All industrialized nations have instituted socialized medicine except the United States.
The United States holds more people in prison and in its criminal justice system than any other industrialized nation.
The United States is the largest dealer of weapons on the planet and is the only nation that has used a nuclear weapon on other human beings.
The United States congress refuses to hold its presidential administration accountable for illegally spying on its citizens, for war crimes and for torture. In fact, Congress passed a law legalizing torture and suspending habeas corpus for some individuals.
The United States and Japan are the only industrialized nations that still use the death penalty.
It is unthinkable that a nation can be so advanced technologically, can have such strong ideals about democracy, can have such a strong economy, but can be so primative and backward in so many ways.
Paul Hue will note that people still want to come to the US even though they will be subjected to racism, forced to work for less than a living wage, schooled by a substandard educational system. Why?
The promise of America is greater than its many contradictions. The appeal of the American dream is stronger than the deterance of its harsh, nightmarish realities. The freedoms it offers, though under threat, are greater than those offered in many other nations.
When will this great land live up to its potential? When will we begin to have more regard for human life than we do for property, money and power? When will our people leave their primitive, oppressive ways behind and embrace humanity?
When will we really become Pro-Life?
2006-12-14
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3 comments:
I disagree with Nadir's assertions that:
1. US immigrants constitute deluded, ignorant fools.
2. Americans are also deluded, ignorant fools for never leaving here.
3. Nationalized medicine represents an advance for civilization, or that it has any hope of providing the quantity or quality of healthcare that free market healthcare does.
4. Anybody is "forced" to work in the US for a "less than living wage."
5. That any nation on earth today or ever more embraces "humanity" and "regard for human life" than does the US or its people.
6. That life in the US is typified by "harsh nightmares."
7. That "regard for property" increases poverty rather than alleviates it.
8. That using atomic bombs in WWII was immoral or uncivilized.
I agree with Nadir's assertions that:
1. The US has too many laws, especially those against consensual acts, such as drug use and prostitution, and that these laws represent primitiveness and backwardness rather than civilization
2. The death penalty and sanctioned torture do as well.
3. So does weapons merchanting to dictators.
4. The domestic and international spying opposed by Nadir requires congressional and judicial oversight.
Overall, very few Americans experience any aspects of its few privative and uncivilized aspects which Nadir laments here.
Here's some more uncivilized, backwards, and primitive aspects of America, but ones that affect us all regularly:
1. Use of the "english" measuring system.
2. Lack of municipal, regional, and national rail system linked with all major airports.
3. Analog untrackable, unverifyable, undocumented voting, and which lacks govt ID card verification.
4. Americans consistently voting for candidates based on flash and mediocrity.
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