Too Weak To Change

America seems incapable of learning from its mistakes — in Ferguson, in Baltimore, from the National Security Agency surveillance scandal, from its unmanned drone war. A commentary on a nation seemingly doomed to marching in place.

Is America capable of changing? In the wake of the deaths of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Eric Garner in Staten Island and Scott Walker in Charleston, black men continue to die after what are euphemistically called “encounters” with the police. Even the wave of indignation that broke over the country last year was unable to change the fact that a significant number of white police officers look on black youths as lepers they find repugnant, useless and all too often a target for gunfire.

“Black lives matter” is a slogan seen on signs and T-shirts but that fact apparently has yet to enter the national consciousness.

The FBI Scandal Has Seemingly Had No Effect on the Capital Punishment Debate

Hundreds of suspects have been jailed on the basis of hair analysis tests and several of those have even been executed. Only after it was shown several times that the analyses were methodologically flawed did the Justice Department begin conducting independent reviews of those so sentenced. Two hundred and fifty cases are questionable and they have shown that of the 268 hair analyses already done, 257 of them were improperly carried out. Twenty prisoners have already been executed and what is the hot topic across America today? The possibility of going back to execution by firing squad.

What lessons have the Americans learned from the NSA scandal surrounding Edward Snowden? Principally, only one: Keep your own ranks free of traitors. Beyond that, the NSA continues shamelessly spying on German companies and even the German government itself in larger measure than previously known.

The Drone War Drones On

America sends drones into Pakistan, Afghanistan, Somalia and Yemen annihilating hundreds of innocents in prosecuting its war on Islamic terrorism. The worldwide protests it has caused were answered with yet more technologically advanced weaponry but the U.S. has had to admit it is still causing casualties with friendly fire.

If not under Barack Obama, when will this country return to its senses? The first black president had been elected to combat racism and intolerance. He wanted to end the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, close Guantanamo and bring back human values as the foundation for America’s policies. But apparently, America no longer has the strength necessary to make such reforms. Obama struggles with a nation divided on both domestic and foreign policy issues. The inability of elected Washington officials to come up with a long-term budget is symbolic. Not even agreement on basic issues like bringing blacks and whites together is possible.

The rioting in Baltimore came neither unexpectedly nor should the level of youthful violence among the rioters have come as any surprise. A death for a death was the inevitable objective among the rioters, hand delivered to them. In a situation where young people in black neighborhoods on whom white America has turned its back, it will take nothing more than another case where it looks like no police personnel will be held accountable for history to repeat itself.

The only question remaining is when and where the next deadly encounter will take place.