You know, I actually liked Baltimore. Sure, it's a burned out toilet with drug dealers and hookers alternating corners, corrupt cops taking pay offs, and "neighborhoods" where you enter at your own risk. It looks every day like the picture to the left. Sure, my good friend had his house broken into three times in his first year and his car six times -- he stopped locking it to prevent the druggies from breaking the windows -- and he got to watch a store owner pistol whip a crack whore. Sure, the city is everything we've come to expect from decades of government dependency, but gosh darnit if I didn't like to spend time there... at least in the inner harbor.
Oh, and have you noticed that everyone seems to want to burn the city? The British did it in the War of 1812. Union troops did it in the Baltimore Riot of 1861. Ten died in the Great Railroad riot of 1877. Six died in the Baltimore Riot of 1968. Now they're at it again in 2015. Clearly, Baltimore was built on an ancient Indian burial ground.
Anyway, share your thoughts here... or eRiot.
63 comments:
I'm going to be honest, the riots did not seem that huge, at least by big city standards. A Ferguson-size riot in a major city. Of course, I only caught a snippet of it on Fox News, so I could be wrong.
And its exams week. The part of my brain that focuses on the news is not exactly at full power.
The NFL draft starts Thursday and there's a bit of idiocy that I laugh at every time. These draft "gurus" start to rank guys and then they chastise teams for drafting someone too high based on their ranking.
This can get pretty extremely stupid. Today, for example, one guy said that the Jets couldn't take player X at the sixth pick because his "real' value isn't any higher than the 9th pick. So if they took him at 6, they would be "overpaying" to get him. That's insanely stupid. Teams don't have the ability to move around easily and there's zero guarantee that everyone else sees the player values the same.
I could see complaining about a guy everyone saw as a late round pick, but not someone with a subjective value that is less than 20-30 picks off... much less three.
Interestingly, I see a lot of parallels in politics where people make this bizarre assumptions that candidates or leaders are able to make pinpoint moves in a vacuum.
Kit, The riots seem kind of small and pointless to me too. I think the reason they make the news is the attempt to push the race issue and the level of violence.
Personally, I think the GOP should hang them around O'Malley's neck right now.
"The riots seem kind of small and pointless to me too. I think the reason they make the news is the attempt to push the race issue and the level of violence."
Ferguson had 10 buildings burned down. That is pretty big, especially for a city of that size.
Now, it looks to be getting bigger with night coming, so, who knows?
Wasn't The Wire set in Baltimore?
"I think the GOP should hang them around O'Malley's neck right now."
Will they?
Just realized, both Missouri and Maryland had Democrat governors!
Kit, I'm not sure about The Wire. I do recall another cop show was shot at Fells Point (ugly part of inner harbor). Homicide?
Burning ten buildings in Baltimore would be called civic improvement.
No, the GOP doesn't think strategically.
"Burning ten buildings in Baltimore would be called civic improvement."
The city is that bad?
"No, the GOP doesn't think strategically."
Dammit.
Looks like the police adopted the Los Angeles tactic: Let the rioters burn a part of the city.
Sadly yes. There are vast parts of it that are already burned out. I kid you not about the drug dealers, the aggressive homeless, the wandering drug addicts. There used to be prostitutes openly plying their trade one block from the downtown police station. There are schools with single digit attendance rates.
We were looking at buying some homes in Fells Point to rebuild them as an investment. They were going for less than $10,000 at the time... only a mile or so from the multi-billion dollar inner harbor. My friend lived two streets from Camden Yards and he paid $27,000 for his three story brownstone.
There are some nice parts, but the bad parts rival Detroit... and Hades.
"There are some nice parts, but the bad parts rival Detroit... and Hades."
So… a sh*t-hole?
Yep.
"The city is that bad?"
Kit, one of the anchors I once worked with told me that when she was advancing, she had her choice of anchor jobs: Pittsburgh or Baltimore. She chose Pittsburgh because she knew she wouldn't be a covering a murder as her live shot every single day. (Truth be told, a producer in Baltimore usually has a choice of which murder to cover for the morning show.)
So, in that regard, Baltimore is exactly like Philadelphia.
"(Truth be told, a producer in Baltimore usually has a choice of which murder to cover for the morning show.)"
