Compassion Run Amok
Phil Dillon, Emporia
Thursday, November 3, 2011
The Gipper and the Iron Lady are safe for now. My sincere thanks to Bob Grover for his kindness and compassion. It must come naturally to Progressives.
The implications of the so-called science are impressive. Progressives are compassionate and Conservatives are heartless brutes.
It’s time to mount some so called science in my defense. It is true that Progressives are people of the left and it’s also true that the Latin word for left is sinistro, which in turn is the origin for the English word sinister. There you have it. The inference couldn’t be clearer.
I suppose I could also point out, ad infinitum, that for every Tom Delay there’s a William Jefferson with a freezer full of money or that for every Newt Gingrich there’s a Nancy Pelosi. But that would be pointless, a bit like saying “Saul has slain his thousands and David his tens of thousands.”
My wife recently heard something on NPR. It was an investigative piece about the systemic abuse of Native Americans by the Federal government and the South Dakota division of social and rehabilitation services. Hundreds of Native American children are being taken from their loved ones and placed in white foster homes. The state agency claims it’s about compassion. In reality it’s all about money. The overwhelming majority of the children come from loving families. They’re poor, but they are loved. But that doesn’t seem to matter. The agency gets $17,000 from the Feds for each child placed. In the past year the individual bounties have added up to millions.
I listened to the story this morning. By the time it was done I was blubbering like a child. Then the anger welled up. The South Dakota social welfare system, in the name of Progressive compassion, has uprooted children from loving homes for money. It’s compassion run amok.
It makes my blood boil to hear Progressives skillfully manipulate public opinion by telling America that anyone who has the temerity to question the root motives and the lavish spending is “hard, ruthless, and unfeeling toward others.”
A couple of weeks ago my brother’s wife sent us several photos of a recent family gathering. On the last page of the album there was a 1948 picture of my brother, sister and me that was taken while we were living at Prendergast Preventorium, a state funded facility in Mattapan. Friends who’ve seen it tell me I didn’t look very happy. I tell them I wasn’t, thanks to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and Progressive politics.
My brother, sister, and I grew up inner city poor. Our father was a stereotypical Irish alcoholic. Our mother was an uneducated (she’d only completed third grade) immigrant from Newfoundland. When our father died from complications of tuberculosis and alcohol, our mother had a nervous breakdown. My brother, sister, and I were then defined as “wards of the state” and shipped to Prendergast by the Commonwealth. While they were tinkering with us, our mother was institutionalized, pumped full of drugs and given shock treatments for a couple of years. It was the very best Progressive care Massachusetts could buy. She somehow survived. When she left the hospital she weighed 80 pounds. She was neurotic for the rest of her life.
I have a photo taken the day our mother left the hospital. I keep it as a reminder of the damage compassion run amok can inflict.
My mother fought desperately to escape the clutches of the state sponsored compassion. In the end it was her love for us, and not institutional compassion that saved her, and us.
My mother and I lived in a government housing project for several years after that. She would occasionally take me down to the welfare office for case review or a handout. I remember once hearing a couple of welfare workers whispering to one another. “Who’s that kid?” “That’s the Dillon kid. His dad died an alcoholic and his mother’s an uneducated dolt … Poor kid … We’re gonna’ need to take care of him for the rest of his life.” When I got old enough to legally work I tried to get a summer job cleaning up the housing project. I was told I didn’t qualify. The jobs were earmarked for college interns who needed to learn the ins and outs of poverty so they could later become professional caretakers of the indigent.
It was compassion run amok.
Thankfully, the military became my escape route. In 1965 I learned all about guns and butter. Thousands of us, many who had migrated from housing projects, got the guns. Progressives in ivory towers and universities got the butter in the form of grants to study poverty. It’s a fairly standard Progressive career path.
So, here’s my bottom line. I think Progressives would be better served to examine the scars they leave in their wake instead of constantly reminding the rest of us how compassionate they are.
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
You are right on the mark. Please review the Harvard Political Review.
http://hpronline.org/interviews/getti...
November 3, 2011 at 1:41 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Did Capitalism cause the great depression?
http://www.lewrockwell.com/rothbard/r...
November 3, 2011 at 1:46 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
The failure of the new economics.
http://mises.org/store/Failure-of-the...
