"Carthago delenda est" -- attributed to Cato the Elder, one of the most chilling statements to come out of ancient civilization. Carthage must be destroyed. And the Romans destroyed it, in what today we'd consider a genocidal, manic fury. Legend says that they sowed the ground with salt so that nothing would grow in its spot, and the rest of that long-ago world would take note.

So I'm reading various articles and perspectives about the decline and destruction of the city of Detroit. We were reviled, but a real place when I was child. Today, we have become a national and international metaphor for the dark side of... something.

The right wing believe that Detroit was destroyed by socialism and the labor movement. [[See, for instance, http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in...d_home_on.html)

The far right wing believes that Detroit is the new Hiroshima. [[See http://www.mlive.com/news/detroit/in...f_hiroshi.html)

The left wing believes that Detroit was destroyed by the failure of laissez-faire capitalism and the loss of jobs. [[See http://www.aolnews.com/2011/03/24/po...ties-like-det/)

The socialists believe that Detroit was destroyed by a capitalist-UAW conspiracy. [[See http://www.wsws.org/articles/2011/ma...pers-m26.shtml)

Very few people seem to believe as many of us here at DYes do, that Detroit was ruined by a number of factors that fed off each other and formed the perfect storm. Then again, few people around here, let alone around the country or world, know as much about our city's history as we do.

There seems to be this persistent perception -- and our landscapes do much to add to this impression -- that Detroit was not only destroyed, but that this destruction was inevitable and done on purpose.

Detroit delenda est. Who felt that way [[or feels that way), and why?