Posted: 29 May 2016 Michael Snyder THE ECONOMIC COLLAPSE BLOG
Chaos and violence threaten to spiral out of control in America’s third largest city, and nobody seems to have any idea how to solve the problem. After decades of control by the radical left, many parts of the “Windy City” have become rotting, decaying, gang-infested hellholes. Just like Detroit, the city of Chicago is rapidly becoming a joke to the rest of the world, but a horribly corrupt political culture likely stands in the way of any type of major reform any time soon. And just like much of the rest of the nation, a spirit of violence and civil unrest is rising in Chicago.
So far this year, the number of shootings in Chicago is up 50 percent compared to the same time period last year, and that was before we even got to Memorial Day weekend. As of Sunday morning, at least 40 people had already been shot, and authorities were bracing for even more violence as the holiday weekend stretched on… A string of nearly two dozen shootings on the West Side has pushed the number of people shot during the Memorial Day weekend to at least 40, with two more days to go.The cries to fix what is wrong with Chicago are becoming increasingly desperate, but at this point the city is drowning in debt and is pretty much flat broke. So the options for doing anything about this growing crisis are quite limited. But that isn’t stopping prominent city leaders from speaking out. According to the New York Times, Rev. Corey Brooks believes that “we could be looking at a blood bath” this summer if nothing changes… “If something doesn’t change, if we don’t get jobs for these kids, if we don’t change the economic situation, I’m worried that we could be looking at a blood bath,” said the Rev. Corey Brooks, a pastor on the city’s South Side, a mostly African-American area where some of the shootings have been concentrated. “If something doesn’t happen, I fear that we’re potentially looking at one of the worst summers we’ve ever had.”I believe that Rev. Brooks is correct, but he isn’t identifying the core of the problem. Thanks in large part to unchecked illegal immigration, gang membership has been surging in Chicago. Back in 2012, the Chicago Crime Commission estimated that there were 150,000 gang members living in the city, but of course by now that number is likely far higher. No city in the United States has a higher population of gang members than Chicago does, and hundreds of factions are constantly battling for turf. The police in Chicago insist that they have the situation under control, but everyone can see that they do not. And how could they? There are only 13,318 law enforcement officers of all types in the city of Chicago. They are outnumbered by the gangs by much more than a 10 to 1 margin. There is no way in the world that they are ever going to be able to stop the gang violence. All they can do is hope to contain it. Sadly, they are fighting a losing battle, because with each passing month thousands more gang members cross our southern border illegally and head directly for our major cities where they are warmly received by their gang brothers. Perhaps this helps to explain why 3,000 millionaires left the city of Chicago last year. Do you want to know somewhere else that has been controlled by the radical left for decades and that is now seeing chaos and violence spin out of control? In Venezuela, we get to see what it looks like when an entire country starts to shut down. The following comes from the New York Times… The courts? Closed most days. The bureau to start a business? Same thing. The public defender’s office? That’s been converted into a food bank for government employees.At this point, more than 80 percent of all basic consumer products are in short supply, and some people have become so desperate that they are actually hunting cats and dogs for food. My wife and I had a lot more to say about the rapidly deteriorating situation down in Venezuela during a recent episode of our new television show. It is so important to watch what is going on down there right now, because eventually the same things will be happening here in America too. When society breaks down, people become very desperate, and crime spirals out of control. The mafia and the gangs are having a field day at the moment, and the police are so overwhelmed that they can’t do much to stop them. And if you need medical treatment down in Venezuela right now, you might as well forget it… The Luis Razetti Hospital in the portal city of Barcelona looks like a war zone.Most Americans would scoff at the suggestion that we could ever see scenes like that in the United States, but just a few years ago most Venezuelans would have probably said the exact same thing. For so long, watchmen all over America have been endlessly warning people to get prepared. But at some point, time runs out. In fact, down in Venezuela time has already run out. Store shelves all over the country are empty, there are chronic shortages of basic supplies, some people are hunting dogs and cats for food, and there has been an almost total breakdown of public services. I wish that I could say that these kinds of conditions are only going to be limited to Venezuela. But I cannot say that. Great suffering is going to eventually spread all over the world, and that is going to include our own nation. I hope that you are using this short period of relative stability wisely, because it will be gone way too soon. |
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A young Pakistani Christian woman accused of blasphemy chose not to flee from her home, so that her Christian neighbors wouldn't be targeted in her absence.
The accusations against Sonia Gill, 23, were eventually withdrawn, but not before she had refused to leave the "Christian Town" settlement near Gujrat.