November 3, 2011 at 1:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Government intervention.
http://geraldcelente.proboards.com/in...
November 3, 2011 at 1:54 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
scarlett01_98 (anonymous) says...
great article phil. thank you.
November 3, 2011 at 3 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Thanks.
November 3, 2011 at 3:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mike_nelson82 (anonymous) says...
I must preface this by saying that I understand the hardships that you have dealt with while growing up. I must also mention that this is not a pro-progressive post, but rather that singling out the progressive movement as the cause of your detriments is a tad misdirected. You have this general feeling of anomie in your post, and while you have legitimate reasons to be upset, I think perhaps you are pointing at the wrong culprits of your pain. There is no question that institutions both run in the 60’s and today can be horrible places, if not for their intervention in your case, what would the outcome have been? Your father had died, your mother was unable to care for you, and so it was the State that for better or worse took you in. It was also the State that helped your family by giving you food in a time of trouble. I do believe that a smaller government is the best solution, but what happens when tragedy as in your case strikes a family, and there is nobody to help them? Government intervention can be helpful, and to generalize by saying those children taken away from their impoverished parents are far worse in a government institution is incorrect. You can have two opinions on this matter: One, that it is better to fall down and have no one help you up, or two, to fall down and have someone to at least try to put you back on your feet. Which one makes you a better person, and which one leaves you more disenfranchised with the world? I can tell you right now if we took away all government aid, the protests on Wall Street would pale in comparison to what would happen next.
November 3, 2011 at 3:37 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sail (anonymous) says...
Wonder what bob will respond with? Im sure he will blame someone who is cons.
November 3, 2011 at 3:48 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
PHIL, send your article to Wall Street Journal, Alex Jones and Ron Paul. You tube this article and thanks--maybe you will wake up America!
November 3, 2011 at 4:56 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
FAMILY BREAKDOWN
http://www.infowars.com/uk-welfare-st...
November 3, 2011 at 5 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Denise_Dorcey (anonymous) says...
Wow! This explains alot about why Phil sees the world as he does. Sad, really...
November 3, 2011 at 5:27 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Don't miss this 24 hour program and educate yourself about what is going down in America and you won't find news like this in the coroporate controlled media. Enjoy
http://www.infowars.com/#
November 3, 2011 at 6:11 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
netloafer (anonymous) says...
"It's just looking at people and seeing the individual and not the condition."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TQ61vJ...
November 3, 2011 at 6:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
So many, trying to pigeon hole others by how they view life, and perhaps part of that comes from the experiences of growing up.
I think I have a solution for our country as a whole on this situation. Something both conservatives and progressives might agree on because it entails both belief systems, and it just might help with our countries economic problems, as well as our citizens ever increasing sense of entitlement.
Does it take a village to raise our children?
EVERY child must register with the government for a service to government program for a period of two years minimum.
Upon graduation from high school, (or dropping out) they are enlisted by the government for government programs.
A lottery system, (much like the draft) would be used so a certain percentage would serve in the military, (no deferments other than medical), and others would do government infrastructure work. Bridges, roads, sewer and water projects.
All would go to a mandatory boot camp of sorts to train physically and while there, would be graded according to their skill set and assigned work accordingly.
Those not in military service would work 40 hours weeks minimum. All would be able to take night courses for the schooling of their choice, with a small stipend to HELP pay for it.
Our countries young people would know that life is not a free ride, and the harder they work in high school for good grades the better chance of getting an easier job in the service. Those who don't would be manning the shovels and brooms.
Yeah, maybe a little out there.
Someone tell me what label would be stapled to this type of thinking?
November 3, 2011 at 8:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mike_nelson82 (anonymous) says...
Steve, it sounds like your idea sort of follows both the German school system, as well as that of North Korea. Your idea also reminds me of the novel A Brave New World, but I don’t think your plan is for a caste system, or at least I hope not. While your idea isn’t completely bad, I would have to disagree with high school being the defining point in one’s life. I was a horrible high school student, but was able to turn it around later on in my life, and now have a master’s degree. I do enjoy the idea, but one should still be able to move up in the system even if they had a few bad years in school.
November 3, 2011 at 9:50 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Richie (anonymous) says...
"Rachel Maddow looks back on an earlier general strike in Oakland, in 1946, and reviews the many other Occupy Wall Street headlines from around the country, including Occupy the Treasury and Bank Transfer Day."
