New York City is showing signs of a return to the violence it suffered in the ‘90s. It’s claim to being the safest big city in America is seriously challenged. I wonder if the economic slump is at its root. During a recent eight day span there were 112 victims of gunshots, 25 died. 105 of the victims were minorities. All the shooters were minorities. And there is silence from Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton, who leap to accuse policeman of murder before all evidence is analyzed. In a way, I feel sorry for them, as they are clueless in how to stop young black males from killing each other at such an alarming rate. Recently, while accompanying my friend Arlynn on a trip to the doctor, I witnessed a heated exchange between the passengers in cars ahead of us. A young man in the back seat of an SUV shaped his hand into the form of a revolver and pretended to fire. I found it hard not to jump to conclusions. If I were a black leader, I’d be tempted to come up with a slogan like: “Spite whitey - stay alive.” Even having a black president has failed to curb this cold indifference to life. Many times the intended target is missed and a bystander killed, the latest a 57-year-old woman sitting on her stoop minding her own business. And, of course, Mayor Bloomberg offered the same tired solution - more gun control. If guns are really the problem, why isn’t the murder rate as high among whites or Asians? Such ugly questions need to be addressed.
It seems the President’s call for civility is being ignored by his supporters. In a speech in the wasteland that Detroit has become, Teamsters President Jimmy Hoffa said: “…Let’s take these sons of bitches out.” The Motor City has always been run by Democrats. Is Hoffa angry with them? And Vice President Biden also chimed in recently in his inimitable way: “You are the only ones who can stop the barbarians at the gates.” He means those of us who hope to curb the dangerous entitlement mentality created by advocates of unlimited government, who ask: How much is enough, how much is fair? Unions are still needed. Many citizens are terrified of standing on their own, especially in an economy like this. But the past few decades have shown that greed is universal, not confined to the rich. I often see a bumper sticker that reads something like: “Union and Proud of It.” I wonder what would happen if I put one on my car that read: “Non-Union and Proud of It.” I would not risk it for fear of vandalism. One of my most shameful moments came in the my first year of a four-year run as a paraprofessional, a pretentious title for a teacher’s aide, at John Dewey High School in Brooklyn. A woman, smiling broadly, asked if I would like to join the union. When I said no her smile disappeared and she said: “You will join. We will have one hundred percent representation.” I will always be ashamed of not having challenged her. I suppose she would deem the 39% of union members who voted for John McCain in 2008 as traitors.
The soft rain sent me to the shelter of the viaduct, which is not nearly as gloomy since a crew threw a coat of paint on it last week. Thanks to the great-grandma who bought some children's books.
Read Vic's stories, free: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
No comments:
Post a Comment