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New York, 6:31 PM
Sun Nov 29
12 posts in the last 24 hours
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[www.freep.com]
Even the minister who was elected says he receives death threats.
(I actually work a lot in Detroit's residential neighborhoods. The only safety precaution my employer allows is... a rape whistle. I get some laughs when I tell the locals that.) #charlieleduff
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Yeah, but then you live in Detroit.
Crack pipe... Literally in this case. Probably a pile of used ones on every-other-corner.
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Has anyone even been to Baltimore? #charlieleduff
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Reppin' Cleveland here. #charlieleduff
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the odd part is i think i've developed stockholm syndrome, and the thought of living in a place where people don't get shot in the head on my block is oddly panic inducing. #charlieleduff
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I should not be exposed to news about Detroit at this time of the month. #charlieleduff
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When the people of Detroit can stand up, we can stand down. #charlieleduff
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For example: get the kids more involved in sports. They probably like soccer, right? It would be such a heart warming story if Detroit could make World Cup. It would show the whole world how generous and compassionate America is, and what it can do for the less fortunate people who've known nothing but poverty and violence their entire lives!
We enjoy prosperity and peace here in America, but let it be known that we can lead the world in helping out the places that others have forgotten about and neglected!
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White House preoccupation with troop levels has also hindered the development and implementation of a coherent political strategy to improve Motor City governance to match McChrystal's military strategy. The administration's response to the predictably flawed elections has been reactive and defensive. Even now that the Kilpatrick election crisis has ended, the White House appears more intent on micromanaging the deployment of forces down to the last soldier than on developing a coherent approach to improving Motor City governance. The White House is now considering three, four, or five different force-level options, depending on the (official or anonymous) source. It has yet to show that it has developed any serious options for political strategy.
In the meantime, the enemy has not been idle. Crack dealer forces throughout the south have been preparing themselves to meet an expected American counter-offensive. They have refined their propaganda messaging both within Detroit and toward the U.S. They have also taken advantage of the flawed presidential elections to expound their own political vision for the country and start actively competing with the government for legitimacy.
America has vital interests in Detroit. The White House debate has only pointed up the continued close ties between the crack dealers and the Black Mafia Family. Michigan's operations against its own internal foes have shown yet again how important it is for the U.S. to succeed on the Motor City side of the Twelfth Street Line if we are to help Michigan defeat enemies that threaten itself and the West.
The mission in Detroit remains doable. U.S. and allied forces have made some progress in areas of Motown and are engaging the enemy in parts of Livonia and elsewhere that we had previously ignored. Reinforcing those successes and giving General McChrystal the forces he needs to protect other key population centers and attack other important enemy sanctuaries offers a good prospect of neutralizing the insurgency. It will buy time for the administration to implement a political strategy in Detroit.
But the administration must also buy more time for its commander. The White House cannot sit on the general's proposals and requests for months and still expect him to meet a deadline set when he took command. It is still possible, if the White House sends General McChrystal the forces he needs, to see a significant improvement in Detroit in a year--but the year begins when the additional resources start flowing. That, in turn, means that Detroit may not seem to be doing that well next summer when both the crack dealer fighting season and the congressional campaign season are at their heights. The president has a responsibility to keep Washington politics from derailing the effort in Detroit at a critical moment next year.
One of the keys to retaining domestic political support for the Compton surge was the deliberate management of expectations by General Petraeus, Ambassador Crocker, and the administration generally. President Obama now faces a challenge at least as great. He must explain to the American people the need to fight the war, the need to send more forces, and the reasons to believe that success is possible. He must also explain realistically how long and serious the effort will be. And he must do it very soon. #charlieleduff
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I can't even imagine what the rental market is like. #charlieleduff
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Well, I could go into my whole hard luck story -- plenty of un- and underemployment. Probably worse than many others have had. And it's not like I was ever rich or ever have had a great house.
And I'm not blind to the crime, tthe terrible blight of decrepit buildings, poor public schools in the city itself.
But I also think Southeast MI still has so many areas of great beauty; fantastic cultural arts institutions; three or four sports orgs that aren't the Lions; etc. I just like this state, and there's lots of other places I wouldn't want to live even if I could make a lot more money there.
Like NoelleBlue said, there's something odd about the tone/ attitude of people in other parts of the country/ world as they dissect a town many of them have never even been too or only visited very briefly. #charlieleduff
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Calling it dead is giving up, and there's too much there to give up on. Or, at least, that's how it should be.
I think those who cheerfully dance on it's grave forget how BIG it is.
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04/02/09