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/...
November 3, 2011 at 11:24 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
I attended the Vietnam round table and my questions for the liberals is what Have we learned from the Vietnam War?
http://www.americanthinker.com/2010/0...
November 3, 2011 at 11:26 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Richie (anonymous) says...
reddog - American culture has changed since your life during the Vietnam Conflict. Personally, I, along with my friends, do not dishonor those in uniform. Times have changed. We may not agree with policy, but we do not dishonor those in uniform. That was another day. Another decade. Another time.
The differential between the worker-bees and the elite is unfair. I support the protestors, and I will say I am proud my employer is not part of the dirty, top 1%. Have there been a few who have taken the protesting tactics to an unfortunate extreme? Yes. Do 99% of that 99% support those violent tactics? No!
November 3, 2011 at 11:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Richie (anonymous) says...
For those who have seen the violence of Occupy Oakland, don't jump to conclusions. You know how the media rushes to a trailer park to interview the uncouth homeless after a tornado strike, and how that creates a negative stereotype for ALL midwesterners? Well, the same can be said for the small percentage of reckless thieves who took advantage of Occupy Oakland. Keep your perspective in check!
November 3, 2011 at 11:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Gerald Celente video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RAlQGS...
November 3, 2011 at 11:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
The occupiers and the state.
http://www.lewrockwell.com/gregory/gr...
November 4, 2011 at 12:03 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
The inside skinney on Oakland Occupiers.
http://www.infowars.com/anarchist-van...
November 4, 2011 at 12:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
A first hand account of Oakland riot.
http://www.infowars.com/inside-the-oa...
November 4, 2011 at 12:19 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
NEWS that you won't find on main street media.
http://www.infowars.com/moneybomb/
November 4, 2011 at 12:30 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mike_nelson82 (anonymous) says...
When I was teaching the argument unit at Emporia State University, I would instruct the students to follow Aristotle’s Rhetorical Triangle. I believe for one to have a discussion about a topic, it would be beneficial to find reliable sources to back up your claims. Unfortunately, I see that logos is lacking in a good portion of the links that you have posted reddog. Understand that the internet has a plethora of information, so finding sources that not only back up your claim, but have logos, ethos, and pathos within the article is always helpful.
November 4, 2011 at 12:43 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mike_nelson82 (anonymous) says...
Richie, you make excellent points.
November 4, 2011 at 12:45 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
Richie,
For the occupy wall street demonstrators to throw up camps everywhere but Washington D.C. will be an exercise in futility.
i would agree that some changes in regulations need to be made for Wall Street firms and big banks. But those firms will not make them until forced to by law.
So it should be "Occupy Washington D.C."
A organized demonstration in the nations capitol where change could be effected.
Anything less, (such as these various camps scattered all over the country). just looks like a spoiled kid having a temper tantrum at the checkout counter at Walmart, because they didn't get the toy they wanted.
Just an observation from an old dog in the mid-west that agrees with some of what is being protested, just not how they are protesting.
November 4, 2011 at 6:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
Steve_Corbin (anonymous) says...
mike_nelson82,
Not brave new world or Island, and definitely not a caste system. Something along the lines of the German or Israeli system. I think it would give all a more equal footing in life.
It may also instill a real "service to others before self" mentality that seems to be lacking in today's society.
November 4, 2011 at 6:44 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
netloafer (anonymous) says...
Steve
There are some interesting elements of the Israeli system. Everyone serves in the military, even the developmentally disabled. They see it as a matter of necessity because they are surrounded by enemies or potential enemies. They live in a very bad neighborhood.
But, like the rest of us, Israelis find there are limits to equality. Some ultra religious Jews are exempted from obligations and actually get a taxpayer paid stipend to live on. This is a source of some friction in Israeli society.
Their voluntary associations work quite well, particularly the kibbutz and to some extent the settlements. There are strictly definded divisions of labor and leadership. One must agree to the rules before becoming a member of the group.
As to whether or not that would work in the U.S., I don't know. You may agree to the rules. I may not. Then what? How does that type of society deal with those who are more concerned with self before service to others? What types of value judgments would be made about those more concerned with self? How would they be dealt with?
November 4, 2011 at 7:22 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constitu...
