Toomer's Corner Trees: Auburn Police Arrest Dadeville Man In Toomer's Corner Tree Poisoning - WHNT

Toomer's Corner Trees: Auburn Police Arrest Dadeville Man In Toomer's Corner Tree Poisoning - WHNT

I wonder if this story has anything to do with the current "poisoned" climate in the United States. I mean, really, this appears to be one deranged sports fan who acted out on his sports-hatred... and nothing more than that. For years, sports violence has been an epidemic in Europe an even in some countries in Asia and Africa, even at times in South America. Never really been a problem in the U.S. of America. England (the UK in general really), has been struggling for years with hooliganism,which has been exported to places like Italy, Spain and Greece and even some of the Arab countries. They tend to do a better job of suppressing the violence, but violence persists.

The causes of the violence are many and varied, but in sports it usually manifests in clashes between rivals of two opposing Football (Futbol) clubs. Such matches, are sometimes called the local derby (known here in America as the "cross-town rivalry"). Of course, no-one wants heated passion to escalate to the point of violence, but very often, in European matches this happens.

This has been something that sporting world has NOT experienced in the U.S. Opposing team buses have not been attacked by crazed fans. Oh, objects have been thrown on the playing surfaces of basketball games, or Football stadiums (snowballs come to mind in Philadelphia and New York/New Jersey), but I don't think that things have ever gotten so far out of control in the way that some matches oversees have... where officials needed to be escorted of the pitch in soccer games. Still. This violence epidemic in the sports world spoke of something deeper in the psyche of the common person on the street. Most people on the street were dissatisfied with their lot in life, and sports is just an outlet for this dissatisfaction. Sports attendance is very approachable in Europe, etc...

So, entertainment is the opium for the masses, and Sports has become a sort of Entertainment. It is a drug to keep the masses pliant and acquiescent. Of course, in the U.S. sports events are not accessible by the wider public. They have become too expensive for the median income family to attend. You have to belong to the upper middle class and above, before you can afford them. So most of America are spectators from afar, meaning they have only their TVs to watch from. And it is these same TVs and the TV talking heads who inflame and prod, constantly analyzing everything and anything. They have made the moment an athlete goes into the bathroom an event worthy of analysis: "What did he have for breakfast? How long did he spent in the bathroom? Is he OK? Did he wash his hands after-wards? Did he have contact in that bathroom with someone he should not have?" In other words, if something improper occurred in that bathroom, you better believe it those talking heads will find it, discuss it, and tell us about it.

It does not help either that the country is currently going through the toughest political period it has ever faced. The old timers will tell you things were bad in the 1950s under Jim Crow, or the 1960s with the Civil Rights and Vietnam War marches. History might even tell you that things weren't that good before then either in our history, go further back. What's important to understand is that we're traversing a difficult time, with people with diametrically opposed viewpoints sometimes shouting at each other across a great chasm. Is it any wonder then that people get inflamed in such an environment? Is it possible that a lunatic got crazy enough in an environment toxic enough by the rhetoric to try and assassinate a sitting US Congresswoman? Lots and lots has been written about this, much better than my effort. Ignore my effort. I am only making a roundabout point...

My thesis is this: In a toxic environment, people turn to sports for release. I've seen it happen in Europe. In places like England and Italy and Greece where people feel they have no other say, and can't get their way, they get their release through sports. They do just about anything for their sports team. People HAVE DIED for their sports team, and have attempted murder for their team. Is this acceptable? No, of course not. But, especially, during tough economic conditions, and when the preachers of doom and hate preach their nastiness on TV 24/7, people feel frustrated, and then they react.

This is the way one man reacted. He killed some trees. What will the next "crazed" fan do?

Is the media culpable? Yes, 100%. Both the regular media for preaching hate, and pushing regular people into corners where they find release in such horrible ways, and the sports media--do you have to analyze everything so much?

China baffles world with mystery bomber

Don't think for a minute that we're not in another 'Cold War' this time with China.

Am I afraid of China? Yes, yes, I am.

Do I hate China? No. They are an old, old civilization. What they have accomplished in the last 4,000 years has not been matched by very many cultures.

But keep these facts in mind before you read this article: 'China baffles world with mystery bomber'

1) Most of the companies I used to work for, have been sold to Chinese companies, with the attendant manufacturing transferred to China. Does that mean, they stole my job? Am I mad at the Chinese worker? No, but I am mad at the "Wealth" and "Power" hungry American CEO who sold out.

2) Most of the stuff you buy at Wal-Mart is made in China a lot cheaper that it can be made in the United States or anywhere else for that matter. People flock to Wal-Mart for these discounted prices. Hell! I am one of them, BECAUSE, I can't afford higher prices. BUT, is that a good thing for America (US)? If we build NOTHING, and we only consume the world's resources, don't we become dependant on the World at Large.

3) 'Marketplace' from American Public Media, did a whole two week series from China a couple of years back, touting all the economic improvements and jumps forward of the Chinese miracle. Yeah, Chinese miracle performed on American middle class dollars. And once the miracle is finished, and the dollar is worthless, What will China do?

4) China still has the world's largest population, even if Indian IS catching up. And what does a country like that need? RESOURCES! What has the competition for resources caused in the past? Wars!!! In a way of course, I am oversimplifying. There a lot more complicated factors involved. The optimist in the American side likes to propose that there is a rise of a middle-class in China, and the Middle-Class has always been the instigator of transformations in countries, either through revolutions or other means. But the pessimist sees over 800,000,000 working Chinese that have to have resources and food... AND THAT has to come from somewhere.

5) Throughout this 'Chinese miracle' one thing has remained a constant: China's inappropriately bad human rights record, it's abuses in Tibet (do I really need to provide you with a link to what is happening there today?) and it's political system. It's all connected. China's political system, is old style, Stalinist communist. My grandfather and my uncles fought against it. My aunt and my cousin were in communist prisons. Years of an ingrained system do not fade from power overnight. The new money of the 'Chinese Miracle' and the new technologies being procured legally and illegally are being funnelled straight into China's defense programs.

So, how long before China overcomes the USA in terms of technological superiority in the battlefield? Remember, America is no longer the World's # 1 economic power, and doesn't have the world's strongest currency. That currency is called the Euro. And the technological advantage that America enjoys comes from employing engineers who want to work in the defense industry or associated industries. But when those industries or jobs end-up going to China, where will these people work? How will the US maintain it's technology advantage?

One last point. The US is rapidly becoming a service oriented economy. Can such an economy generate enough research and development funds to keep us ahead of the Chinese? Even if we had enough available, trained engineers?

So, read the article, and ponder this:

We are in a Cold War with China. One we are rapidly losing. How long before they get ahead of us?

2010?
2020?
2030?

You make the call.....

Has it been that long?

Has it been that long since I last posted? WOW! So much has changed in my life! For the best? For the worst? Where is my life heading? Scoot over to my job search blog to find out how about that part of my life has been going. Worked for 8 months and got laid-off again! Is it me? Is it the job market? Is it my chosen profession? What the hell is wrong with the world?

Then again, there might not be anything wrong with the world! You might not think so reading my previous posts. Oh yeah, and you might think that I am left-wing nutter. Well, I am neither a left-wing nutter or a right-wing puke brain. I think politics in this great nation of ours today (and I mean the United States of America) are so screwed-up, there is no way out of the desert. At fault? A lot of these die-hard commentators who masquerade as journalists.

But from here on, unless I see something completely wrong, I am going to try to stay out of politics, unless the damn things intrude into my life.

Make this blog my life I won't, but keep it entertaining, I'll try to!