What would we riot over? Those in power just got started and are the choice of the protest types anyway. I just don’t see the berkely types or minorities staging a protest to oust Obama, we kinda have a free pass right now. White middle aged republicans traditionally are not likely to fill the streets in protest, it’s unlikely the newly unemployed lawyers and bankers will start tipping over cars.

With regards to France, they have been having riots for a few years, this isn’t new. I used to read the papers when the economy was good and the police injuries and torched car daily totals were larger than those in Iraq. A hundred cars a night would burn. the rodney king riots have nothing on France’s troubles with it’s muslim youth.

Ireland? This is also not a new thing, maybe it was fairly peaceful for a few years but civil unrest there is practically a sport. Most of the less lethal weapons used by our police were invented because of the irish riots.

SDtransplant, I know you are far more wordly than I, this is not my arena, so I may be off base here, but isn’t this stuff always going on? If it’s not jobs, it’s religion, race or soccer. Maybe I’m just too simple, but if the governemnt tried to take away my cigars, wine, porn or espn, maybe then I’ll hit the streets, until then, it is what it is. It’s crappy economy and nobody wants it, not the corporations, not the government, not the institutions, nobody wants it. Yelling or rioting won’t change anything, the power brokers aren’t going to decide “you know, they seemed pissed, let’s push the good economy button before someone gets hurt.” It’s one thing to protest a decision that can be changed, but all the kings horses and all the kings men already tried, usually they make it worse, it would be better if the people didn’t pressure them into hasty decisions because even the well thought decisions aren’t that good, I’d hate to see them get worse.