Orioles COO John Angelos offers eye-opening perspective on Baltimore protests

[chalmers]

"My greater source of personal concern, outrage and sympathy beyond this particular case is focused neither upon one night’s property damage nor upon the acts, but is focused rather upon the past four-decade period during which an American political elite have shipped middle class and working class jobs away from Baltimore and cities and towns around the U.S. to third-world dictatorships like China and others, plunged tens of millions of good, hard-working Americans into economic devastation, and then followed that action around the nation by diminishing every American’s civil rights protections in order to control an unfairly impoverished population living under an ever-declining standard of living and suffering at the butt end of an ever-more militarized and aggressive surveillance state." John Angelos

http://ftw.usatoday.com/2015/04/orioles-john-angelos-baltimore-protests-mlb

[truebluegreen]

1. Wow.

We need a lot more like him.

[Sanity Claws]

2. He gets it.

I may become an Orioles fan, just because of this guy.

[joeybee12]

3. Wow...

He gets it.

[daleanime]

61. +1

[Cosmocat]

4. Holy shit

Two thumbs up!

[FSogol]

5. His father, Peter Angelos is a lifelong Democrat, who started out as a lawyer for labor unions. n/t

[MynameisBlarney]

9. Ah...that explains

the compassion and the lack of fear to speak truth to power.

[FSogol]

15. His Dad also won that famous Tobacco Settlement case against Phillip Morris. n/t

[MynameisBlarney]

22. Now that's purty dang alright!

The more I hear about these two, the more I like 'em.

[bulloney]

102. A man who doesn't forget where he came from and sees the big picture. That's a rare bird.

Too often, we see people of wealth who inherited what they have, but they act like it's all about them and they draw simplistic conclusions to what they see. They don't like past the end of their nose. It's all about me-me-me. I don't think most of these clowns are smart enough to know how to clean a toilet.

[Stuart G]

105. Thank You for saying this...What you said is so true...no text

[delete_bush]

6. An amazing statement,

so concise, so visual, and all packed into a single sentence.

[LittleGirl]

7. Wow is right eom

[pangaia]

8. I knew there was some reason I liked the Orioles..

[Kingofalldems]

10. As a rival Nats fan I give the man his props.

Excellent.

[elleng]

56. More than props from me, King.

WAS an O's fan, BEFORE Nats arrived.

[gregcrawford]

11. NAILED it!

Thank you, Mr. Angelos, for a clear, concise, and deadly accurate description of the evil being perpetrated on working Americans. Now, what are we going to do about it?

Hillary's "vast Right-wing conspiracy" was not limited to making her life miserable 20 years ago. It has made exponential gains in momentum, power, and malice, and you cannot reason with greed-crazed psychopaths. They have shown us no mercy in their depredations, and they will not stop unless we make them stop.

[PatrickforO]

24. Momentum, power and malice. Our corporate overlords begin to sound more and more like

Sauron.

[blackspade]

12. Surprising and well said

[MissDeeds]

13. Wow!

K&R

[ChisolmTrailDem]

14. Holy Truth-to-Power! Thanks for the post, chalmers! And a big welcome to DU! nt

[FourScore]

16. Spot on! Welcome to DU chalmers!

[hifiguy]

17. Wow! I tip my hat to you, sir. You get the point.

[Jack Rabbit]

18. It's always good to see that even successful people understand

The present socioeconomic trajectory is unsustainable. The rich cannot keep getting richer at the expense of the poor and middle class, the financial "industry," which by its very nature produces no wealth at all, cannot continue its privileged status and dictate economic policy to the government, the fossil fuel industries can no longer be allowed to befoul the air and water and, at the same time, hinder the development of renewable energy sources that are needed to literally save the planet from the fossil fuel industry.

[Scuba]

19. A three-run shot to the upper deck!

[FairWinds]

73. Hey Scuba . .

You're talking Earl Weaver now - his modus operandi for the
Birds was great pitching and three-run homers.

[Scuba]

101. ... and getting tossed.

[bulloney]

103. And growing tomatoes in the outfield in the old Memorial Park.

[freshwest]

20. Excellent! And he has it right, it's been since the seventies. At first I read Orioles COO and

thought, what, corporate voices are all we're going to hear now?

But what a pleasant surprise to read the words of someone who pulled no punches and said truths that may not be obvious to some.

In the seventies we could see this happening. I attibuted some of it to the debt for the Vietnam War. I've never believed that the leaders of nations make loans out of the goodness of their hearts when American jumps up and goes to war.

I think the breaking of the Ameircan worker is due to that, and it's not stopped. It wasn't altruism that caused China to hand over their money to the USA to play cowboys and indians in the Middle Eastern desert. Nope

They expected something for it. Previous adventures abroad have also had big contracts to pay back money for wars. I think there is more than one way to do this and it's not a simple thing.

