[lit-ideas] Re: Irene's experiment...
- From: "Andy Amago" <aamago@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: "lit-ideas" <lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 30 Sep 2006 10:30:57 -0400
Just because there are some positive things, things that have taken centuries
to achieve, doesn't mean that the overall tendency isn't anti-life. I said in
the original post that we're probably better than some of the world. And
worse, in that some of the world actually takes care of its people, I'm talking
about the socialists who are taking the world to hell in a handbasket
(socialism is all but a curse word in this country), and the one (one) country
on this entire planet, Sweden, that actually outlaws hitting those who can't
hit back. And that's the government anyway, which conservatives protest is too
big. The government in this country is now a do-nothing organization owned by
and existing for the benefit of industry. It's also been co-opted into
generating war, with the people's blessing, albeit through ignorance, such as
being led by Annie Myelroie's book, nonquestioning and endorsement by Congress
and media, just plain indifference, wishful thinking, generating
bottom lines for Haliburton, and so on. And let's not even mention Vietnam.
The private sector, industry (composed of people) has no compunction whatsoever
against downsizing (read: putting you out on the street to starve), against
promoting predatory lending then foreclosing (endorsed by newly created
bankruptcy laws), against ripping off the public and the environment whenever
it can get away with it. The 1% of the population of the U.S. that holds 35%
of the wealth (repeat: 1% of the population owns 35% of the wealth of this
country) has not the slightest compunction against taking taxpayers' money.
What that 1% of the ultra wealthy are given comes out of your below enumerated
social programs. And you say Katrina. Those people are still homeless.
Medicare, a taxpayer funded program, is looted (repeat: looted) by pharma. Who
are the 1%? Who is pharma? Are they not people? Are the 50,000 species that
are disappearing each year not being destroyed by people? Are the rainforests
shrinking at something like an acre a second not being destroye
d by people? Was slavery, the Civil War, then Reconstruction, the root of all
our racial social woes, not done by people? You also don't address at all the
fact that if society were so life affirming, why would they greet birthdays
with derision, downright hatred, instead of joy that someone is alive, etc.
etc.
Certainly, we have made strides. The world is more civilized today than at any
time in history (imagine that). But it can't stop itself from genocide until
it's done so much of it it's simply had enough. I consider genocides to be
pretty anti-life. Do you? White people had their genocides, many in the 20th
century, of themselves and inflicted on others. Now Africa is having theirs.
Iraq is having theirs. We in the U.S. see sex with children as evil, but some
representatives in the U.S. Congress (Foley, Florida) indulge in it. In white
civilized Belgium (?), they're talking about legalizing it, or have legalized
it. In much of the world sex with children is no big deal, just the way things
are done. Everywhere it's a *legal right* to hit those who can't hit back,
which is to say, humans in training, or for that matter, women. Humans in
training aren't even human; they're property to do what owners (read: parents)
want with. We've made strides in that child protect
ive agencies can take children away from parents, but only if there's
grotesque, verifiable abuse or drugs. And those agencies are not being
enlarged. They're always struggling.
There's looking on the bright side, Mike, but then there's being blinded by the
bright side. If you need to convince yourself that humanity is so pro-life,
please don't do it with a string of government programs that are at best
underfunded and at worst bemoaned as causing budget deficits and the like, and
even cut when nobody's looking.
----- Original Message -----
From: Mike Geary
To: lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: 9/29/2006 11:49:54 AM
Subject: [lit-ideas] Re: Irene's experiment...
AA:
> Now some examples. From anywhere you choose,
> television, radio, medical care, government, shopping malls, you name it.
> Give me some examples of how society, I think the word is appropriate,
> affirms life.
Society itself is life-affirmation, don't you realize that? But here are some
breakdowns:
Government. (I only know the U. S. so I'll keep to it)
1. The Constitution affirms, life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness.
-- An affirmation of life.
2. The Bill of Rights -- each of which is an affirmation of life.
3. Child labor laws -- an affirmation of life.
4. OSHA -- an affirmation of life.
5. Public education -- an affirmation of life.
6. Minimum wage -- an affirmation of life.
7. Welfare -- an affirmation of life.
8. Medicare and Medicade -- affirmations of life.
9. Social security -- an affirmation of life.
10. Building codes -- an affirmation of life.
11. Workmen's compensation -- an affirmation of life.
12. Center for Disease Control -- an affirmation of life.
13. Labor laws -- an affirmation of life.
14. Health Departments -- an affirmation of life.
15. Fire Departments -- an affirmation of life.
16. Police Departments -- an affirmation of life.
17. Public Works Departments -- an affirmation of life.
18. Sanitation Departments -- an affirmation of life.
19. Government itself is an affirmation of life.
Non-Governmental Organizations
The list of non-governmental organizations and only those
dedicated to environmentally sustainable development, human rights, or women in
development -- all affirmations of life -- is huge. You can check it out
here: http://docs.lib.duke.edu/igo/guides/ngo/db/a-e.asp
Lists of Groups and Social Organizations that are affirmations of life:
1. Environment
http://usparks.about.com/cs/environmentalorgs/a/conservationac.htm and
http://www.people.fas.harvard.edu/~brach/Ecology-WWW.html
2. Help Center -- Hurricane Katrina -- all life affirmaton
http://www.cnn.com/SPECIALS/2005/katrina/help.center/
3. Local Mission Centers -- every city has organizations dedicated to
helping the homeless -- life-affirmation
Every thing that is not destructive of life is life affirming. Television,
especially PBS, can be very, very life affirming with it's information sharing,
it's documentaries, it's music, it's dramatic programs, etc. Jesus! Speaking
of whom, every festival both religious and secular is an affirmation of life.
Every traffic light is an affirmation of life. Every garbage truck is as well.
Every stray cat fed by a sympathetic person is an affirmation of life. I
could go on for days. You amaze me.
Mike Geary
Memphis
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