Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right

This past week, in response to the civil unrest down in Baltimore and the highly publicized incident where a mother was filmed beating and cussing out her masked and hoodie wearing 16 year old son who thought he should join in on the rioting, Keith Olberman posted the following commentary on his Facebook page taking acceptation to the comments of the Baltimore Chief of Police.

It's a powerful statement that I agree with and hope people will acknowledge:

In my upbringing, my parents made it clear, "TWO WRONGS, DON'T MAKE A RIGHT." 

What is happening across the country with police gunning down defenseless men/women is absolutely wrong. Or severing a person's spinal cord. I stand by all non-violent protesting. I will walk side by side with you. But when it becomes too violent protesting, I will not participate. The whole purpose of protesting is b/c of violence from the people who are there to serve and protect. I cannot emphasize the importance of non-violent protests.

NOW TO THE POLICE CHIEF IN BALTIMORE:

Batts said: In one scene you had a mother who grabbed a child who had a hood on his head and started smacking him on the head because she was so embarrassed.

'I wish there were more parents out there who took charge of their kids tonight.’

He later added: "Take control of your kids. This is our city, let’s make a difference."

Take control of your kids. This is our city, let's make a difference? Seriously??? HOW ABOUT YOU TAKE CONTROL OF YOUR OUT OF CONTROL POLICE FORCE??? How about that??? This is exactly why things go bad. B/c we have a police chief who is completely insensitive to the needs of these people. Surely we can all agree that there are white folks that are violent to the core. I am white. Does that mean I should condone white violence b/c I am white??? Absolutely NOT!!! I do not condone white officers beating on any person's body. OR shooting an unarmed person. Whether black, white or other. And until we can all agree that "two wrongs, don't make a right." This shit is never gonna end. We need to hold ourselves to higher standards, than those who think we are worth nothing. I am with our president on this one.

Letter: Why Send State Police To Baltimore To Be Target?

The expressed opinions or views of this letter does not necessarily represent the opinion of the MiddletownMike blog:



Dear Editor,

I am very much opposed to Governor Chris Christie’s decision to send the New Jersey State Police to Baltimore, to support a police force that has been accused of murdering Freddie Gray, a 25 year old African-American man.

The New Jersey State Police has had a long history of racism and abuse of minorities. The New Jersey State Police admitted to racially profiling and shooting at unarmed African-Americans and Hispanic drivers. These abuses resulted in a consent order with the Department of Justice.

Because of this history, it is entirely inappropriate for the agency to be involved in such racial tensions.

Thanks to Christie, the State of New Jersey has now become a target of any person or group who has been made to feel that the political and legal system has failed their communities and might take up a mantra of “by any means necessary”.

Bring our troopers home and let Baltimore deal with the mess they caused.



Eric Hafner
Toms River

Martin O'Malley: A Hillary Alternative

There are many Democrats around the country that aren't ready to just hand Hillary Clinton the Democratic nomination next year, many of us feel that she needs to earn it first.  That is why many of us are looking for an alternative. Unfortunately, alternative Democrats are hard to find at the moment. It seems they are afraid of the Clinton juggernaut unless that is, you're the former governor of Maryland and your name happens to be Martin O'Malley.

O'Malley has been quietly going around Iowa and New Hampshire seeking support in advance of his own 2016 campaign announcement.  He hasn't been flashy or made a lot of headlines as of yet but he is a true progressive, isn't afraid to show it and he has a record to stand on. Martin O'Malley is a former a two-term Mayor of the city of Baltimore and a former two-term Governor of Maryland:

"Called “the best manager in government today,” Governor O’Malley has been nationally recognized for his skillful leadership of Maryland through the recession, as well as his success in implementing critical progressive priorities such as raising the minimum wage to $10.10, signing marriage equality into law, abolishing the death penalty and passing the DREAM Act to provide in-state tuition for undocumented immigrants. During his two terms, O’Malley recovered 100% of the jobs lost during the recession, first and foremost by investing in education, innovation and infrastructure. Under his leadership, Education Week magazine named Maryland’s public schools #1 in the nation for an unprecedented five years in a row, the College Board listed Maryland as one of the top states in the country for holding down the cost of college, and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce named Maryland #1 in innovation and entrepreneurship three years in a row. As a leader in sustainability, O’Malley expanded renewable energy, accelerated energy conservation, reduced greenhouse gas emissions and took bold action to restore the health of the Chesapeake Bay. 

Prior to serving as Governor of Maryland, O’Malley served two terms as Mayor of Baltimore. Governor O’Malley received his bachelor’s degree from Catholic University and his law degree from the University of Maryland..."

Check out his website and his Twitter page @GovernorOMalley to start familiarizing yourself with him. I think he makes an attractive alternative for the anti-Hillary crowd.