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Lawlessness in Ferguson and Washington

A man in a wheelchair speaks to the National Guard as they stand by a humvee stationed across a mall in Ferguson, Missouri, November 25, 2014.
A man in a wheelchair speaks to the National Guard as they stand by a humvee stationed across a mall in Ferguson, Missouri, November 25, 2014. | (Photo: Reuters/Jim Young)

Lots of people are apparently seeking their 15 minutes of fame by destroying the property and life's work of people unfortunate enough to live in Ferguson, Missouri. They don't seem to be worried that their face on ever-present network news will be used as evidence to convict them of looting, arson, vandalism, or other crimes. And is anybody concerned about prison time for incitement to riot? Inflaming passions, stirring up grievances, and providing excuses about "seeking justice" might all get cloaked in the First Amendment with the help of clever lawyers and controlled media.

But what is really going on? Does anybody believe that indicting a cop who was acting in self-defense, according to a grand jury, could be just? Or helpful? So why would anyone who suggests such an absurd idea get one minute of airtime?

People engaged in mob violence are not thinking logically. It's a form of insanity. But assignment editors, commentators, and editorial boards have no excuse. They sit protected in climate-controlled offices, and have access to the big picture. Riots, protests, and "die-ins" nationwide are not spontaneous events. They are carefully planned, orchestrated, and scripted.

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"Hands up, don't shoot!" the marchers chant, perpetuating a lie about the Ferguson incident.

"It's petrifying to know that we're not safe," said a 17-year-old black female student body president, who got quoted in The New York Times. She was talking about the police, not about convenience store robbers or violent mobs.

Police brutality occurs—but this is not what happened in Ferguson. I can't recall an actual case of police brutality that got this kind of publicity. And it's hard to think of a less sympathetic victim than a powerfully built young man who had just committed a strong-arm robbery and was evidently trying to kill a cop.

Thousands of killings get no national mention, and no presidential speech. Who will hear of Zemir Begic, a legal immigrant from Bosnia who was bludgeoned to death with hammers in St. Louis on Nov 30? His attackers, black and Hispanic teenagers, were not racially motivated, said the police.

So why Ferguson, and why now? And what major stories does it displace? While people are screaming for the blood of Darren Wilson, who was just a cop responding to a call, the major media tried to black out the story of MIT economist Jonathan Gruber, who played a key role in passing ObamaCare, and his revelations about lawlessness in the halls of power. Wilson gets 22 million hits on a Google search; Gruber a mere 800,000.

When a regime is in political trouble, starting a war is an excellent distraction. Civil strife that can be used to demonize opponents, especially with the race card, may be better still. The difference between the deaths of a black teenager and a Bosnian is Al Sharpton; an aggrieved subpopulation inclined to violence, and history that guilt's Americans. The Brown case fits the desired Progressive, hate-America narrative; Begic is just another murder victim.

Ordinary people throughout the country are suffering from the Obama economy. Unemployment for black Americans is already more than 11 percent, and for teenagers more than 18 percent. The triad of Obama's legacy will wreak much further havoc. ObamaCare, executive amnesty, and "climate change" policy (read destruction of access to affordable energy) will destroy still more American jobs and pile on more unpayable debt that mortgages the future of our children.

All of these programs have been and are being foisted on Americans through lies, cover-ups, disregard for law, and special deals. While we can see businesses being destroyed in Ferguson through violence, many more are being crushed by ObamaCare mandates and impossible environmental regulations—by bureaucrats in their safe offices.

Executive amnesty brings more competition for low-skilled American workers, and ObamaCare gives employers a $3,000 incentive to pick an illegal over an American. Illegals can't buy ObamaCare insurance on an Exchange, so their employers can't be fined $3,000 as they would be if an American-born employee did that.

As ObamaCare implementation proceeds—much of the pain was deliberately delayed until past the midterm election, and as the post-Thanksgiving blizzard of regulations on our energy-producing industry hits, Americans will have much reason for despair and outrage.

Ferguson could be a dress rehearsal for directing rage against "white privilege" instead of government malfeasance and the privileges of the political elite.

ane M. Orient, M.D., executive director of Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, has been in solo practice of general internal medicine since 1981 and is a clinical lecturer in medicine at the University Of Arizona College Of Medicine.

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