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[LEFT]In a fiery sermon in April 2003, Wright said: “The government gives them the drugs, builds bigger prisons, passes three-strike laws and wants them to sing God Bless America.
“No! No No!
“God damn America … for killing innocent people."[/LEFT]
.[/LEFT]
If my history serves me well, organized crime did target Black children to push the drugs to, because they assumed there would be little police resistance in those neighborhoods. When crack became available, it was cheap and it was marketed to the poorer areas. Drugs are a business in this country, an illicit one, but they still have the accountants,the marketing people etc. So I have to say that I can see the point being made here. Those kids should have been protected from the organized crime people from the beginning, but nothing was done, an d now the solution is to jail all the people who were targeted. And do not tell me that they had a choice, of course they did, but how many people bought pet rocks, tomagotchis, clicker clackers, elephant bell bottoms, hot pants, and multiple ear piercings to name a few things, all marketed and we bit.
If my history serves me well, organized crime did target Black children to push the drugs to, because they assumed there would be little police resistance in those neighborhoods. When crack became available, it was cheap and it was marketed to the poorer areas. Drugs are a business in this country, an illicit one, but they still have the accountants,the marketing people etc. So I have to say that I can see the point being made here. Those kids should have been protected from the organized crime people from the beginning, but nothing was done, an d now the solution is to jail all the people who were targeted. And do not tell me that they had a choice, of course they did, but how many people bought pet rocks, tomagotchis, clicker clackers, elephant bell bottoms, hot pants, and multiple ear piercings to name a few things, all marketed and we bit.
But the quote was "the government", not organized crime. And I unfortunately have some experience in the realm of crack addiction...one of my children was addicted, so no matter where it was first marketed, drug addiction has no favorites. And we can't blame the government for our indulging in anything being marketed to us. For heaven's sake, I'm turning more republican every moment...have some personal responsibility already!
But the quote was "the government", not organized crime. And I unfortunately have some experience in the realm of crack addiction...one of my children was addicted, so no matter where it was first marketed, drug addiction has no favorites. And we can't blame the government for our indulging in anything being marketed to us. For heaven's sake, I'm turning more republican every moment...have some personal responsibility already!
I have had the good fortune to avoid the drug scene, and my point was not that drug addicts were not ultimately responsible for their bad behavior. My point was that there was a time when things could have been turned around and the government turned a blind eye to organized crime and allowed it to ravage populations. It is not a matter of personal responsibility, it is a matter of accepting that there are many players that profited and others that could have stepped in, but these people were not worth it.
I have had the good fortune to avoid the drug scene, and my point was not that drug addicts were not ultimately responsible for their bad behavior. My point was that there was a time when things could have been turned around and the government turned a blind eye to organized crime and allowed it to ravage populations. It is not a matter of personal responsibility, it is a matter of accepting that there are many players that profited and others that could have stepped in, but these people were not worth it.
Ok, but Jeremiah Wright said it was the government that gave them the drugs...and then went on with his tirade.
It took a lot of people and a lot of effort to stop organized crime as it used to be in this country. I'm sure it's still alive and well in a not-so-blatant form even now. But we still can't blame our government for all the wrong things in this world, particularly when the government is blamed for trying to get rid of the black people in this country.
We will have to agree to disagree on this point. I was raised an Irish Catholic in PA during the 60s and 70s and my memories of what went on in Philadelphia, let alone the south, give me a different perspective I suppose, and my memories of what the government did during the Tuskegee experiment all the way up to 1972 gives me pause.
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,792,165 times
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ACTS Mom
But the quote was "the government", not organized crime. And I unfortunately have some experience in the realm of crack addiction...one of my children was addicted, so no matter where it was first marketed, drug addiction has no favorites. And we can't blame the government for our indulging in anything being marketed to us. For heaven's sake, I'm turning more republican every moment...have some personal responsibility already!
In most cases the government and organized crime are one and the same!
Location: Jonquil City (aka Smyrna) Georgia- by Atlanta
16,259 posts, read 24,792,165 times
Reputation: 3587
Quote:
Originally Posted by sweetclimber
You must be from San Francisco with these negative attitudes.
I would like to be from San Fransisco. Truly a beautiful city with great weather. But no, I was raised in Kansas.
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