Hello Bob,   
      
    BK>> There are aproximately 3 times as many   
    BK>> poor whites as poor blacks in this country. The poor are   
    BK>> overwhelmingly working poor. Even your 9th ward, the infamously   
    BK>> abandoned by the Feds, home of the poor black population, was   
    BK>> overwhelmingly made up of families supported by workers.   
      
    LL>> Folks who lived in the Lower 9th Ward were mostly renters.   
      
   BK>Which is not untypical for the poor.   
      
   It has been 8 years since Katrina hit New Orleans.  And many people   
   who were displaced have never been able to return to their homes or   
   former neighborhoods.   
      
    LL>> They had evacuated prior to Katrina hitting New Orleans, but   
    LL>> were unable to return due to the levees breaking leaving the   
      
   BK>They were also barred from returning by security people.   
      
   Not only were residents of New Orleans barred from returning home,   
   but so were others (such as family and relatives) who were outside   
   the city.  Sure, cleanup was a mess.  But access should have been   
   granted sooner, and for more people.   
      
   BK>From what I have read, Blackwater was guarding the former 9th ward.   
   BK>You can find that easily enough.   
      
   Private contractors were used, but so was the National Guard.   
      
    LL>> entire area flooded.  Yes, most of them worked, although at   
    LL>> low-paying jobs, hardly enough to live on much less raise a   
    LL>> family.   
      
   BK>Exactly.   
      
   That is the way it is in every major American city.  Right-wingers   
   like to blame it on blacks, pointing to cities such as New Orleans   
   and Detroit, but the poor (regardless of race) live everywhere.   
      
    LL>> The issue isn't really about race, but rather what is right   
    LL>> and what is wrong.  People do what they have to do in order   
    LL>> to survive.  Most folks, rich or poor, are good people   
    LL>> rather than bad, trying to do the right thing rather than   
    LL>> the wrong thing.   
      
   BK>Aristotal taught that the poor will do what they need to survive,   
   BK>the rich will do anything to get richer, only the middle class   
   BK>provides stability.   
      
   Aristotle was a very smart man, but he never imagined how it could   
   be humanly possible to solve the problem.  However, today we are gods   
   and have solved the problem -   
      
   With the number of poor we have in this country, it is necessary   
   to have government programs (handouts).  Food stamps, free cellphones,   
   subsidized housing, SSI/medicaid, etc.  If there were no subsidies,   
   the people would riot and revolt.   
      
    LL>> You can find bad people in every neighborhood.   
    LL>> Right-wingers like to point out that Rev. Martin Luther   
    LL>> King was a troublemaker, a black man who spoke for a   
    LL>> violent people, all of whom happened to also be black.   
      
   BK>VS the violent white people he didn't speak for.   
      
   White people do not kill white people.  But black people kill   
   black people (and sometimes white people).  Or so we have been   
   led to believe.   
      
    LL>> No white minister would ever encourage white folks to   
    LL>> disobey cops and other law enforcement officials.  There is a   
      
   BK>Uh... some are preparing for war against the government.   
      
   Preparing for war against the government is one thing.  Doing so might   
   even get you elected to Congress.  Going to war against the government   
   quite another.  Might even get you killed.  Unless you win.  In which   
   case you become a patriot.   
      
    LL>> reason why no Republican spoke at the Lincoln Memorial on   
    LL>> the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King's "I Have a   
    LL>> Dream" speech.  There is also a reason why no Republicans   
    LL>> were invited by the organizers to speak.   
      
   BK>Are you sure none were invited? I checked, quite a few were.   
   BK>They chose not to.   
      
   Chris Matthews said none were invited.  Michael Steel corrected him.   
      
    BK>> The reality has been it isn't white or black, but haves and have   
    BK>> nots. The haves have taken more from the poor black community   
    BK>> than the poor black community ever got back.   
      
    LL>> For Republicans, it really is about white or black.  It   
    LL>> wasn't always like that, but it is today.  For example,   
    LL>> George Romney received 30% of the black vote as a candidate   
    LL>> for governor of Michigan.  Mitt Romney received 6% of the   
    LL>> black vote as a candidate for president.  That is how much   
    LL>> the Republican Party has changed over the years.   
      
   BK>Above all, it's politics. Give the people someone to hate and   
   BK>you get votes. Playing on fear has always been the dictator's   
   BK>primary weapon against his own people.   
      
   Give the people what they want to hear and you get votes.   
   Not necessarily what they hate, although very often it amounts   
   to being the very same thing.  The politics of fear is used   
   not only by dictators but also by presidents (re: GWB).  Is   
   it a good tool?  For dictators it is (as long as they are   
   able to remain in power).   
      
    BK>> Remember Mitt Romney's infamous 47%?   
      
    LL>> George Romney marched with MLK and the blacks for freedom.   
    LL>> Mitt Romney refused to speak at the Lincoln Memorial for the   
    LL>> 50th anniversary of MLK's "I Have a Dream" speech.  What a   
    LL>> tremendous opportunity that was missed by Mitt Romney and   
    LL>> the Republican Party.  Even Michael Steel admitted the GOP   
    LL>> goofed.   
      
   BK>OTOH, the republican party found Michael Steel too reasonable   
   BK>long ago.   
      
   And now the Republican Party is finding Piyush "Bobby" Jindal   
   too reasonable ...   
      
    BK>> Well, since blacks make up only about 13% of the population   
    BK>> of this country, That leaves 34% to be white.   
      
    LL>> Cajuns make up a much smaller percentage of the population   
    LL>> than blacks, hispanics, or asians.  Why this country wants   
    LL>> to identify itself by race is beyond me, as it is language   
    LL>> that defines a culture ...   
      
   BK>The country does not want to identify itself by race, the power   
   BK>holders need a division to keep thier side in line.   
      
   Especially the RAND Corporation.  "Thinking Through the Cold   
   War", by David Jardin, free for download, smashwords.com   
      
    BK>>> Since even the 15% unemployment rate among blacks, or more   
    BK>>> like 25% real unemployment rather than the fake numbers the   
    BK>>> government uses, still means 25% of 13%. Or about 3 1/3% of   
    BK>>> the population. That leaves about 45% out of 47% Mitt Romney   
    BK>>> considers "takers" to be white.   
      
    LL>> Cajuns are not exactly the wealthiest folks in the world.   
    LL>> And yet most of them voted for the man with the red face.   
    LL>> Probably because they thought he was a crawfish.   
      
   BK>He played on fear.   
      
   He's a politician.  Now retired.  And happy.   
      
   --Lee   
      
   --- MesNews/1.06.00.00-gb   
    * Origin: news://felten.yi.org (2:203/2)