November 4, 2011 at 7:37 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
http://www.lewrockwell.com/orig10/sal...
November 4, 2011 at 7:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
The National Public Radio story netloafer refers to here is part of a series called "Native Foster Care: Lost Children, Shattered Families" from a regular program called "Talk of the Nation." I will give you a link at the end of my post.
There's more to this than the one story related to by netloafer so it would behoove us listen to the series.
I listened to a follow up interview this morning with one of the kids, now an adult, who was taken from his family when he was 8 years old. He says he was treated well in an all white foster care home where the family never discussed his own Native American family or culture. That is what confused him, and until he was an adult going to college, he never understood the situation. "What did I do as a little bitty kid? How was I a threat?" He carries the emotional scars even now. The fact that his childhood is gone is a major problem for him.
Now a history professor on a the Redbud Reservation, he says, "a whole part of me is missing."
However, let's look at the rest of the story. At the time of his removal, his father was gone, and his mother was a severe alcoholic. He doesn't remember his father at all. It's obvious that he was definitely a child in need of care; it's just too bad his foster family did not take the time to explain his personal history. They did, however, see to it that he got a proper education. He is now a college educated professor of history. That says something about his foster family.
Yes, kids deserve to know the truth and as early as 10 or 11, they should be told.
U.S. law says Native children must be placed with relatives or other NA families. Poor states like South Dakota, however, seem to be taking advantage of the federal reimbursement system and claim they can't find decent foster care in NA homes.
It's important to say here that this is happening in 32 other states, not just S.Dakota. Also, half the chldren are being removed from CITIES not reservations.
This is the bailiwick of Health and Human Services who deny it is their problem.
Other parts of the series are on this page where this link takes you. It's worth listening to.
http://www.npr.org/player/v2/mediaPla...
netloafer, you were in need of care, kiddo. Sorry for your scars, but what would the alternative have been?
November 4, 2011 at 8:39 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Social Services is something available in Conservative as well as Liberal administrations. I do remember Bill Clinton making huge changes in the welfare system, and making "Welfare Mamas" go back to work. Those changes are still in use today. Here in Kansas, recipients need to be seeking at least a hs education or they receive no help. I don't have a problem with that.
November 4, 2011 at 8:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
netloafer (anonymous) says...
Create
I value your input. I find it refreshing comapred to some of the psychoanalysis I've read in this thread. But that's alright. I would never deny them their freedom of thought. I do claim a couple of privileges for myself. First, I know myself better than my critics know me. I'm as comfortable as any man can be with himself. I've got lots of gaps and I've got a wonderful, loving wife who asks the right questions and pushes the right buttons. For that, I consider myself to be a blessed man. Second, I claim the privilege granted me in the Declaration of Independence. I'm an equal partner in this society and I've grown to like the idea that I can pursue happiness. I can either succeed or I can fail. I like that. Third, I don't expect people to pity me or fix me. I am who I am by the grace of God.
It's kinda' funny. I bear fewer scars than people think. I haven't set the world on fire, but I've done alright.
In terms of care, we had other family. The Commonwealth didn't like that option because the other families were large and it meant that each of us would have to live with a seprarate member of the extended family. So we were institutionalized. It's interesting. My sister was segregated and lived in an all girl wing. My brother was housed with older boys and I lived with younger boys. I saw my brother and sister about once a month.
As to what would have been better, I can think it would have been better for us to live with relatives, but I'll never know. To say defenitely would be a hypothesis contrary to fact. I think it would be fair to assume that family members would care more about me than peope within the system who didn't know me, my mother, my culture
When I wrote this piece I was trying to make a couple of points. First, Progressives need to understand they don't hold compassion as their exclusive domain. Second, I think there is a deep flaw in the assumption that money spent equals compassionate outcome. Third, I think Progressives within the system need to re-think their assumptions. Fourth, I think we Conservatives need to question ours as well. One of the questions I often ask myself is, "Why are you doing what you're doing?" I think it's a great question.
Again, thanks for your input. I really do value it.
November 4, 2011 at 9:16 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I agree that questions need to be asked. Trouble is, if you're going to ask questions of a live horse, be prepared for it to buck. This is why I value good investigative reporting by the media.
