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Observations
September 22, 2010
The Ugly Side of America, Part 4: War is Hell
We need our heroes. We need our enemies. War provides both. Since the industrial revolution, America has been revving up for wars. With every new technological advancement the weapons become more sophisticated. Weapons that are guaranteed to maim and kill. Each family or loved one that loses someone pays a heavy price for the folly of misguided men who believe that war is the answer to the world’s problems. Whose freedoms are we protecting? We have not learned anything from all of the wars that have been fought except that we know of the carnage, devastation and displacement of people that war causes. Yet it is not enough to deter us from future wars. It is a major sacrifice to send a child off to war. The ones that do come back are changed forever. They grow up fast in a war. Those that are lost will never get the chance to reach their full potential, to live a full and productive life. Yes they enlisted. But they enlisted under the pretense of defending our freedoms. And yes, if we are under a direct threat, we should protect ourselves. Who is going to benefit from war? This is a question to ponder as well as explore. Money is always involved. Follow the money and see where it leads. Many soldiers that do return, return with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder that can stay with a person for a lifetime. Many come back drug addicted. And many more come back maimed physically, emotionally, physically and spiritually. War is hell.
Related Articles
- Confession – A contemplation on the troops (frethink.com)
September 19, 2010
The Ugly Side of America, Part 3: A glimmer of sanity
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Today on Meet the Press Colin Powell, with his stately wisdom, set the record straight about President Obama and dismissed what Newt Gingrich stated about Obama this past week. Former President Bill Clinton was also interviewed and dismissed what Newt Gingrich said. I was encouraged by this because I really was getting concerned that no one of any caliber was stepping up to the plate to denounce these racist, ignorant statements about the President. It was truly a glimmer of sanity. I hope there is more sanity on the way.
September 17, 2010
The Ugly Side of America, Part 2: Does New York want a Racist for Governor?
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The latest in the ugly side of America is the candidate, Paladino, who is running for governor of New York State. He is also a sexist. The word is that he sent emails depicting bestiality, in this case a woman with a horse. The racist part is that he sent emails showing President Obama doing an African dance in some part of Africa, which of course is not true, but the fact that this is supposed to be funny is a disgrace. This is just what Paladino admitted. Can you imagine what he must be saying privately with his friends. But we should not be surprised by this behavior because racism is alive and well in this country, especially towards black men. Where is the public outrage? The NAACP should be all over this and women’s groups should be also. Paladino is an Italian American. Every ethnic group has experienced some form of prejudice but not for long. Because when your skin is white, you get to be part of the majority. David Brooks was recently on Charley Rose on channel 13 and stated that he did not think that what is going on is a backlash. Of course it is a backlash. It is being disguised in the Tea Party. I don’t know how much more blatant this form of racism can be. You don’t have to like President Obama’s politics but to malign him with these racial attacks is shameful. I am wondering what Michelle Obama and their children are thinking and feeling. I am sure they expected some racism but for it to come from such high profile people is astounding. What is the rest of the world thinking as they see this taking place in America, the “so-called” melting pot? We, unfortunately, still have a long way to go before everyone is treated equally. Parents of small children need to begin now to educate them about equality, fairness and justice and not allow them to grow up thinking that they are superior to anyone of color. It seems as though all of the things that Martin Luther King stood for have no value. “That people should be judged by the content of their character and not by the color of their skin” The failure to talk about racial equality allows for racism to flourish. President Obama views himself as an equal and this upsets the racist establishment. They want to put him in his “place”. Finally I have to add the latest news of the girl who had acid thrown in her face. Today it was revealed that she did it to herself and that she lied about the incident. But what is sadder still is that she blamed it on a black woman. What if someone had been falsely arrested. This is not the only time that an incident was wrongly blamed on a black person. This is the ugly side of America.
Related Articles
- “But I’m Not Racist; I Have Black Friends” (race.change.org)
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