Dozens of Pakistanis have been murdered and Christian settlements attacked after blasphemy accusations. In all recent examples, Christians fled their homes in the wake of the accusations, but Gill refused to do so, despite angry protestations outside her home.
"If I flee, what would happen to my Christian neighbors and their houses?" she said.
The accusation came less than a month after another Christian was accused of blasphemy in the village of Chak 44, just 100km away. On 16 May, an angry mob of about 70 people gathered outside Gill's house, led by Muslim cleric Khubaib Jalali, who used to live in Mandi Bahauddin, the nearest city to Chak 44.
At least 150 Christian families live in Christian Town, which has three churches.
How events unfolded
Gill's neighbor, Sharjila Komal, known as "Poma", accused her of using an advertising banner bearing the name of Prophet Muhammad as a floor covering. But Gill said the banners bore only the names of politicians and that her neighbor had another motive for the accusation.
"About three years ago, Poma's sister-in-law eloped with my cousin, Khalid," Gill said. "A police case was registered against Khalid, but the matter was settled after the woman returned. But that is why Poma had a grudge against us.
"Poma stitches clothes and lives next door to us. That morning, she came to our home to say that my niece's uniform had been stitched and could be picked up from her at any time. She saw an advertising banner spread on the floor, which had pictures of politicians and their names. My brother, Shaukat, has a keen interest in politics. These banners were used in November last year, during local elections, and now they were of no use, so we were using them to cover the floor."
Shaukat Gill added: "It was about 8 p.m., when about 70 people reached our home and demanded that the banner 'bearing sacred Islamic names' be handed over to them. I invited the prominent persons – who were about 18 in number – to come in and inspect the banners they believed bore the sacred name of the Prophet.
"After seeing the banners, these angry protestors said that they were not satisfied and that they would consult among themselves in the nearby mosque."
As the mob departed to discuss the matter at Mosque Gulzar-e-Habib, Shaukat Gill called the police.
"I suspected that the mob would return and may attack us," said Gill, who works as a driver in Gujrat. "The police arrived in a short while and brought the situation under control. In the presence of the police, banners were once again shown for examination, but nothing blasphemous was found."
However, Jalali filed a complaint against the Gills at the local police station and asked for a case to be registered under Section 295-C of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The situation remained tense the following morning.
"Christian girls who returned from school told us that they heard in the street that a protest would again be taken out," Sonia Gill explained. "Poma said that she would go to any extent to teach me a lesson. I told her that nothing could take place without the will of my God. Several Christians and Muslims suggested that I should flee the place, but I said that if I did, angry protestors would harm other Christians and their property. Whatever they want to do, they should do it to me and not to others."
Accusation withdrawn
Pakistan's Express Tribune newspaper reported that Sonia Gill had "begged pardon", even though the police said she was "innocent".
"My friends Mushtaq Butt and Allah Rakha Sahotra tirelessly worked with various communities in the city," said Shaukat Gill. "Although we were still very much worried, we believed that God would do a miracle. The next day after the incident, Butt told me that the matter had been resolved."
He added that Butt had been asked to swear on the Qur'an that the Gills hadn't committed blasphemy and would never do so. Butt stated this on oath, after which all accusations were dropped.
The cleric officially withdrew his complaint, writing the following statement: "It is submitted that I [the speaker] in the Gulzar-e-Madina Mosque. I had earlier submitted an application against Shaukat Gill and others regarding committing blasphemy against the Prophet. I have investigated the matter. No occurrence of blasphemy could be verified. As for now, I don't seek any legal action on my application."
"The situation of law and order is under control and the family is living peacefully in their home," said local policeman Ghulam Abbas Dogar.
Emergency hotline agreed
Punjab parliamentarian Mary Gill told World Watch Monitor that after hearing about the incident, she had travelled to meet the Gills and other local Christians. She then reported the case to the district police.
"The police have played a very crucial role in restoring law and order in both instances of blasphemy accusations in Mandi Bahauddin and Gujrat," she said. "It is very encouraging that at least in this instance Sonia did not have to flee the situation.
"As the second blasphemy accusation in less than a month surfaced in the same area, I directly informed the Chief Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, about the situation and then went to ensure the safety of the Christians.
"On the instructions of the Chief Minister, the matter was discussed in a high-powered cabinet meeting on 19 May.
"I suggested establishing a minorities' protection cell, where quick information about such incidents could be provided and law-enforcement agencies could be mobilized to deal with such situations. I am happy that the cabinet meeting decided on establishing a cell that could deal with such untoward situations." 
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