That's… really violent.
Hillary Clinton in the Des Moines Register: "Iowans have great ideas for a better future."
Inspiring, as always.
So. I might be changing my profile pic. If google will let me.
And Andrew;s right. The city despite being the home of the Ravens- isn't entirely awful. The Inner Harbor is great. A few years ago, I went there for a wedding and we bar-hopped to the "Horse That You Came in On Saloon," allegedly the last watering hole that Edgar Allen Poe got himself wasted at.
Interesting story: a few days after being seen at the saloon, Poe died raving mad at a hospital. His death is still largely a mystery. One theory is that he was a victim of a voter fraud scheme. It worked like this: A group of toughs rounded up several drunks the night before election day. They were given new clothes and kept continually drunk. On election day, they would be driven by carriage to as many polling places as possible. (There were normally multiple teams.) The men would cast ballots at each place. (Despite their drunkenness, it wasn't hard to control how they voted. Voters, in those days, were given colored ballots to represent their choices, since literacy was low at the time. The handlers and corrupt election officials made sure the 'right' ballots were cast.) Usually, many of the men kidnapped for this died from alcohol poisoning. Poe could easily have been a victim of this scheme.
But it's Baltimore. Corruption is rife. It's said that when Thomas D'Alesandro, Jr. was mayor, (1947- 1959), he'd hold court in his house among politicians and organized criminals. (Okay, those species DO cross-breed.) He must have quite a Machiavelli, as it's said the mob ran the trash business, but Mayor D'Alesandro made them do their job.
Did I mention his daughter, some witch-in-training named Nancy, often sat in on these meetings and learned how to do (future congressional) business?
Changed it!
"Iowans have great ideas for a better future."
Yeah, like the perfect plan for beating Nebraska on Black Friday. Oh, wait...
When did Iowa become the most important state in the Union?
"When did Iowa become the most important state in the Union?"
Maybe people just want to catch a glimpse of the pink locker rooms.
Rustbelt,
Now that is just weird.
Iowa... Idiots Out Wandering Around. Just sayin'.
I've been to Iowa and I never saw any ideas unrelated to pigs or corn. And the only reason they are important is because the like to be stroked and politicians like to stroke things.
Rustbelt, There are some great parts of Baltimore.
But most of the city is a violent, dirty, destroyed pit.
"politicians like to stroke things."
Hence Bill Clinton's incredible aptitude for the art of politics.
BTW, Keep this in mind.
Maryland has almost never had a Republican governor: Spiro Agnew 1967-1969, Ehrlich 2003-2007, and the new guy (2015-?). That's it. Baltimore hasn't had a Republican mayor since 1967. Three of the last four mayors have been black. There are NO Republicans on the city council. The police commissioner is black. 54% of Baltimore Police are minorities.
So who's to blame if Baltimore's police department is out of control? I don't see any "evil white Republican racists"(TM) to hang this on...
Andrew,
"So who's to blame if Baltimore's police department is out of control? I don't see any "evil white Republican racists"(TM) to hang this on..."
You obviously didn't pay attention while attending college. You certainly didn't learn anything of value.
You fail to understand what White Privilege does. Just knowing that whites have privilege keeps blacks from succeeding.
Kit, those are the visitor locker rooms at Kinnick Stadium at the University of Iowa. About 30 years ago, Iowa's football coach, Hayden Fry, was reading an article about how colors affect people's moods. Reading that pink makes people clam, docile, and at peace, he had the visitor facilities repainted as such- thus leading to the most enduring mind games in the history of the B1G.
(Fry often noted that one Saturday during warmup for a game with Team Hell, Coach Satan met Fry at the 50 yard line and complained that, despite all his preparations, the only thing he could think about was "that damn pink locker room!" Not missing a beat Fry taunted the Evil One, claiming he was in his head and there to stay! I forget if Iowa beat Team Hell that day or not.)
Of course, for about the 15 years or so, every feminist and gay group has been demanding the locker be repainted as they are "offensive." Meh. When interviewed and told the reason for the locker rooms' colors, most oft he athletes- male and female- laugh it off as good, old-fashioned fun.
"I've been to Iowa and I never saw any ideas unrelated to pigs or corn."