[freebrew]

108. It started when Nixon cut the GI Bill...

when our overlords decided it was dangerous to them to educate the proles.

[SamKnause]

21. K&R

[PatrickforO]

23. K&R for an OUTSTANDING post.

Clearly John understands what's actually going on.

Wow. Just wow!

[democrank]

25. That about sums it up.

Good for John Angelos.

[3catwoman3]

26. Well said, sir. Well said.

I am not a follower of baseball, but am now a fan of the Orioles' COO.

[Vattel]

27. Holy shit! I need to dust off my Orioles cap.

[Elwood P Dowd]

28. As Harry Carey used to say HOLY COW.

That is rare for sports executives and owners. Most of them are total repuke jerks like Jerry Jones or Dan Snyder.

[FreakinDJ]

29. Run for President

[Lucky Luciano]

30. Hammer nail, etc. nt

[calimary]

31. Welcome to DU, chalmers!

Glad you're here! GREAT post! EXCELLENT find! I'm really amazed to hear this out of the mouth of someone in the so-called "establishment." The Chief Operating Officer of the Baltimore Orioles. And he says THIS? Amazing.

REALLY refreshing to see and to read. He nailed it, too, of course. I hope to hear more of this from more of the higher places. We need people at the top of their game and their industry speaking out like this. John Angelos really gets it. This is EXACTLY what has happened. The past four decades have cursed this nation. It started in earnest with reagan. Actually, during the late '70s, here in California I'm ashamed to admit, with that damned, dreaded, utterly ill-conceived Prop13. Fucked with property taxes, and thereby kicked the supports out from under public schools, infrastructure, and multiple other things. ronald reagan rode into power on the monster wave generated by that damned Prop13. Thirteen was a VERY unlucky number for the rest of us. Sure was pretty lucky for him, though.

[marym625]

32. K&R! Big time!

Which is EXACTLY why we cannot allow anyone in the white house that is working for the 1%

[malaise]

33. This should have 1,000 recs

Wish I could Rec more than once

[erronis]

37. I'm trying, takes a long time to make up 1,000 aliases! But yes - agree!!!

[malaise]

58. DUzy

[Omaha Steve]

34. K&R!

[uponit7771]

35. mmmkkkkkay, bout says it all

[Auggie]

36. Of course he gets it ... it directly affects his business

And I mean this in a good way. How great would it be for more Execs to lobby on behalf of the poor and middle-class, even if the intent is to bring them more business?

[elleng]

57. ALL execs should 'get it,'

especially if they're 'successful' in their businesses, and many probably do, tho in silence.

[radhika]

38. I took in an Orioles game when I was visiting in Baltimore last year....

Kudos to Angelos, he does indeed get it.

I grew up in Baltimore City, later Baltimore County. I was a white Catholic school girl whose parents moved to the suburbs in the early 1960's. The suburbs were partly a response to racial turmoil in the city during an era of segregation, block busting and restricted communities.

Anyway, back to last August. My sister, brother-in-law and I (all Californians now) were visiting in Maryland and decided to take in a game. We were amazed how few of the attendees were persons of color, specifically African American. And Baltimore is and has been a Chocolate City, and Camden Yards in so easy to get to.

Yes, tickets are pricey. Agreed. But the O's were closing in on the Division Championship, and team spirit was super high in the whole city. It was surprising.

The population of the city has been falling, decent jobs are fleeing and outside trendy areas, urban decay is reclaiming some areas that were creatively gentrified during a period of civic restoration in the 80s.

If you spend any amount of time in Charm City, you'll see how racially divided it is. Lots of the cultural and tourist sites are primarily enjoyed by white vacationers and corporate groups. Many of my white suburban Maryland friends tell me they 'dread' going into downtown Baltimore - tried to warm me against it. "High murder rate". "Don't wear a nice watch, you'll be a target'.

Let's hope the city can start healing after this event. But, maybe not. Other cities have similar issues, and they don't seem to be healing.

[DonCoquixote]

39. hey O malley

could you get this guy for your veep?

[elleng]

59. Sure, if we get O'Malley for POTUS!

(Or this guy for some other major role.)

[City Lights]

40. Wow. I would not have expected him to say this.

Way to go, John. He gets it.

[ananda]

41. Nailed it!

Kick

[Ford_Prefect]

42. Is it too late to draft John Angelos for Democratic candidate?

He'd scare the pants off of any Republican and a good few so-called Democrats!
I'm sure professional opinion-makers would be thrown for a loop when they ran the polls.

Right On! Right On! Right On!

[jtuck004]

43. Another amazing description. But how, then, do you control the violence?

Probably not by signing onto the TPP.

Not hard to see the author's point, unless one's hood blinds them to the past 40 years.

[jomin41]

44. WOW! Very well said!

I suddenly have a renewed interest in the Orioles. Maybe get a hat.

