America Held Hostage

-
Today, House Republicans announced that they will only pass a federal budget, allowing the federal government to stay open, if President Obama agrees to delay implementation of The Affordable Care Act for one year.

The New York Times says the announcement "all but assured that large parts of the government would be shuttered as of 12:01 a.m. on Tuesday." House Speaker John Boehner, and Tea Party confederates, are about to shut down the government.

Such a shut down will cause millions of Americans to lose access to vital services (disability payments, Social Security checks, heating subsidies, military pay, food stamps, etc...).  Additionally, hundreds of thousands of public servants will go unpaid just as a multitude of rent checks and mortgage payments are due.

These hardships, and subsequent economic downward spiral, are being threatened in order to keep affordable health care beyond the grasp of 30 million needy Americans. Word it any other way you want, the bottom line is the GOP is willing to damage the economy, and jeopardize the financial future of countless Americans, in order to deprive the working poor of affordable doctor visits and prescription medication.

I can only speculate about the GOP's underlying motives, but since I don't want to risk a charge of libel, I won't speculate, about what I think their motives are, here.  I will say, I think their actions are unamerican.  Keep in mind, they're not trying to keep a proposed bill from passing, they're threatening the livelihood of millions of people in order to prevent a law, which is already on the books, from helping the most vulnerable among us.
-

There's Still Hope For Humanity

-

Artist: Creator:Master Of Alkmaar| Title: The Seven Works of Mercy| Date: 1504
This work is in the public domain in the United States, and those countries with a copyright term of life of the author plus 100 years or less.

This week has, so far, been dominated by news of the mass shooting at Washington D.C.'s Navel complex.  Before that, we were fixated on the possibility of initiating  a war/police action in response to the chemically induced mass murder of 1,426 Syrians.

Being constantly bombarded with reports of savage violence and cruelty, it's easy to mistake humanity for being a cruel and selfish lot, possessing few, if any, redeeming virtues.

I think such an appraisal of humanity, in general, would be a mistake though.

Like most people, I was beginning to feel dispirited by the media's constant rehashing of Monday's tragedy when I decided to visit my Facebook feed.   The top two posts caught my eye, the first having been posted by my friend, Ferrah.

"I've been buying sandwiches for homeless people, for the last week, without having any interaction with them prior to going in to a store/restaurant, such as the fridge section at Rite Aid, The Bodega, or McDonald's. It's super fun and the looks of surprise and/or sincere gratitude are fantastic. You should try it."

Below this recommendation to adopt generous behavior as a part of one's routine, I found a notice stating that my long time pal, Molly, had "liked" the following organization.

"Just Give A Cup: Introducing compassion into our community through coffee.

Mission:
Our missions are simple.
1: To provide those who lack possession with the means to stay a small amount more comfortable during the coldest time of the year.
2: To inspire a community to see beyond an appearance and become willing to recognize that all people can become friends and be seen as equally valuable members of the world we live in."

There, back to back, were two good examples of people being kind and going out their way to restore dignity to strangers.  The posts made me stop and reflect on the nature of humanity.

Due to my personal circumstances, I am the daily recipient of an awe inspiring amount of compassion and care, from family and friends, which I never cease to be grateful for.  Beyond my personal sphere however, there exists a world primarily based on love, compassion, a beneficence.

Think about it.  We have created a public infrastructure to attempt to feed the hungry, house the disabled, and heal the sick.  Yes, we fall short many times, because we don't know how to fully accomplish these goals.  Yet, I sincerely doubt society would prioritize such goals unless we were fundamentally motivated by goodness.

According to FundraisingHQ.com, ABC's 20/20 reported that three-quarters of American families donate money to charity, giving an average of $1,800 per household each year. Additionally, millions of volunteers give their time to schools, hospitals, fire stations, police offices, parks, places of worship, soup kitchens, libraries, and other community oriented institutions in order to make their part of the world a better place.

