The town is taken by its rats.

To me personally one of the most terrifying real dangers in the world is the angry mob. Hoards of angry human beings massing together and enacting their own brand of 'justice.' Lynch mobs breaking into jails to hang the person inside. The insane mob mentality. For several days in the hot summer of July 1863 the mob did just that. The New York draft riots the largest civil insurrection in the history of the United States. The Mobs were incensed by the Conscription act which required the enrollment of all male citizens as well as immigrants who had recently filed for citizenship. They were also incensed by a policy whereby anyone who had 300 dollars could hire a substitute to get out of the draft, which was more then most of them made in a year. On July 13 they attacked the draft office and spread out across the city. At first their targets were the rich those who could buy their way out of the war, but also it was towards the black population whom they blamed for the war. This is for me when it starts to get ugly. The mob begins attacking any black people they can find and even sets a black orphanage on fire. The complete abandonment of rational thought and to the mob mentality. The Mob went from house to house searching for blacks. The Irish feared the blacks because they competed for the same low paying jobs. For three days the mob had taken over the city overwhelming the police force. Herman Melville watching the scene one night wrote: 'The town is taken by its rats-ship rats- and rats of the wharves. All civil charms and priestly spells which late held hears in awe--Fear bound, subjected to a better sway than sway of self; these like a dream dissolve, and man rebounds back eons in nature.' Finally Federal troops had to be brought in to restore order. It makes me ponder weather we are so truly removed from the animals as we so like to believe.

I despise the law and I am not a law abiding citizen.

I was reading dear Abby in the recorder recently because that's just how I roll. And usually her answers to readers queries are reasonable and sound. However this time I just didn't agree. A reader sent her a question about a relative of hers who always brings in snacks and drinks and such into the movie to avoid paying the exorbitant charge of buys popcorn and snacks at the movies. Abby agreed with the reader suggesting the the movie theater makes a good portion of their money from concessions and that basically they were kind of screwing the movie theater. Another reader wrote in saying that they deal with kids in trouble with the law and that that kind of behavior basically says its ok to break that law. That is when I thought something was off. Violating a movie theaters snack policy will lead your children to a life of crime? They went on to say something that 'Its their policy,' but it made me think about people who believe in the law that much. Who believe that because something is the law that necessarily makes it just and indeed makes us as citizen obligated to obey it. I have to respectfully disagree. In face I would argue that if we as citizen of this nation have a history of lawbreaking in the most noble way. In the 19th century the Fugitive slave act made it a law that runaway slaves who were found had to be returned to their owners if found. Yet thousands of citizens defied that law and helped the slaves escape via the Underground railroad. They saw the law for what is was something that helped preserve the vile institution of slavery. The South had its Jim Crow laws and its voter registration laws which helped disenfranchise its Black population. My point being just because something is written as law does not mean its just, doesn't mean it makes sense and maybe shouldn't be followed. That is what struck me about the comment the blind obedience to something just because its policy. Or maybe they should have just made dinner at home before they go see the flick. Anyhow that's my two cents.