[hedgehog]

45. kick

[DebbieCDC]

46. That blurb warms the heart of this ex-pat O-yo's fan

[rhett o rick]

47. Someone send that to Clinton and ask her what she thinks.

What a powerful statement. His NSA/CIA Security State surveillance quotient just went up ten points (and that's not good).

[MaggieD]

49. Are you going to use every post between now and the election....

To bash Hillary? If so, my opinion is that you don't belong on a pro Democratic Party web site. Your shtick is already old.

[rhett o rick]

51. If you think what I said is "bashing" you are in for a loong primary season.

The Presidential election in 2016 is very important to the 99%. We are losing ground rapidly and with 8 more years of corporate dominated laws and policies, we might never recover. I think the OP is a very powerful statement. One that I want my candidate to believe in. I don't think Clinton is in tune with the OP.

I am going to hold Clinton, who is expected to raise close to $2 billion dollars for her election, accountable for her stands every step of the way. At $2 billion she would obviously be the favor of big money. There is a rule in politics, "you can't represent the people, if you represent the 1%."

While you may like her for her social issues, I would like to point out that her economic issues, foreign policy issues and NSA/CIA non-accountability issues may completely destroy the middle class and make our Constitution moot.

Sen Sanders represents the people. Clinton has very close ties to banksters like Goldman-Sachs. How can you overlook that?

[MaggieD]

65. Well the republicans will have a big old party for you....

... when it's all over. By the way, your signature is a bash on a democrat.

But, can you add some facts to your future posts? Like objective evidence that she is all about rich people and in favor of income inequality, and stuff like that?

Would that be too much to ask? The fact free pronouncements of the HRC bashers are ALREADY old. And meaningless in that they are allegations without a shred of evidence. Reminds of republican reasoning, sorry to say. Republican posters never met a fact in their lives, and they like it like that.

[rhett o rick]

66. I have provided a number of good reasons for the common people to be leary

of another Clinton in the WH. For example are you familiar with the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act that made the banksters very happy.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gramm%E2%80%93Leach%E2%80%93Bliley_Act

Where you aware that the Clintons are very close friends with Goldman-Sachs, the worst of the worse?

Tell you what. Why don't you tell us in the fields of economics, foreign policy, and the NSA/CIA domestic spying, why Clinton is our choice.

[MaggieD]

67. She had nothing to do with the Gramm leach bliley act

She wasn't even in the senate then. What does that have to do with her?

[Caretha]

64. Why yes....

yes it is a Democratic site. Perhaps you should check your dictionary for the definition of Democratic.

I don't believe anywhere in Webster's book does it say you must support Hillary for President and never disagree with her to be a Democrat....

well, of course I could be wrong, you may have one of those new fan dangled dictionaries - the one written by authoritarians evangelist ultra right wing teabagger goose steppers......naaa, you wouldn't be that closed minded would you? Well maybe you would.

[MaggieD]

48. Sums it up nicely!

[SoLeftIAmRight]

50. Wow

we are on the edge - and some people understand that fact

[Va Lefty]

52. Thank you Mr. Angelos

[Brickbat]

53. Awesome. What's he doing about it?

[Starry Messenger]

54. K&R

[elleng]

55. SOMETHING ELSE!

May have to change my allegiance; after all, who owns the Nationals??? Saddens me A LOT!

[sabrina 1]

60. Perfectly stated.

[Pooka Fey]

62. Wow! Just wow.

He gets it.

[Dawson Leery]

63. His father Peter won the lawsuit against the tobacco industry.

No surprise to see his son come out for working people.

[Gemini Cat]

68. Wow! k&r

[mountain grammy]

69. Thanks for posting...

We need to keep in mind people are suffering and dying around the U.S., and while we are thankful no one was injured at Camden Yards, there is a far bigger picture for poor Americans in Baltimore and everywhere who don’t have jobs and are losing economic civil and legal rights, and this makes inconvenience at a ballgame irrelevant in light of the needless suffering government is inflicting upon ordinary Americans.

John Angelos is looking at the big picture here.

[Thespian2]

70. Damn Good Statement, Mr. Angelos

We need more people thinking that way...

[Cha]

71. Dead on. Thank you, John Angelos! mahalo chalmers

[Kber]

72. Looks like somebody

Was raised right.

[ALBliberal]

74. He represented the team in the discussions with Cuba leading to the historic games

In 1999. Most impressive. I guess his dad owns the team. Getting a T Shirt. I am now a fan!

[AnnieBW]

75. Finally, an Angelos says something that I agree with!

Sorry, but his daddy ruined the Orioles.

[Holly_Hobby]

76. Welcome to DU, chalmers...

Thank you for posting this. I couldn't add another word.

[ALBliberal]

77. another point ...his wiki page is impressive! he would be a dream candidate

With his resume and the way he is helping manage that franchise. Truly inspirational.
One can't help but wonder at the "unfortunate" comparison that might be made between his success with the Orioles and that of Bush with the Texas Rangers!

