White/Upper Class = good

Brown/Lower Class = bad

Not new to it. Just not into it.

All I can say is that my in-laws (family from Ecuador) advise against being a have-not in any South-Central American culture that they know of. Oligarchies, all of them. Most still have a serious class structure, and those that don’t tend to have substituted a new one based on how close you are to the current Big Man. Americans can do very well, as long as the social structure doesn’t break down AND they don’t annoy those in power. A lot of my Lady’s co-workers got the wind up over the Y2K ‘problem’, and some were talking about going to South American; I and my in-laws both thought that that was a horrible idea, because if Y2K amounted to much it would hit semi-advanced countries harder, and that would NOT be a good time to be a “gringo”.

Being a peasant in any of those countries sucks. Not as hard as being a peasant in, say, some Islamic pesthole, but still….

But my counterpoint is still open: is Bolivia really that bad? I’m trying to be a dick, I really don’t know and I have heard that some South American countries are actually quite well run and respectful of civil liberties. Ecuador seems to be a popular retirement destination and I think there are large expat communities in Peru and Argentina. My children’s nanny years ago used to boast about her native Uruguay and how nice of a place it was to live. So, is the “banana republic” idea a vestige of history and an unwarranted stereotype in present day? Please, it’s a fair question.

That is the door to the octopus’ garden near a cave.

Maybe this kind of thing would happen less frequently if the question for the jury was “was he a threat” rather than “was he viewed as a threat”.

This is the kind of excuse you would expect from a gangbanger trying to explain away his wanton act of violence.

Keystone.

South and Central American countries have long histories of exactly that kind of behavior, which hasn’t changed so far as I know.

And how about engaging my point, which was more or less “Hey! This is how this is SUPPOSED to go down! Out of control cops do something abysmally stupid, and instead of the local politicians closing ranks to make it disappear, they’re fighting over it. The locals are angry enough to turn a local council meeting into a donnybrook!”

Isn’t this what we’ve been saying we want to see in reaction to these incidents? Some indication that The People (bless their flabby hearts) actually give a fat damn?

If this is sarcasm, You may want to make it more obvious. Otherwise, exactly how do you know the state of things in Bolivia, CSP?

I think it’s time the United States dissolved. I find it horrifying that I am of the same nationality as people from Pennsylvania.

I’m guessing Da’Quan is probably an Eskimo. Or possibly a Ukranian.

DeKalb County Sheriff Thomas Brown told an Atlanta talk radio show a day after the raid that a dozen squad cars and dozens of deputies were needed for the dead-of-night raid because Occupy Atlanta had set up tents on Frazer’s property, and his perception of the Occupy activists in other cities led him to believe they could be armed. He also said he timed the eviction to avoid media coverage.

E.T. article: I am glad I didn’t see my sister’s picture in those abducted. She also had a near death experience but not at the same time.

#5 Mario: STOP RESISTING!

Here’s a question. Why do these towns of 2,500 NEED police departments? In Pennsylvania they could just contract with the state police. It’s like this where I live in IL too. The arguments about local control, accountability and community pride just aren’t convincing to me. Too many of these officers end up becoming small town tyrants. All too often, these tiny P.D.’s are nothing but training stops for new part-time officers and a retirement job for the chief. As far as activity goes, these officers spend most of their time stopping cars, scrutinizing “outsiders” and hanging out at local gas stations. I say disband this department and send these twits packing.

Exactly. In Bolivia the tazered kid would either be vanished, or cowering un some hole, hoping to be ignored. In Bolivia is is inconceivable that the Authorities would not have closed ranks against all possible criticism. This is a purely American story about how wonderfully full-tilt-bozo politics can get. With a little luck, all the cops involved will be encouraged to pursue opportunities elsewhere, and town meeting will be enlivened for years to come.