As a grocer I was a combatants and officer in a war against shoplifters who stole from grocery stores for resale at bars and on buses and hair salons, the three favorite venues for the purveyors of stolen goods in Harm City. I now find myself socializing once or twice a week with middle aged people of various races and occupations, most of whom have habitually purchased stolen goods as we chat. However, in the wake of the nasty looting binge of a riot that all of these people vociferously condemned as we sat together at that very bar gazing at the burning cop cars, how many of them have purchased stolen goods at the bar?
Granted, only one of the seven venders admitted to be selling goods looted during the riots. However, if a citizen of a city is willing to purchase stolen goods, how can he expect his city not to be looted at the first opportunity by its 60,000 heroin addicts and 210 street gangs?
Below is a list of patrons, by occupation, who bought stolen goods. The bold listings at the bottom indicate those who declined.
White
4 barmaids
4 retail clerks
1 barber
1 sedan driver
1 laborer
1 pawn shop clerk
1 street artist
3 house wives
1 crack whore
1 traditional bar whore
3 construction workers
1 mechanic
2 painters
1 landscaper
2 men, occupation unknown
1 retired fireman
1 active military
1 government employee
1 writer
3 gay professional men
29 of 33 whites support looting, to 4 against—and, no, Adam, I am not one of the gay guys, but the writer.
Brown
1 newspaper delivery man
1 smoking hot mixed race babe, who likes white dudes with money, occupation unnecessary
2 of 2 Hispanics support looting
Black
4 postal workers
1 cook
1 teacher
1 principal
1 retired cop
1 cabbie
1 elementary school principal
1 drug dealer
4 females, employment unknown
2 hair dressers
1 street vender
1 nurse
1 waitress
1 sub shop clerk
1 accountant
1 financial consultant
1 pipefitter
4 men, employment unknown
1 traditional bar whore
1 oversexed slut who has banged all of the postal workers and treats them like discarded tires
2 ladies who like to shoot pool
1 retired railroad inspector and Vietnam vet
32 blacks out of 33 support looting, with one against
Overall
62 of 67 patrons of the mixed race sports bar support looting via word and action, while 5 do not.
What this number means, is that 93% of my employed and retired neighborhood adult acquaintances, who—except for the scrupulously honest drug dealer—believe themselves to be law abiding residents of Baltimore, support, by action and word, the burning of Laporsha Lawson’s home, which she barely had time to carry her severely disabled son Khai’Lee from, as the Korean liquor store next to her house caught on fire and engulfed her every possession, including all of her son’s medical equipment, at 1 a.m. April 28, at the very synchronized minute that five business in our neighborhood were looted.
When 93% of taxpaying citizens are willing to buy discounted liquor from a thug, the very week that two dozen liquor stores were looted, what does that say about the Baltimore ethos? A 7% decency rate among 30-60 year old home and vehicle buyers, makes one wonder what the numbers would be amongst teens and twenty-some things. No wonder the Maryland Jockey Club is talking about moving the Preakness to another Maryland venue.
Any decent conqueror of the ancient world would put us all to the sword on principal, and we’d deserve it.
“The rest of mankind who were not killed by these plagues still did not repent of the work of their hands; they did not stop worshiping demons, and idols of gold, silver, bronze, stone and wood—idols that cannot see or hear or walk. Nor did they repent of their murders, their magic arts, their sexual immorality or their thefts.” -Revelation 9:20-21(NIV)
FYI: In the original Greek of the Book of Revelations the word used to describe “magic arts” or “sorcery” is “pharmakia”, from which the English word “pharmacy”, referring to the study of drugs and medicine, is derived. In ancient times making “magic” often involved the use of drugs and potions that gave one supernatural powers, such as the ability to foresee the future, talk to the spirits of the dead, win an athletic contest or make someone fall in love with you. Therefore, some modern biblical scholars have surmised that in the end times people will not only not repent of their murders, their sexual immorality and their thefts, but that they will also be unrepentant of their drug abuse.
Not that we intend to be preachy or judgmental or anything here. I’m just sharing some interesting trivia. Like Queen Elizabeth I, I am perfectly willing to let other people go to Hell in their own way.