[Mrs. Don-o]

Long article, but really worth the read.

Saul Bellow's novel told the strict truth: NYC almost went went out with the sewage, due to (largely) black crime and white liberal elite "toleration." I didn't and still wouldn't support Rudy Giulinai for POTUS, but still admire the way he, and others like him, saved this great city for civilization.

[Mrs. Don-o]

Thought you might be interested. I’d love to hear your comments.

[7thson]

A fantastic article. As I was reading this, I thought of the movies from that era that depicted NYC. Not just movies such as Taxi Driver but other movies such as Death Wish, Fuzz, Mean Streets but other movies such as The Last Detail which showed cities such as DC, Philly, and NYC as gritty, dangerous places to be.

I remember for years that I never wanted to go to NYC. Then my wife dragged me up there with her brother as a guide - he doesn't live there but knows his way around - during the Giulinai era. I was shocked at how pleasant it was. We also went up once to see the Rocketts - part of a MWR bus package. We walked a few blocks up the road from our hotel to the Garden and then back down. Nothing happened to us. Ate a fine restaurant around the corner from our hotel. An excellent meal. A couple years later we took our grandsons up there. No problem. Is it still that way or with Bloomberg, has it started to slide back down?

[Old North State]

For that is the truth of it—that we all know, God, that we know, that we know, we know, we know.”

Something well said that needed to be said, but ultimately sterile until people, like Rudy, found the courage to act against the thugs and their enablers.

[Tax-chick]

It’s the ultimate satire: the state that promises you the security of an old-age pension can’t even provide you the security to keep it—the primary purpose of a state. It’s almost as bad as today’s Britain, where the welfare state provides for your welfare not by stopping omnipresent thugs from beating you senseless but by sewing you up afterward for free.

Great observation. I'm not at all surprised to see this article in the "City Journal," which publishes Theodore Dalrymple.

[NYer]

Excellent article! It brought back memories of NYC during the administration of Mayor David Dinkins. Crime was high and the homeless ran the streets. Back then, I would walk from Penn Station to my office on 55th and 6th. Across the street, another office building had lovely fountains that were turned on at sunrise. It was not unusual to see someone stark naked taking a bath in the fountain. And then there were the "squeegee" brigade that would descent on their hapless victims when they stopped for a traffic light.

[CDHart]

What a fascinating article. I read every word of it. Thanks for posting it. I've never read anything by Saul Bellow, but I will check him out at the library.

Carolyn

[dbwz]

Bookmarking...

[Skooz]

bump for later when I have that kind of time

[mojito]

Thanks for posting this. It’s one of the finest literary essays I’ve read in quite some time.

[MinorityRepublican]

Back in the days of "Brutal New York".