The Golden Rule in the USofA

[Burning Petard]

Yeah, that golden rule--he who has the gold makes the rules.

An interesting essay in the Washington Post directed me to an official UN report on the right to freedom of assembly in America, by a civil rights lawyer from Kenya who is an investigator for the UN on this particular human right. The complete report can be found here:

http://freeassembly.net/news/usa-statement/

The ritualistic polite beginning includes:" The United States is an impressive, complex and imposing nation in which to undertake a mission such as this. It is an economic powerhouse, a military superpower, a global engine of technological development, and one of the oldest democracies in the world.
It is also an extremely diverse nation, a nation of indigenous peoples, slaves and immigrants. It is a nation of diverse opinions and views, sometimes so strongly held that it once slid into Civil War. And it is a nation of struggle and resilience, home of one of the 20th Century’s most inspiring moments encapsulated by the Civil Rights Movement." Sounds to me as if this outside observer thinks America is pretty great now.

The report quickly gets to its main theme, that the right to assemble is restricted by racism. That racism makes itself most clearly known in the 'war on drugs.' Again, I quote:

"These discriminatory laws and practices need to be seen in the larger context. Wall Street bankers looted billions of dollars through crooked schemes, devastating the finances of millions of Americans and saddling taxpayers with a massive bailout bill. Yet during my mission I did not hear any suggestions of a “War on Wall Street theft.” Instead, criminal justice resources go towards enforcing a different type of law and order, targeting primarily African-Americans and other minorities."

He who has the gold, makes the rules. My neighbor flies a special flag in black and white with one blue strip to show support for 'blue lives matter' Meantime actual reform or just a restoration of the banking and investment laws that we lived by during those wonderful 1950's are given less congressional attention than even nomination to the supreme court.

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