London on fire.. How long till it happens here?

[SimplyMe_AngieD]

Quote:
The problem is, it is not the conservatives turning off the tap. It is the liberals promising and spending more than the tap can provide. Not trying to start a debate. But Just saying.

 

[chickened]

I do remember a woman saying that when Obama wins she will have no more financial worries, during the campaign.
Quote:
The problem is, it is not the conservatives turning off the tap. It is the liberals promising and spending more than the tap can provide. Not trying to start a debate. But Just saying.

 

[Boyd]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cV2ngvYI_ZU&feature=related

This was 2009, things haven't gotten better.

 

[Boyd]

http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/08/14/hackers-group-posts-names-bart-site-subscribers/?test=latestnews

And now the hackers strike back..

 

[P-Funk]

The London police are seeking advice from the Boston police. I shy away from large cities since I lived in Denver, Chicago, and Boston. Not that I've ever been involved in a riot, maybe I'm just getting too old, maybe I just like being around actual animals.

 

[Stacykins]

Quote:
Well, BART did shut down cell phone service. My thoughts are, yes it took away the tools of protesters, BUT what if someone did have an emergency and couldn't use their cell phone? And not just emergencies happening on the train, what if someone was trying to get ahold of someone on the train because something happened and they needed them home ASAP? Not a wise move on BART's part, they set themselves up for a huge potential lawsuit.

Hacktivism in this day and age gets things done, it an effective surgical strike. It brings attention to those who are wronged. Sure it is breaking the law. But every revolution of change included law breaking, by not doing things status quo.

 

[Ferrret]

Quote:
The problem is, it is not the conservatives turning off the tap. It is the liberals promising and spending more than the tap can provide. Not trying to start a debate. But Just saying.


Some people will believe anything about a politician, especially a President. Many thought the economy would turn around and go into a surplus in the first six months after he was elected. These are short sighted people who think a problem can only lie in one place and can be fixed by changing one part. Voting in a new President but never voting in a new Congressman is like replacing the battery when the engine is bad. Every branch of our Government has issues, two we at least have a say in, but people only seem to think one is responsible for everything.
Sadly, we're also in a widely swinging pendulum of people voting based on a red/blue color preference rather than political history. I voted for the Red guy last time and he didn't do what I wanted, so I'm voting for the Blue guy this time.

Riots can start over anything, and they aren't always for the sake of bringing some social change. Does anyone recall this year's violence in Vancouver all over a sports game? What about the mini riots every mid November during Black Friday?
All you need is a bunch of riled up people with nothing better to do. It doesn't even have to be a large group to start it, a few dozen people breaking windows in the right place can get more people going.

If you haven't heard about the 'flash mobs' that have sprung up all over this summer, you may want to make yourself aware of them. Mobs of teens and mid-twenty year olds show up, run amok beating people, breaking what they can, jumping on cars in the street, and generally being punks. It's happened in several states, the largest group I heard of was at the Wisconsin State fair. It wouldn't take much to make that 'mob' into a riot. Someone get's shot, someone get's killed, someone lets their emotions get out of control and then you have chaos.

I don't think riots in rural areas and small towns would happen at all. Bigger cities, capitol cities, those are the places that will see riots if they happen. As said before, Detroit, Flint, and LA have all gone up in riots, and I wouldn't be too surprised if it happens again. Riots may be shorter lived here, or they may have a greater death and injury toll, because many people are gun owners. Some people only shoot in defense, but a few people will see chaotic riots as a chance to shoot at will.

I live somewhat near Flint, and if riots were to break out there I will have nothing to do with them. I won't join in the rioting nor will I go to play vigilante. I'll keep away from the city and, in the unlikely event riots make it this far out of the city, I'll protect my home and property.

 

[nop169]

I do think it could happen here. When conditions are right... when hard work isn't enough to get by, when our employers can cut jobs to save benefit payouts & replace with minimum wage temps, when the working class is drowning due to the economy & paying for the have nots who live better than the working class, when we start to lose our homes & can't feed our children... then it will come.
From every level of government - local, state & federal - there is a mindset to continue taxing the working class higher, continue spending in our communities & country to benefit a select few and to control the media. The movement for making the people dependent on the government is increasing & we, like children, are being towed along whether we believe in this system or not. The government's refusal to implement change that would ease the burden on the American taxpayer, to continue the status quo in our economic systems rather than make positive changes that would benefit the American people as a whole rather than special intrest groups is appalling although understood. The American people voted for change but our congress cannot or will not make the changes required and although we realize change will occur but slowly, a decisive move would allay the fears of an economic double dip recession. It is frustrating and as the pressure builds I am afraid we will see a movement demanding change. Unfortunately, I believe the movement will be by those who are already dependent on the system and it will happen when their benefits are cut as seen in London. The rest of us will continue to work hard, hold on & hope for the best - mainly because we are all working as much as possible to keep the wolf away from the door. I think it will take years more for those of us who believed our vote could make a difference to finally say ENOUGH. And we will continue to lobby change through our voting - voicing our displeasure at the polls - although I do believe many of us are disillusioned by the system and feel that our voices are being heard but ignored. I feel that we the people could be motivated into resistance but that it will take a bigger spark than being ignored, than by the economy being so uncertain... it will take something that draws us all together in an united front. IMO the combustive material is all around us now... I am just unsure what will fuel the spark - perhaps we are slow to react due to the knowledge that our government is not tolerant and any uprising will most likely be put down fast & hard.

 

[2chickenrich]

There is always people that will steal and cheat, they used the internet to get lots of young people to meet and they emptied the stores and burned them. Most of them don't have jobs and are living with their folks or on the streets , It happens here all the time after the storms that stopped traffic light and caused power to be out for hours in Macon Ga the mall and all the stores around it were vandalized. Just because the police were busy you know saving people. That's why we live in the country.

 

[rufus]

The Watts riots were horrible. For months, the acrid smoke of burned buildings hung over that part of the city. To this day, some people still drive all around the area so that they will not have to drive through it.

The real heroes of the riots were the Korean shop keepers. They shot to kill. They survived.

I fear the day when the government cannot or will not load the food stamp cards. That will be the day things come apart.

About half the people in this country pay no income tax. They say they do, but come April they file and get everything back. Some even get the earned income credit. They exist as parasites on the rest of us.

Notice how some politicians will never use the term "working class" but instead refer to us as "middle class"? They do not want to offend their political base. We work for a living; we are not middle class.

Things will not get better as long as the government and politicians are hostile to business and economic activity. No one is going to invest money and create jobs in this atmosphere. It is better to invest in India or China. It is safer.

People who complain about "corporate greed" and "the rich" are the problem. If they are so concerned, why don't they liquidate their 401K's, IRA's and retirement funds and establish a business, build a factory and produce a product? They could provide some jobs for the unemployed.

You can't force people to invest in a losing economy. Until people reach that "Pogo Moment" things will not get better.

Rufus