Andrew, when the pig is bronzed and sacred, and your duty is to protect it from- of all places- Minnesota, you are definitely an Iowan.
That photo of University of Michigan is hilarious.
Kit, the best photos of scUM are on Facebook groups, but I couldn't get links to them. I had to settle for what I could find in Google Image.
(My favorite shows, on top, cheering scUM fans saying, "We Got Harbaugh!"; below, a pic of Urban and Co. raising the National Title trophy says, "That's Adorable.")
I should note I don't know why UM is so hated, I just found it funny.
What team do you root for?
Kit, I went to Ohio State. From my first day of orientation, I was taught to regard scUM as the AntiChrist. (And they are.)
"Kit, I went to Ohio State. From my first day of orientation, I was taught to regard scUM as the AntiChrist. (And they are.)"
Big rivalry?
Kit, it might be the only rivalry between states that practically declared war on each other.
And there are the small things:
-We accuse them of forcing jerk QB's on the NFL...
-They accuse us of on-field property damage...
-And the reason Bo is Satan: Bo was actually top assistant and protege to OSU HC Woody Hayes. In the mid-60's, Bo took the HC job at Miami, OH. 4 years, the weasel took scUM's HC job and became a Benedict Arnold for the ages.
And that's the short list!
"Kit, it might be the only rivalry between states that practically declared war on each other."
I've heard about that little feud.
"Nothing says I want to honor the memory of Michael Gray and help my people like looting a CVS pharmacy of all the Doritos."-Just sayin'
On Morning Joe that old race-baiter Al Sharpton was trying to sound reasonable when he said something about "it's Democrats and Republicans to blame.." and my first thought was, "When is the last time the Republicans were in power in Maryland?'
When I go to Memphis or St Louis now I always carry an extra magazine for my Glock, you just never know..
Sorry, Freddie Gray,,,,not sure where that Michael came from..
Wait! What? The Iowa-bashing started without me?
First of all, Herky rhymes with turkey, so it's like we get two Thanksgiving dinners in Nebraska.
What's the best thing to come out of Iowa?
I-80.
What do Iowans use for birth control?
Their personalities.
Critch, Exactly! Nothing shows a desire for social justice more than to burn down a minority neighborhood and steal pot-head food as you loot the crap out of the local economy.
tryanmax, LOL! Nice! I especially like the last one! We should bash people more often here! ;-)
So, people can't stand Iowans, either.
Kit, Is there anyone we can stand? I think not.
Kit, the OSU/U of M rivalry bests even the Auburn/Alabama, and, yes, I realize that's a bold statement. My high school years were spent in Toledo, with Michigan quite literally bordering my parents' backyard, but being a Penn Stater more concerned with our rival game with Pitt which took place the same weekend as the OSU/Michigan, had an objectively amused time watching them go for each others' throats. My favorite were the t-shirts with the direction to the respective campuses:
Ann Arbor -- West until you smell it, north until you step in it. Naturally, reverse for directions to Columbus.
To the Baltimore sitch-ee-ation, now that Rev. Al's got his boots on the ground, even more of a distraction from Hillary's growing scandal list.
"the OSU/U of M rivalry bests even the Auburn/Alabama, and, yes, I realize that's a bold statement. "
There is something of a sibling rivalry aspect to Auburn/Alabama. I don't know about the OSU/UM rivalry but in Alabama, outside of Tuscaloosa and Auburn, Bama fans and Auburn fans often work at the same businesses, drink beer together, and sometimes even intermarry.
If it were not for the rivalry, there would not be any real enmity between Tuscaloosa and Auburn. Ohio and Michigan, however, seem to really hate each other in a way that an intense football rivalry was simply natural.
The good thing about the return of the Clintons is that they will provide an endless opportunity to recycle old jokes.
They're a bit like the Russians in that way.
Remember how President Roosevelt told the nation that World War II would not disrupt America's national pastime? Well, that war didn't.
But riots will.
Yesterday and today's games for the Orioles with the White Sox- Obama's team, wouldn't you know?- have been postponed. Now, get this: tomorrow the Orioles WILL play what was supposed to be their third game of the series with Chicago at Camden Yards. BUT...no fans will be admitted. That's right. They're playing a baseball with absolutely no crowd. Sure, it will be on TV. But...what the hell?
