Torbay weblog davecathy

Sep 1, 2005 at 11:52 o\clock

U.S. of A.

by: davecathy

All my life, I have loved America, home of the brave, land of the free. Through films and television, I felt I knew it almost as well as my own country, I love the freshness and excitement of American music, from jazz through Sinatra, to Aaron Copeland and Gershwin, even Elvis. 3 of my 4 greatest heroes are American (Churchill, Jack Kennedy, Bobby Kennedy, and Clinton). On my visits to America, I have found the people to be warm, friendly, and generous. America has always represented the good guys, except in recent years under George Bush, but hey, he will not be there for ever.

That is why I cannot understand the American habit of treating even their own people so badly. In the richest and most affluent country in the world, the poor of America are a national disgrace, and are left largely to fester in their own lack of education and lack of opportunity. This of course applies especially to the black community even to this day. To be born a poor black in USA is almost to be condemned to a third class existance. I cannot understand why Americans tolerate such a huge number of people who die as a result of gun crime, or accept the enormous numbers who are killed on the roads. In Britain, about 3,600 die on the roads. America has 5 times the population, but 13 times the carnage on the roads. I cannot understand why Americans allow condemned people to spend years on deathrow, which must be worse than the execution itself, or not just punish criminals by jailing them, but degrade them by the use of chain gangs. That sort of attitude explains such things as Abu Grade abuse in Iraq and Guantanamo 

I have just heard (Thursday) that the Mayor of New Orleans has ordered the Police Dept. to stop rescuing the thousands still stranded throughout the city, and concentrate on stopping looting. Does that not indicate that property is more important than people?

Britain has many faults, but at least, we put people and their welfare first  

Comments for this entry:

  1. MattelMichele wrote at Sep 1, 2005 at 14:25 o\clock:I agree 100%. It is sad that with so many resources we have so many in poverty, myself included. If it had not been for my mother I would be one of those living god knows where after having a stroke and becoming disabled, I hate to even think about what might have happened. As for stopping the rescue efforts in New Orleans, all I can say is how utterly sad, it does appear as you state it, as an American I am disgusted with our governement, and its self-centered appearance, please know we are all not like that.



    Mucho Hugs!

    ~Michele
  2. insider2 wrote at Sep 1, 2005 at 16:58 o\clock:Each time I visit the UK from my home in California, I see the creeping cancer of American culture spreading across the UK. When I left the UK in 1988, there were four quality television networks, now there are hundreds, almost all of them American. Children walked to school or used a school bus - now their mothers drive them to school in Hummers. I was in Keswick about a year ago and it was pitiful to watch SUV\'s trying to negotiate the narrow streets. There is a atmosphere in the UK, that never used to be there, that money is God and the old, disabled, sick and poor are just a liability to the country. It is not too late for the UK to turn back from the abyss. Despite the best efforts of Thatcher and Blair a few of the great British instituitions (the BBC, the public transport system, the National Health Service, and a few others) are hanging on by their fingernails. But all will be lost unless the British people stand up against this creeping American cancer that is eating away at the very fabric of British society.
  3. jamryn wrote at Sep 1, 2005 at 23:20 o\clock:On this subject - I agree with you one hundred percent.

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