[dflprincess]

78. I have to admit when I read his statement my first thought was

"I'd vote for this guy!"

[ALBliberal]

79. yep...smart, concise, and sees the big picture!

[gopiscrap]

80. Wow!~ I just became an Orioles fan!!!

On a serious note, he's exactly right!!!

[KeepItReal]

88. Me too.

eom

[Tace]

81. Oh Yeah. Inspirational!

Dude knows how to turn a phrase, too. Excellent.

[longship]

82. Wow! May the Orioles win the World Series.

Because I remember 1967 Detroit. I lived there. The city was aflame and the protesters weren't just cutting fire hoses; there were snipers firing at the firemen. LBJ called out the National Guard and I saw Jeeps with machine guns driving by my house. That and the nine days of smoke made Detroit a kind of a Hell.

But the next year the Detroit Tigers won the World Series in seven games, especially due to one Mickey Lolich, who pitched nearly flawlessly, plus a fierce team spirit. Both blacks and whites gathered downtown and danced in the streets. There was no looting or violence, just dancing, and singing, and cheering.

That's why the Orioles should win. It can transform a community.

We also need to do something about police on black violence. BTW, sooner would be better than later.

[Jesus Malverde]

83. Quite possibly this tweet killed the TPP...nt

[ChiciB1]

84. I Really Appreciate These Comments... However, Right Now

most MSM is STILL talking about things like "a purge" and things of this sort!

Of course, the old saying that "things happen for a reason" comes to my mind. So if these things that are happening will FINALLY open the eyes of people in power then perhaps some good will come out of those who have had their lives "taken" by all this aggressive, hateful action going on by COPS who are supposed to "protect" victims!

I'm so filled with RAGE when all too many people blame the victims, and the showing of videos of bad acts by them when they have nothing to do with the killing! I understand how bad it looks when those who fight back and how it seems to add to what the COPS say about the WHY of what they did!

Is a Revolution brewing? I wonder. I will gladly join, this is no longer a country I recognize and most certainly NOT the way Democracy Looks Like!!!

[ALBliberal]

85. A member of the 1% who totally gets it. Yes it is possible!

Last edited Mon Apr 27, 2015, 11:53 PM - Edit history (1)

[valerief]

86. That's what's happening. nt

[fishwax]

87. wow!

[libdem4life]

89. Add to post #83 ... I had wondered what Obama must be going through both

personally and politically. It does bring the "global" trade agreements a bit into focus while we're watching a city burn for lack of jobs and racial disrespect/racism/bigotry/whatever, but no lack of police power when needed. No budget constraints.

[SMC22307]

90. Bombard Obama and your representatives in Congress with his statement.

Jaysuz, it's rare to hear such brutal honesty... it's like I'm clinging to it. Phew.

[ALBliberal]

91. Exactly how I feel this is my fourth post on this thread and I rarely post plus

I messaged the link to several friends. Pitch Perfect.

[SMC22307]

92. It reminds me of unfiltered Dean, way back when.

No Clintonesque triangulation... aaaaaah.

[ALBliberal]

95. yes. Dean would set my world to order. We hear so much BS and poll

Tested nonsense. This man's statement is lovely to behold.

[bongo_x]

93. Amazing

I never expect to hear such a prominent public figure to speak such truth.

[davekriss]

94. I am suddenly an ardent Orioles fan!

Bravo, Mr Angelos!!

[Skittles]

96. MR. ANGELOS IS CORRECT

[MysticHuman]

97. Bam! This guy gets IT!

[Spitfire of ATJ]

98. I wonder if some idiot is gonna say he should shut up and play ball.

[daredtowork]

99. This Quote FTW! nt

[Scootaloo]

100. Yeah, but that requires, like, THINKING ursumjunk

[madokie]

104. No doubt about that John, no fucking doubt about that

[malthaussen]

106. That is a succinct and complete summary.

Well said, Mr Angelos.

-- Mal

[midnight]

107. I just saw your post- I double posted this morning. Stunning perspective because it's spot on.

[TBF]

109. He nailed it -

And it's not often that I get to make that statement in regards to a leader of business.

It's interesting because many captains of industry prefer to look the other way when they've made it. Many come to believe the lies of capitalism rather than realize that they lucked out in one way or another while most are crushed by this system. I wish more who see it clearly would speak up.

[hvn_nbr_2]

110. I think I just became an Orioles fan. nt

[Hekate]

111. KnR

[whereisjustice]

112. Meanwhile, our Democratic Party is conspiring to send millions of additional jobs to Asia...

Thanks, TPP.

There is a chasm between our political elite (and their insufferable apologists) and real people who live with the consequences of this shit.

Is that job in China, India or Vietnam really worth it?