Dnc in charlotte

[magickz]

Anyone here from Charlotte? I am wondering what all the commotion is about. I have never heard of an issue like this before but maybe with the protesting going on for Occupy world wide they are taking extra precautions?

 

[RLynn]

Although I live about 80 miles north of Charlotte, I haven't heard anything about any unusual commotion, but I do have some personal opinions. In the past, protests during political conventions (such as the infamous one in Chicago) have been the occasion for extreme acts of violence. Now the SDS is making noise about an anti-war demonstration during the DNC in Charlotte, and people are understandably worried about the potential for rioting and such. While I am personally anti-war myself, I don't think a protest during the DNC will accomplish anything positive, and it might even be disastrous. (There are, for example, right-wing extremist loonies around who would like nothing better than to to toss a few rocks at SDS demonstrators in the hope that this might stir up a major event and disrupt the convention.) The most effective (and safest) way to protest war (or anything else) is at the voting booth, in my opinion.

 

[magickz]

I have never been to one and only caught the after math on the news but I really doubt I would ever want to be there first hand to experience it either. Seems like peaceful protesting went out the window years ago.

 

[RLynn]

The Occupy Wall Street thing is not the way to go. As long as laissez-faire capitalism is viewed as some kind of sacred cow by the wealthy (and their toadies), selfishness and greed are going to continue affecting the economy. It makes a lot of ordinary decent citizens feel frustrated and helpless, and this is understandable. Again, there are procedures in place for addressing the situation, but people need to be reprogrammed somehow to alter their view of capitalism (the laissez-faire version favored by the rich) as something necessarily near and dear to the heart of God Almighty. Some things which worked in the past are no longer working in a more globalized economy. Rightly or wrongly, the USA is heavily involved in international trade, and this has an inevitable leveling effect on standards of living in the participating communities. There must be a shift in our thinking about economic policy (and the corresponding political climate) if we are to survive intact. Since any form of isolationism is no longer feasible, more economic uniformity between nations is going to happen, like it or not. This can be made less unpleasant if we unbend a bit. It will take fearless leadership by individuals who are not afraid of being demonized by no-nothings accusing them of being socialists or pinko commies. I better get off my soapbox. End of rant. Just to make things clear, I, myself, am not a socialist or communist. I favor capitalism, controlled only to the extent necessary for the economic well-being of the nation as a whole. IT IS NOT TRUE THAT WHAT'S GOOD FOR GENERAL BULLMOOSE IS GOOD FOR THE COUNTRY!