I don't know your relatives, but you say their families were large. I would think that three more kids would have been a huge imposition. I am speaking as an adult who considers such things as beds and mattresses and room. Who cares about food; it's always easy to add another potato to the stew, but beds alone become a big consideration.
However, I will admit that in the Hawaiian Islands where I originate, the cultural practice of "Hanae" or the extended family is very common. It even has its own word. Linguistically speaking, if it has its own word, it's important. However, over there, they house additional family members by just putting up an additional bed in the living room. Even that bed has its own name, a "punee," and it never gets made, just covered with a light bedspread. You go to sleep at night under a sheet which you fold in the morning. Easy. There are no coats to buy, no shoes to worry about, just shorts and t-shirts and thong slippers year round. But Massachusetts would be a different story all together.
I'm glad you have become your own man. It could very easily have been a different story given the fact that alcoholism runs in families. Sounds like the Army and your wife have been Godsends.
I don't disagree with you about throwing money at social problems. But I also don't believe compassion has anything to do with it. It's just the cause and effect of a governing body, and both liberals and conservatives practice it.
I'm beginning to suspect you hold Massachusetts so responsible that you seek out living in red states. First Tennessee and now Kansas. Ever think about that angle?
Again, sorry for your childhood, but I'm glad you've survived to become a thoughtful, functioning, and caring adult. After all, you do take in foreign students into your home, right? Is that being progressive or charitable?
More food for thought.
November 4, 2011 at 10 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
PHIL, that was a good question about why are you doing what you are doing? For myself, my heart felt belief is that it is America vs the globalist.
http://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/...
November 4, 2011 at 10:15 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
netloafer (anonymous) says...
Create
I haven't given much thought to the red state/blue state thing. Nancy and I lived in New Jersey for almost nine years. We loved it. We went to Memphis because that's where the corporate level jobs are with FedEx. We came to Kansas to be closer to my wife's family and my kids. If we could live anywhere I think we'd live in Jerusalem. I've never been in a more alive city in my life.
We started hosting international students when we got a packet from the State Dept about a young Moldovan girl who wanted to do a year of high school in the U.S. In the packet there was an essay she'd written about Thomas Paine. I told Nancy that this girl would be an interesting intellectual challenge, with me being more of an Edmund Burke guy myself. I envisioned lively debates and we've since had them.
I agree with you about the give and take. Just yesterday the young Moldovan student and I had a lively debate over breakfast. I told her I'd gone to the meeting at ESU to meet the potential President. She asked me what I thought of him and said he seemed like an alright guy. I told her I was surprised that the faculty/staff never once asked a question about students. They were consumed with questions about their professional and personal development, which seemd like a backward approach. It seemed to me that faculty/staff development rests on attending to the customer/student. She said they were probably assuming that. I disagreed and we went on from there. She acquitted herself quite well. I think I won. She would probably disagree.
Once we got started we kept going, with another student from China, one from South Korea, and one from Vietnam. We found hosting the Vietnamese girl very cathartic for me.
November 4, 2011 at 10:26 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
You didn't answer my question about being so charitable and what drives it. Could it be your childhood?
November 4, 2011 at 1:13 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
MIKE NELSON 82, this is my reply to your argument.
http://civilisationis.com/dumb/dumb2.htm
November 4, 2011 at 1:17 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
VIDEOS for dumbing down of Americaand the world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dOHr_i...
November 4, 2011 at 1:21 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mike_nelson82 (anonymous) says...
I agree that the educational system does have some flaws, but do you argue that we should abolish a vast majority of the college curriculum? Or, do you go so far as to say college should not even exist? It is easy to point out the flaws, but to actually come up with a solution is always more helpful. Also, having taught composition for a year, I can tell you that the following quote is misleading: “But how are students going to engage in all those thoughtful processes when their knowledge is so pathetically limited and their composition and communication skills are almost non-existent?” Again, this article is not a reliable source since it only views the issues in the extreme. Having taught over 80 students, I can tell you that a majority of those students can tackle composition. There will always be a percentage of students who either through laziness, or juggling work and their college assignments, will end up failing a course, but to pigeonhole the argument by saying all students lack the proper skills to pass college courses is asinine. The problem is not with the courses that are being taught, but how the economy is so bad that even having a higher degree doesn’t guarantee a job in your respected field.
