Once again, we learn of a neighborhood in the Baltimore area being cordoned off by police "for protection." This is hardly newsworthy because such happens endemically in places like Baltimore, Jefferson City, Mo, and other such concentrations of black population across the U.S. Such falls into the category of "other news" since it does not often directly affect "us."
Whatever one's racial attitude, and whether directly or indirectly affecting "us," it is an American problem when certain areas of our nation, "the world's greatest democracy," become recognized and tolerated as resembling police states in miniature -- once again "that's their problem."
There's a similar affliction among many Americans in the face of, for example, a U.S. drone attack on such as a wedding party in Yemen suspected of including a person on our "enemies list." The reaction here is often whether or not we "got him," rather than "For what and why in the world -- in another hemisphere two seas away -- are we slaughtering people for the past fifteen years and with no end in sight!"
Most of the rest of the world views such insistent domestic and inter-hemispheric behavior by the U.S. in repugnance if not horror. But hey, why should we care? Are we not still the greatest country in the world?
Or what ?