Beyond the officially recognized acts of charity lie everyday acts of kindness which make life work.  Helping the neighbor in with her groceries, running to the pharmacy to buy cough syrup for someone who can't get out, cooking dinner for a recently widowed family, bailing a stranger out when he finds himself a nickel short at Starbucks' register, and a multitude of other common niceties all testify to the fact that we're a  species motivated by kindness and love.

When acts of cruel depravity monopolize headlines, it becomes easy to overlook humanity's general spirit of goodness.  Keep in mind though, such acts make the news precisely because they are shocking exceptions to the rule.
-
Normally this section features topic related products for readers can purchase to support this blog.  However, this time you'll find a list of charities you can contribute to.

AIDS Research Alliance | HFA - The Humane Farming Association | Cancer Research Institute | Child Find of America Inc. | Prevent Child Abuse America | Goodwill Industries International, Inc. | Greenpeace Fund | Coalition for the Homeless | Habitat for Humanity Int'l | American Red Cross | Action Against Hunger | Feed The Children | The Soup Ladies | Random Acts Of Pizza | Meals On Wheels | Loaves & Fishes | Portland's Sunshine Division | Just Give A Cup |

The Syrian Question

-
By now, we all know that over 1,400 Syrians, including 426 children, were killed in the August 21st Sarin gas attack reportedly ordered by President Bashar al-Assad.  While our government claims to have positive proof of al-Assad's complicity in the attack, many remain skeptical since U.S. officials won't release said evidence to the public.

I'm not going to take issue with the government's failure to publicly release evidence of al-Assad's guilt.  It's easily conceivable that the publication of such evidence could expose the existence of intelligence assets which need to remain covert.  Yet, even if the attack went down the way we believe it went down, I take great issue with The White House's call for a military response.

Understand, I'm a hardcore Democrat & Obama supporter, but on this issue he's just plain wrong.  President Obama wants to respond with an action which, "...would be limited, both in time and scope – designed to deter the Syrian government from gassing its own people again and degrade its ability to do so.  ...the American people are weary after a decade of war, even as the war in Iraq has ended, and the war in Afghanistan is winding down. That's why we're not putting our troops in the middle of somebody else's war."

A limited action, without putting boots on the ground, sounds good.  However, he's saying we can fight a limited war without the prolonged ugly parts.  It can't be done; we learned as much when we tried to send limited support to South Vietnam over 50 years ago.

Even if the President honestly believes we can strike fast and be in & out of Syria in a matter of days, he can't guarantee such results.  Bush thought the same thing as he stood on the U.S.S. Abraham Lincoln and declared, "Mission Accomplished," over Iraqi forces.  Eight years later, we were still in Iraq losing American lives.

The pragmatist in me says that if we commit military forces to Syria, we need to go all the way, and remove al-Assad from power.  There are problems with that approach too though, the biggest being our forces would be stuck their until a new regime could be fully installed.

The other glaring problem with a military reaction lies with the fact that we weren't attacked.

• It is both right & noble to be outraged by the torturous slaughter of a mass of men, women, and children.
• It is both right & noble to want to rescue an oppressed people.
• It is both right & noble to want to punish a regime of mass murderers.

Yet, it's not our place.  We wouldn't be defending our people, allies, or interests, but we WOULD be giving a new enemy a reason to retaliate against us.  We know they have Sarin.  If we attack them, it'd be pretty simple for a dedicated Syrian operative to open a thermos of Sarin at a Chicago Bears game or in the middle of Time Square.

Finally, all other things aside, we don't have the law on our side.  Whether Congress approves the attack, or not, without the sanction of the U.N., our attack would an international crime perpetrated in response to the breaking of 1997's Chemical Weapons Ban Treaty, which Syria didn't even sign.
-
The map graphic above is in the public domain in the United States because it is a work prepared by an officer or employee of the United States Government as part of that person’s official duties under the terms of Title 17, Chapter 1, Section 105 of the US Code. 
-