Dear Armchair Critic,

You wrote;

Hey SteeleRedux,
Your news is one-sided.
There's 600 buildings burning in Portland.

You are now thankfully walking the comment back.

Here are some observations from someone on the ground in Portland.

http://www.reddit.com/r/esist/comments/hytue5/july_22nd_observations_and_comments_of_dr_alden/

So I'm wondering if you have found out where your information came from and what their agenda was?

Oh, in case you are interested here is the location of the 2-4 city block involved in the protests.

http://www.reddit.com/r/pics/comments/hymr0z/the_protest_zone_in_portland_is_only_24_square/

No idea how they squeezed 600 houses in there.

The protests the wife and I have been involved in have overwhelmingly been peaceful. Before the BLM we had the annual 'Invasion Day' rally in Sydney, 26th January, with 5,000 or more taking part. The vast majority 99% came along like us with no intention, and no capability of being violent. Granted you get a handful of "hot heads", but they are few in number. The "hot heads" are lucky if they can draw 50 supporters at best, more like 5. The protest organisers cooperated with police, cops were okay. I recall saying to one officer while stopped, "ÖT this morning", the reply came back, "Yeah, great". As for those "hot heads" they would set themselves up down near Town Hall, with their megaphone and yelling out their message. The bystanders were more curious and amused than willing believers in what they had to say. Then its off to Hyde Park for a plate of ethnic fair for lunch. All in a days protest.

BTW went to the BLM protest in Brisbane, met up with the niece and her friends at Southbank and we had lunch before leaving them and catching the train home, too many people. All in a days protest.

Thanks for everyone's contributions on this topic. I'm glad that Graham Y was able to let it go ahead. It seems to have been a popular topic reaching over 140 posts.

This topic was based on the comment...

"Black Lives Matter is based on the principle that all white people are privileged and complicit in a culture of rape of black people."

This seems to be based on Trotsky's concept of permanent revolution- those of us participating in movements such as Black Lives Matter need to be aware of this.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Permanent_revolution

In my view every culture deserves their own nation- their own government, their own police, their own institutions, their own borders, their own people.

Thanks to all.

This nation and the world would be a better place
if we quit judging and projecting our own narratives
upon others. If only more people had some compassion
to look out for one another. And ideally a racially
integrated world could lead to us all having a more
peaceful and balanced existence.

Foxy said 1-

This nation and the world would be a better place
if we quit judging and projecting our own narratives
upon others.

Answer 1-

You mean like the narratives that you espouse?
I believe that everyone should be able to have their own narrative and their own community.

Comment 2-

If only more people had some compassion
to look out for one another.

Answer 2-

Yes the western world has shown a lot of compassion for other people- they have allowed immigration into their countries- despite their lack of reciprocity. Now is the time for western countries to look after their own interest.

Comment 3-

And ideally a racially integrated world could lead to us all having a more peaceful and balanced existence.

Answer 3-

Sounds like Communism to me. At least Foxy is consistent with her ideology.

"A personality cult quickly sprang up around Mao, similar to that which existed for Josef Stalin, with different factions of the movement claiming the true interpretation of Maoist thought. The population was urged to rid itself of the “Four Olds”: Old customs, old culture, old habits, and old ideas."

http://www.history.com/topics/china/cultural-revolution

Similar ideologies has popped up in "Free Trade" theory- the paradigm that smoothing out the culture of the world's people will lead to a perfect capitalism.

http://www.nber.org/papers/w10426

http://ielp.worldtradelaw.net/2010/11/free-trade-and-stuff.html?__cf_chl_jschl_tk__=0f407cbf94c82fbd60a7dcafee2f2628c77d4a3e-1596352472-0-AUIZL-KYQifuHEyf6Vq5rO-xQ_Bu2eBmNg85KW77kiv7tNMzs_CsxwkBbtDcuaHbIuj9O_XrF18l5js_Wg6YnYQy2L06Gifh6g6TI-k1aVEX3oh3vgsq_GwuBLAQeCzJRqNstdy3KkU1_5KaoQE_akeGIteYSe4bKMff9DIy2QyIH5Duq7sDmoIsEYxI03_RWIeyAi8LtQ80ifyP43E5ua6j9aPSbJbyKyrKYoKdIoDpOJshlKosTi88JKdbPkJDLV5nIbmGbT9HTh0MXs8xCcKY6Ns0VfedrPDMCR-aruhyNB0TsyNMGRLV-vRZGDSfKr_ihz5gGYGH7fwT1wACZmY

I believe that people should be free to live with people they want to live with according to their own laws and institutions. The Equal opportunity commission, the UN, the Australian Government, etc seek to take away that right despite a peoples right to self determination...

"Article 1 in both the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR)[23] and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR)[24] reads: "All peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. " "

The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Risk_factors_for_genocide#UN_risk_assessment_%22Framework_of_Analysis_for_Atrocity_Crimes%22

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raphael_Lemkin

The UN doesn't give rights to people - people give power to the UN