Posted on 05/24/2013 4:24:40 PM PDT by marktwain
During much of the United States' existence, a significant portion of the population lived near to the uncivilized frontier. The frontier was a place where the laws of civilization did not reach, where Judeo/Christian morals were not in the ascendancy, a place of danger, where travelers must always be on their guard, where savage tribes held sway, a land often as not immersed in a low level of war, either between the tribes or between a tribe and western civilization, and where a man depended on his wits and weapons, and was not able to depend upon the force of law.
(snip)
The rise of these multitudes, primarily concentrated in the inner city cores, have brought about an era of American history with a new, urban, frontier.
Once again, most of the country is safe, while those who live next to the modern frontier have to be on constant guard of their lives and their possessions. In the modern frontier, the rule of law and Western Civilization has broken down. A man travels there at his peril. It is once again necessary to depend on one's wits and ones weapons for safety. The tribes of the modern frontier are often at war, and a low state of warfare continually exists with the rest of the nation. As in the past, the level of violent death outside the modern frontier and its borders is quite low, approximating that of other Western civilizations. Inside the frontier, violent death rates are much higher, and approximate that of other societies where the rule of law is not dependable.
Source:The Armed Citizen and the Modern Frontier
(Excerpt) Read more at gunwatch.blogspot.com ...
The pic looks like the Bronx in the 60’s.
Interesting. I just did a Google search and found a listing for that business (Steve’s World of Store Fixtures) on Southern Boulevard in the Bronx.
As the descendant of almost 400 years of Frontiersmen (and women) in America, I’m bookmarking this one.
Use google maps street views and see what it looks like now.
I found the image on imgur, listed under Detroit.
The Google street view images look like a scene from Welcome Back, Kotter! ... or from the movie Serpico.
You were misled, then. It’s the corner of Southern and Home in the Bronx. Steve’s is still there and the rest has been rebuilt.
After looking at that neighborhood I’ve come to the conclusion that there’s just no way to make a street look presentable when it’s in the shadow of an elevated train.
A lot of Detroit's bad reputation is based on the fact that it is a city in decline from something much bigger and grander. But I've spent quite a bit of time in the nicest parts of New York City, and I can't stand the place because it is a veritable police state even on its best day.
Yeah, elevated trains don’t do much for the aesthetics, although Wabash Avenue in Chicago, in the Loop, isn’t bad. What’s interesting on this case is to use street views to go up Home street, following the view from the old photo.. All that devastated area has been rebuilt as 2 story townhouses.
The City Where the Sirens Never Sleep
One of the first lines in the article was an instant classic:
"Somewhere along the way, Detroit became our national ashtray ..."
>>I call Detroit a modern frontier. In many ways the rule of law doesn’t exist there but a man is freer than he is in most large American cities. Most important a man is free to protect himself in Detroit and free to advertize it through open carry.
>>I’m a very rural person but if I were the same conservative as an urbanite, I would prefer to live there than in Chicago or NY. Its not particularly gay friendly, no nannies to tell you what to eat or drink, most bars and restaurants simply ignore the anti smoking laws. Its really not that different of a city as it was when my great grandfather arrived there in 1912. It was always a rough town.
You make a very good point. A safe town is a well-controlled town. But, I’m not sure I want to live in Condition Red 24/7. I think that rural and suburban life is the happy medium between a nanny city and a war zone (i.e. modern frontier).
Do you think I should find a modern image of Detroit to use?
Just come to the modern “frontier”.
Anywhere there is a “sanctuary city” looks like a ghetto war zone. Just like in Mexico. Check out Fort Worth, San Antonio, Corpus, Houston, El Paso, and all the other border states that allow criminal illegals to reside and receive tax payments.
Thanks idiot voters.......
At the state level we’re becoming much more pro business and at the Detroit street level its really little more than a matter of tipping the scales back in favor of moral people. If you can get 4 or 5 armed men per block who are willing to get to know the neighbors and keep an eye on the neighborhood, you’ll quickly eliminate crime on that block.
My attitude toward Detroit has changed in recent years. I just think that conservative need to stop reacting and actually consider the possibilities of what free marketeers could do in a city like Detroit if they have what it takes to make a stand on the frontier.
Things were no easier in Deadwood or Tombstone. My great grandfather ended up working for the Purple gang in Detroit and Al Capone didn’t screw with them.
In the meantime, I might consider doing business there if I could sell something out of the back of a cargo van without actually investing in real estate or fixed equipment.
I’m not sure those cities would qualify as a “frontier” based on this conversation. I’m thinking a frontier is a place with minimal government involvement, not a city where generous taxpayer-funded freebees are handed out to citizen and non-citizen alike.
Try showing up on any of those streets after 10:00pm on any night and not speaking espanol. La frontiera por supuesta!
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