Also, to ensure the team's safety, the O's next series with the Rays will be played in Tampa instead of Baltimore, though the birds will be the designated home team and announced as such.
In other words, Al Sharpton and other race-baiters and riot-encouragers have done what Adolf Hitler and the Nazis could not do: shut down American baseball.
I guess that's an accomplishment...from a certain point of view.
I liked this photo from Twitter: LINK
Shots fired in Ferguson. 2 people may be injured.
The thugs of Baltimore have looted and burned their own neighborhood and successfully shifted focus from a guy's spine magically snapping while in police custody *slow clap*.
Meanwhile, Hillary is planning on denouncing the policy of locking up criminals. Her belief is that more criminals running free will benefit the black community. I'm sure it will prove just as beneficial as the Baltimore mayor's policy of giving rioters space to destroy.
Nepal death toll from quake hits 5,000.
Anthony, How dare you, sir! Those people burning down their own neighborhoods are raising awareness of whatever the issue was that allowed them to go loot a snack stand.
In all seriousness, this whole thing is intensely stupid. The Baltimore PD clearly have a problem. What they did sounds like negligent homicide at the least, and heads should roll and people should go to jail. But before we can even get to that debate, these thugs and opportunists decided to use this to have some fun and now all anyone cares about is how are the cops planning to stop them.
BTW, this is why nonviolent protest is so much more effective. It forces people to answer the charge you make. And if you are in the right, people become uncomfortable denying you what you seek.
But get violent and the issue becomes one of public safety and circling the wagons.
Kit, Shocking. I know there are deaths there all the time, but you never think of more than a handful at a time. This is amazing... and very sad.
Notice strict curfews and the implementation of the National Guard tends to stop rioting.
The thugs may not understand civility or even decent behavior but they do understand power.
"The thugs of Baltimore have looted and burned their own neighborhood and successfully shifted focus from a guy's spine magically snapping while in police custody *slow clap*."
Anthony, I wish to inform you that you are now in the running for Comment of the Day.
"Would any sentient adult American be shocked to learn that Baltimore has a corrupt and feckless police department enabled by a corrupt and feckless city government? I myself would not, and the local authorities’ dishonesty and stonewalling in the death of Freddie Gray is reminiscent of what we have seen in other cities. There’s a heap of evidence that the Baltimore police department is pretty bad." —Kevin D. Williams, of the National Review Online
Read more at: LINK
Whole Foods decided to offer help to the Maryland National Guard keeping order in Baltimore. Some progressives got angry.
LINK
I want to try to care about Baltimore but I don't. Probably something to do with my white privilege. I say let it burn to the ground and then start over. "The Wire" took place in Baltimore.
Andrew, your statement on the draft is very true. These "experts" talk repeatedly about their mock drafts but none of them have actually done it. They also make choices based on what the teams needs right now but most teams draft for 2-3 years from now since only a small number each year actually make an impact the year they are drafted.
Koshcat,
The points you and Andrew make about the draft are spot on. God only knows who is going to work and who won't.
But keep this in mind: these commentators are either too stupid to actually work on a team and draft players, or they failed spectacularly at the job when given the chance. That's they're available to comment on ESPN, FS1, NBC Sports, etc. So, it's not like we're getting actual "expert" analysis to begin with.
And try this food for thought: most of the bums who analyze the draft work only on that subject year-round. Given how bad they generally are, they must be considered for the title of most worthless reporters in America.*
Yes, it finally happened. We've found competitors who might knock CNN off their throne.
(*- And you thought Washington was stuffed with unnecessary job positions!)
Koshcat and Rustbelt, The talking head draft gurus are the epitome of an invented job. There are a couple I respect because they provide commentary on possible picks without playing the games, but the rest invent these ideas like "value," which they abuse to no end and don't have a clue what they are talking about.
I love, for example, how they will all issue draft grades within hours of the draft, even though there just isn't any way to tell how things will pan out for years.
The recent National Review on Hillary Clinton:
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She's a feminist who has served as very little other than an extension of her traditionally patriarchic, manipulative hound dog of a husband, elected to the Senate as a tribute to him, like some sad little Ma Ferguson of the New York suburbs. Her record in office has run from mediocrity in the Senate to catastrophe as secretary of state.
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