Benghazi (Libya) doctor asks on the news, speaking of the killings of innocent protestors, why the world is not listening.
It is much like the community that sadly witnesses a woman that time and time again chooses abusive men to live with. For whatever reason she doesn’t think she can do better or self-deludes herself into thinking that the long string of violent men actually love her and her children.
The people of the community are left witnessing this slow-moving and perpetual train-wreck. And their hearts do go out to her yet she does nothing to effect a real change.
This is what we’ve seen in the Muslim world, only it’s a mite more serious and honestly, it is worse for the “community”.
Of all the nations in the world the US has been one of the most vilified in middle east and north Africa because of our association with Israel. Much of the western world (read: Europe) likes to gripe about Americans like a bunch of vicious catty schoolgirls – calling a singled-out girl a slut and disparaging her clothing while secretly wishing they could keep their friends, act like the very slut they are excoriating, and wear her clothes.
But, of all the nations in the world it has been the US that has done the most to help the most people, using Federal dollars and a great deal of charitable giving. We have spent many many lives trying to help the world fix it’s own problems.
So let’s look at the Muslim world again. They despise Israel and loathe the US. The US doesn’t float Israel nor does Israel have huge natural resources, yet for some reason they are far more successful in giving their population a decent life. The Palestinians have done an awful lot to put themselves in the situation they are in with Israel. And for some reason, years of griping about Israel’s awful behavior has evolved not one whit while these countries perpetrate horrible atrocities amongst their own. And in a bizarre twist of wretched humor, a cleric in the US wants to install Sharia law here. Well why wouldn’t anyone want that here? It’s been working so very well over there.
The events of Iran years ago led to a religious leadership after the Shah was sent packing. Egypt could go any which way but no one is willing to bet that it doesn’t land on the side of religious leadership. Saudi Arabia is well-known for draconian tactics against individuals who do not toe the line. Bahrain has been peaceful enough but you can see the results of one religious faction ruling over a much larger different faction – when things get tough, firing on unarmed people is an option they’re willing to seize rather quickly. Iraq quite obviously only worked well when it had a vicious leader in charge. Afghanistan shows no signs of getting their act together even now. Libya has been willing to shoot their own citizens when they try to express themselves as well.
The US has witnessed the people of the middle east devour each other for years – killings, tortures, stonings, floggings, honor killings, domestic violence. And yes, it does bother us. We can’t help but flinch when we hear of women with acid thrown in their faces, or with their noses cut off, or a woman in an adulterous relationship (or a rape victim) getting 100 lashes. No, we can’t help but feel for the people in oppressed societies because we just can’t imagine how hard that must be. And yes it does anger us when some of the worst elements of these societies come to our soil to kill innocent people here.
But we keep witnessing the woman go back and choose another abusive man time and time again. In some scenarios she’ll start using drugs. In others he makes them. In still others, children are abused horribly by both sides. But the common theme is there, it is a willing choice that is made repeatedly.
Why are we not listening? Oh, we are listening – we are most certainly listening. But why act when the woman refuses to see that she’s an integral part of the problem?
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And oddly, there are those in the community that will fight with extreme ferocity to defend that woman’s right to keep right on bringing in men who are a danger to her, her family, and her community… students heckling an Iraq vet? I don’t deny their right to disagree with him, but mock and disrespect him? Yes, I have problems with that.
Columbia University students heckled a war hero during a town-hall meeting on whether ROTC should be allowed back on campus.
“Racist!” some students yelled at Anthony Maschek, a Columbia freshman and former Army staff sergeant awarded the Purple Heart after being shot 11 times in a firefight in northern Iraq in February 2008. Others hissed and booed the veteran.
Maschek, 28, had bravely stepped up to the mike Tuesday at the meeting to issue an impassioned challenge to fellow students on their perceptions of the military.
“It doesn’t matter how you feel about the war. It doesn’t matter how you feel about fighting,” said Maschek. “There are bad men out there plotting to kill you.”
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A high school teacher in Little Rock has resigned after school officials learned she pleaded guilty in November to a prostitution charge.
McClellan High School algebra teacher Solona Islam, who had been put on paid administrative leave, told Fox16.com she resigned because she didn’t want to have the school district involved in her personal matters.
To be blunt: She was spreading her legs for men who paid her money, and she resigned because she didn’t want her school getting involved in her personal matters?
Hey, prostitution is not a personal matter, lady. Certainly not when you’re doing that job and the job of teaching someone’s kids.
Islam said she was desperate for money and originally thought she was just going to work for a dating service.
Someone that stupid is not someone I would want teaching my kids anyway. “Thought she was going to work for a dating service”… yeah. You mean the guy with the funky hat didn’t tip you off?
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But “it’s for the children” and “if we can save just one child it’ll be worth it”.
I’m sorry, but no. Not all people are worth it. They just aren’t. These kids and their families can’t be bothered to get to school yet they can be bothered to have reminder calls that there is school, a GPS tracker, and a 3-times-a-day “coach”?
I’m sorry, not all people are equal and not everyone is worth it. If you can’t give enough of a rat’s ass to show up for school, you are going to care enough to learn… what? What are you going to care enough to learn? You certainly aren’t going to do it osmotically.
http://www.foxnews.com/scitech/2011/02/19/california-school-district-uses-gps-students-cutting-class
As part of a volunteer six-week pilot program, the Anaheim Union High School District is outfitting seventh and eighth grade students with more than three unexcused absences this school year with handheld GPS devices, the OC Register reported.
The students then get an automated phone call every school day reminding them to get to school on time and are required to ender a code that tracks their location during their departure for school, arrival at school, lunch period, departure from school and at 8 p.m, the paper reported.
They also get assigned a coach who checks in with them at least three times a day and helps ensure they get to class on time.
In exchange for their participation, students avoid other consequences like continuation school or prosecution, the Register reported.
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Lemur King's Folly 