November 4, 2011 at 1:59 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
goodoleboy (anonymous) says...
Mike,
To be blunt, KB Thomas aka Reddog is like the village idiot around here, we ignore him %95 of the time, as the majority of what he posts is crazy talk from people like Alex Jones who say the government was behind 9/11. Welcome to the forums and my best advice is to ignore him, arguing with him only brings you down to his level.
November 4, 2011 at 2:15 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Economic news---5 minute forecast
http://5minforecast.agorafinancial.co...
November 4, 2011 at 2:25 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
goodoleboy, you have one finger pointing at me, but notice that you have 3 pointing back at you and what you see in o ther people is what you see in yourself. Have a nice day and a better tomorrow.
November 4, 2011 at 2:30 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
mike_nelson82 (anonymous) says...
Thanks for clarifying that. My intention is not to be offsetting. I do think a forum is a great place to engage those of opposing views, but I would like an argument to be more in the vein of how the ancient Grecians discussed topics, instead of just spouting off random things not related to the topic.
I have a great respect for Emporians, and the students that have attended the schools there. I will always take offense against those that believe that the educational system is filled with morons.
November 4, 2011 at 2:34 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
reddog (K. B. Thomas Jr.) says...
Doug Casey Research, this video tells you where I am coming from.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0lbilq...
November 4, 2011 at 2:40 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
netloafer (anonymous) says...
Create:
I don't consider myself a particularly charitable person. I think of myself as much as the next guy. If there's any charity to it I'd have to say it's a matter of faith - "To whom much is given, much is required."
My mother was quite generous, as was her family in Newfoundland. Maybe it's a genetic pre-disposition.
I've learned a lot from my wife. She's the most giving person I've ever met. She's what the Book calls a "cheerful giver."
Then, with some things I just enjoy being around certain types of folks. When we lived in Memphis I used to visit the Federal lockup on Saturdays. I had a learned associate ask me why I did it, particularly since the folks I interacted were "pretty bad." The only answer I could come up with was "I tend to meet a better class of people inside the walls of the prison." Needless to say, our association ended.
I like being around developmentally disabled people. I know some university and upper crust folks here. They seem alright, but I honestly prefer being around the developmentally disabled. They seem more real. Some of the others folks I know seem quite plastic to me by comparison.
November 4, 2011 at 2:51 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
I have taught English comp on the college level and at the high school level for many, many years. In fact, I remember teaching a research course to an entire football team, many of whom hailed from Oklahoma and whose grammar and spelling skills were nearly nonexistent. HOWEVER, as any good comp teacher or prof will tell you, writing is thinking. While usage and spelling is important, the thinking that goes into forming ideas is much more important. I used Aristotles's Heuristics of Invention, and even for that football team, it was easy to come up with solid, logical ideas. All I did afterwards was guide them to put them into English that could be understood. It wasn't highbrow, not by a longshot, but they learned to put an idea on paper and to defend it in plain English.
Is college necessary? Of course it is. Unfortunately, too many people don't think so because they are comparing it to trade schools. College is not a trade school where kids go to learn a specific trade. College is where kids go to learn how to THINK and form ideas and how to defend them in many different areas of discipline. There is room for both in our society. We can't all be plumbers, but neither can a person be an economist without having taken composition, history, algebra and all those other college courses so many believe to be unnecessary.
November 4, 2011 at 3:05 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
netloafer (anonymous) says...
Create:
The link is loosely related to this discussion. It's from a speech by Bill Moyers. I differ with Mr. Moyers about a lot of things, but I think we have a lot of things in common here.
http://www.thenation.com/article/1643...
November 4, 2011 at 3:07 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
create (anonymous) says...
Thanks for explaining, netloafer. I find plastic people in many walks of life including church that's why I don't go. That's an interesting view about being comfortable around the developmentally disabled. I guess they are just plain honest and have no axes to grind.
November 4, 2011 at 3:09 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
netloafer (anonymous) says...
You're right. I go so that I can have my axes dulled and plastic snipped.I think the developmentally disabled have the same effect on me.
November 4, 2011 at 3:28 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
sail (anonymous) says...
Well bob ,cant wait for your next article. .....this is more fun than reading about our local leaders.....and their lame attempt at bringing prosperity to Emporia.
November 4, 2011 at 3:38 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )