Happy Thanksgiving. The Humanist Approach
It is indeed a time to give thanks for all the goodness we have in our lives, but it is also a time to remember the others who have very little or nothing at all. Those fellow humans who, at the dawn of the 21st century, don't have enough to eat, no secure shelter, and whose basic human rights are denied. Many Americans have been generous, but we haven't done enough. One needn't to travel far to see real suffering taking place. Unfortunately, our government doesn't seem to realize that you don't need bullets to fight some battles, and that some wars are not won by military muscle but by kindness and generosity. Putting the true meaning into ThanksGIVING and helping others to self-fulfillment is a moral value worth upholding.
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5 comments:
Amen brother, amen!
KH, City Of Brotherly Love (Phily)
Do you mean that by winning the hearts and minds of people may actually help America's foreign policy?
No siree, an imperial power with a ignorant Ceasar at the helm doesn't care about making friends, but only about maximizing its benefits, which in our case, is the multi-national corporations--all of which have given tons of money to the gang controlling the US government today. Many of its high-ranking officers are now in Washington, and after they pass laws and commit the nation's resources, they'll go back to their plush chairs of Haliburton, Bechtel, Sinclair, or whathaveyou corporations where they'll be rewarded handsomly for their services while in office.
No matter what happens to this country, they (and their children) are going to be fine because of all their wealth. It's the rest of us who will get stuck with the bill.
Humbag, it's a rotten deal!
Alison, VA
I forgot to mention, that today there is a revelation that Haliburton not only overcharged the US government for its services in Iraq, but they cannot account for millions in supplies and government property lent to them!
How can you not be cynical about the shoddy deals and the millions of dollars of our money being wasted, stolen, or misappropriated by the same people who lobby the government for huge benefits, send their own people to the White House (ie. DICK Cheney and George Bushes), and when they're rewarded with NO-BID contracts???!!!
Meanwhile, I don't have health insurance, and struggling to make ends meet, here in America, next door to the nation's capitol!
Alison, VA
I think giving only perpetuates one's condition...to remain idle and unproductive! Only very rarely, when people are sick or invalid, should we help them.
As for our enemies, they hate us and they want to destroy us. No matter how much we give them or give in to them, they won't stop until they destroy us. So, give them hell!
Anon, USA
Anon, are you one of the "compassionate conservatives"?
You either have money, are well-off, and you're selfish in not wanting to share and help others, or, you've bought into the myth perpetuated by the economic elite.... that, although this is a very wealthy country, we should NOT have a strong social net, because it's.. bad for your health and your interests!!!!! ha!
Thus, we have no universal health care, we limit access to education (we want to maintain an ample pool of idiots and uninformed citizens), we give preferential treatment to the rich (the gap is ever-increasing), and we use our national resources to benefit the few....
In order to bring in those who care about "moral values" we give them a few bones to chew on (like anti-gay measures, abortion, religious school vouchers, etc)... Besides, these don't affect the rich and powerful (on both sides of the political spectrum).
If Bush's daughters want an abortion, they can fly on a comfy private jet to Europe and have one at a nice upscale clinic. But, if the right to reproductive choice is eliminated here, where would the poor women go? No matter what, they're going to happen. The question is, under what conditions.
Nice moral values you've got! By the way, have you checked to see whether your representatives in the Congress/White House/religious figures are any more moral than the rest of America? They're more likely to cheat, commit adultery, etc! Especially because they come from a background of REPRESSED sexuality!
You may chose not to give, but you do receive lots of benefits from this society nevertheless. Now, go back to your friends to search for a "moral excuse" to be selfish!
Kathryn, NY
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