I am deeply concerned because more and more people in this country have come to believe that the deck is stacked against the everyman and the rules increasingly benefit those at the top of the pyramid. There is certainly much to support this thinking and eventually people are going to begin acting out….
Late last week, Thomas James Ball reached his breaking point. Driven to desperation by a system that bankrupted him and destroyed his family, Ball walked up to the main door of the Keene County, New Hampshire courthouse, doused himself with gasoline, and lit himself ablaze.
Hardly anyone seems to have noticed.
The English people are fed even more bullshit than the Americans, and like this story, only a whiff of anti government anti establishment events. The banks own England.
If this had happened here, the story would have been “Nut sets self on fire, copying that Arab incident that we did not cover ether”. Run it out there a few times and forget it while repeating the same poll on the 2012 election. And then the inevitable government study to see if more security is needed.
It’s a real shame because I doubt if his story was as sad, as the man he copied. I do respect the fact that he did no harm to anyone but himself. Others may decide if depressed to the point of killing themselves, that they want to take people with them.
And sadly things that are copied/repeated lose their value, and soon are old hat.
When I read this story I thought it happened in England. I watch all the major news and saw nothing about it. Unbelievable.
As already mentioned, I also missed this. But for you, Matt, I’d still not know. Contrast this story with loads and loads on coverage on the Tunisian man – and the ensuing events. What does it take for Americans to “wake up” and to take some action – to insist that laws are applied fairly and equally? It is very difficult to watch our legal system favor the rich, the powerful, the minority.
What does it take for Americans to ” wake up” and to take some action ?
A few brave souls to say “let’s roll”
Thanks Matt for this post. This is a tragic story on many levels. Tragic for Thomas James Ball for being incarcerated for his inability to pay support after loosing his job. In another way this story is even more tragic considering it has been mostly ignored by the US press, and shows a lack of humanity in this country. When Mohamed Bouazizi self-immolated in Tunisia, it sparked a revolution. When did America become so indifferent to life?