, the blood shed in
sacrifice to this god of white supremacy was Michael Brown's.
Darren Wilson, an agent of that god, was vindicated. For his
reward, he is showered with blood money from other followers of
the racist god.
No one should be surprised that
Darren Wilson was not indicted by the grand jury.
Prosecutor Robert McCulloch played
the role of Pontius Pilate, washing his and Darren Wilson's
hands of impunity, while the sacrifice, Michael Brown, was
deemed worthy of death because in Wilson's words "he look[ed]
like a demon."
Wilson even uses the sacred
instrument to complete his sacrifice to the god of American
Whiteness: the gun.
This is not the kind of language that
brings people together.
Rather, it is the kind of language that
tears nations apart. And it is just a matter of time before radical
groups such as ISIS attempt to exploit all of this racial division
for their own purposes.
In fact, according
to the Daily Mail this is already happening…
Using the slogan 'From #IS 2
Ferguson', Birmingham-born jihadi Junaid Hussain, 20 - who has
adopted the nom de guerre Abu Hussain al-Britani - this morning
tweeted a photograph of a hand-written letter
urging the Ferguson rioters to
'reject corrupt man-made laws like democracy' and declare their
allegiance to ISIS' leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.
The note Hussain posted on Twitter
today is titled 'From #IS 2 Ferguson' and contains a promise to
send militants to the Missouri city if protesters pledge
allegiance to ISIS.
It reads:
'We
hear you and we will help you if you accept Islam and reject
corrupt man-made laws like democracy and pledge your
allegiance to Caliph Abu Bakr and then we will shed our
blood for you and send our soldiers that don't sleep, whose
drink is blood, and their play is carnage.'
What we need at this moment are real
leaders.
What we need are more men and women like
tight end Benjamin Watson of the New Orleans Saints.
The response to the Ferguson riots that
he posted on
his Facebook page acknowledges the pain that people on
all sides are feeling, and it has over 400,000 likes so far…
At some point while I was
playing or preparing to play Monday Night Football, the news
broke about the Ferguson Decision. After trying to figure
out how I felt, I decided to write it down. Here are my
thoughts:
I'M ANGRY because the
stories of injustice that have been passed down for
generations seem to be continuing before our very eyes.
I'M FRUSTRATED, because pop
culture, music and movies glorify these types of police
citizen altercations and promote an invincible attitude
that continues to get young men killed in real life,
away from safety movie sets and music studios.
I'M FEARFUL because in the
back of my mind I know that although I'm a law abiding
citizen I could still be looked upon as a "threat" to
those who don't know me. So I will continue to have to
go the extra mile to earn the benefit of the doubt.
I'M EMBARRASSED because the
looting, violent protests, and law breaking only
confirm, and in the minds of many, validate, the
stereotypes and thus the inferior treatment.
I'M SAD, because another
young life was lost from his family, the racial divide
has widened, a community is in shambles, accusations,
insensitivity hurt and hatred are boiling over, and we
may never know the truth about what happened that day.
I'M SYMPATHETIC, because I
wasn't there so I don't know exactly what happened.
Maybe Darren Wilson acted within his rights and duty as
an officer of the law and killed Michael Brown in self
defense like any of us would in the circumstance. Now he
has to fear the backlash against himself and his loved
ones when he was only doing his job. What a horrible
thing to endure. OR maybe he provoked Michael and
ignited the series of events that led to him eventually
murdering the young man to prove a point.
I'M OFFENDED, because of the
insulting comments I've seen that are not only
insensitive but dismissive to the painful experiences of
others.
I'M CONFUSED, because I
don't know why it's so hard to obey a policeman. You
will not win!!! And I don't know why some policeman
abuse their power. Power is a responsibility, not a
weapon to brandish and lord over the populace.
I'M INTROSPECTIVE, because
sometimes I want to take "our" side without looking at
the facts in situations like these. Sometimes I feel
like it's us against them. Sometimes I'm just as
prejudiced as people I point fingers at. And that's not
right. How can I look at white skin and make assumptions
but not want assumptions made about me? That's not
right.
I'M HOPELESS, because I've
lived long enough to expect things like this to continue
to happen. I'm not surprised and at some point my little
children are going to inherit the weight of being a
minority and all that it entails.
I'M HOPEFUL, because I know
that while we still have race issues in America, we
enjoy a much different normal than those of our parents
and grandparents. I see it in my personal relationships
with teammates, friends and mentors. And it's a
beautiful thing.
I'M ENCOURAGED, because
ultimately the problem is not a SKIN problem, it is a
SIN problem. SIN is the reason we rebel against
authority. SIN is the reason we abuse our authority. SIN
is the reason we are racist, prejudiced and lie to cover
for our own. SIN is the reason we riot, loot and burn.
BUT I'M ENCOURAGED because
God has provided a solution for sin through the his son
Jesus and with it, a transformed heart and mind. One
that's capable of looking past the outward and seeing
what's truly important in every human being. The cure
for the Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice and
Eric Garner tragedies is not education or exposure. It's
the Gospel.
So, finally, I'M ENCOURAGED
because the Gospel gives mankind hope.
Why can't Barack Obama issue a statement
like that?
If we continue down our current path, it
is only a matter of time before our nation is torn to shreds. We
desperately need leaders that are going to be willing to stand up
and bring us together and heal old wounds.
But at this point those leaders appear
to be vastly outnumbered by those that want to stir up violence and
promote discord.
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