Americans are really stupid

DiogenesTheWiser

Well-Known Member
Americans have been stupid throughout history. It started with the people who came over from England, the Puritans. The original alt right. Ever since then, the alt right has mostly ruled in America. America had a chance to survive in 1860 when the confederates seceded. But Lincoln, stupid though he was and the WORST American president, decide their miserable, backward states should be kept here, and that war has never, ever ended.

Lincoln ruined America.
Lincoln was killed before his plan to reconstruct the nation was put into place. This led to a "war" between the radical Republicans in Congress and Andrew Johnson--the only southerner left in the Federal government during the Civil War. Congress eventually took over reconstruction policy from the president, and turned it into a vindictive program, stationing black troops in overtly hostile areas like New Orleans, North Louisiana, Central Mississippi, Charleston, and North Georgia. This added insult to injury to the weak-kneed southerners who couldn't handle seeing slaves in uniform and overseeing them.

"Bottom rail on top, huh?" a former slave told his former master after the Civil War.

Lincoln was a leader. He did things few other presidents before him or after him would ever consider doing. For example, he took cabinet members from both parties. If he were to lose the 1864 election, he and his cabinet were prepared to leave office in November instead of waiting for the March 1865 inaugural. And he fired several commanding field marshals until he landed on Grant and Sheridan. I think Lincoln could have reconstructed the nation better than did Congress and Johnson.

I agree with your sentiment, though. The South has been a problem since the 1850s, and continues to be that problem. So many of the people I work with in prison are there for no other reason than being the so-called "wrong" race--a race that southern whites believe must be controlled. The whole system here supports cops and prosecutors and prison officials. The state houses state prisoners in parish prisons, many of which are metal buildings thrown up in a day or so, and for this the parishes get tons of state dollars in a state that is bankrupt.

Point is, if you're black or latino in a Deep South state like Louisiana, and you're accused of a crime, the whole system will be against you. The public defender assigned to these cases force their clients to plea bargain, which usually means some jail time in a county hot box with no air conditioning and only one bathroom trip per day.
 

ttystikk

Well-Known Member
Lincoln was killed before his plan to reconstruct the nation was put into place. This led to a "war" between the radical Republicans in Congress and Andrew Johnson--the only southerner left in the Federal government during the Civil War. Congress eventually took over reconstruction policy from the president, and turned it into a vindictive program, stationing black troops in overtly hostile areas like New Orleans, North Louisiana, Central Mississippi, Charleston, and North Georgia. This added insult to injury to the weak-kneed southerners who couldn't handle seeing slaves in uniform and overseeing them.

"Bottom rail on top, huh?" a former slave told his former master after the Civil War.

Lincoln was a leader. He did things few other presidents before him or after him would ever consider doing. For example, he took cabinet members from both parties. If he were to lose the 1864 election, he and his cabinet were prepared to leave office in November instead of waiting for the March 1865 inaugural. And he fired several commanding field marshals until he landed on Grant and Sheridan. I think Lincoln could have reconstructed the nation better than did Congress and Johnson.

I agree with your sentiment, though. The South has been a problem since the 1850s, and continues to be that problem. So many of the people I work with in prison are there for no other reason than being the so-called "wrong" race--a race that southern whites believe must be controlled. The whole system here supports cops and prosecutors and prison officials. The state houses state prisoners in parish prisons, many of which are metal buildings thrown up in a day or so, and for this the parishes get tons of state dollars in a state that is bankrupt.

Point is, if you're black or latino in a Deep South state like Louisiana, and you're accused of a crime, the whole system will be against you. The public defender assigned to these cases force their clients to plea bargain, which usually means some jail time in a county hot box with no air conditioning and only one bathroom trip per day.
NPR did a story recently on how the public defender's offices were funded by traffic tickets.
 

DiogenesTheWiser

Well-Known Member
NPR did a story recently on how the public defender's offices were funded by traffic tickets.
In many of the small communities around these parts, there is no public defender's office. Instead, the state and parishes combine to pay private attorneys to represent no-income clients (the only ones who can benefit from a public defender). In most cases, the private attorney is in cahoots with the prosecutors and will not entertain the idea of putting up a defense. They all plea bargain. These public defenders get a $14K/year paycheck from combined state and parish resources, and they have maybe 500 or so pro bono cases per year. The "public defender" then has no inclination of actually working on any of those cases. Might as well not even have a public defense system if that's how fucked up it is!
 
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