Wow! Well-Said

[Colossus_500]

this is excellent!

CULTURE

“The economic crisis now breaking upon us will be both a political and cultural event that may well be a turning point in our nation’s history as consequential as the Great Depression. Which, by the way, is the historical standard to which some smart people—like former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan—are comparing this event... The cultural roots of this crisis have to do with Americans’ refusal to recognize natural limits. Americans have lost the ascetic virtue of self-discipline and have become impatient with the idea of constraints on their individual will. This is deeply rooted in American history and psychology... Our liberation from natural and traditional constraints can only continue in an atmosphere of steady, broad-based material progress, which, aside from the 1970s stagflation lull, we’ve experienced since World War II ended the Depression... Yet we cannot blame our politicians for failing to lead us, because they are the products of a consumerist culture that does not take ‘no’ for an answer. How many politicians of either party could hope to win office by telling voters we have a responsibility to delay short-term gratification for the long-term good of the country?” —Rod Dreher

[OzmO]

this is excellent!

CULTURE

“The economic crisis now breaking upon us will be both a political and cultural event that may well be a turning point in our nation’s history as consequential as the Great Depression. Which, by the way, is the historical standard to which some smart people—like former Federal Reserve chairman Alan Greenspan—are comparing this event... The cultural roots of this crisis have to do with Americans’ refusal to recognize natural limits. Americans have lost the ascetic virtue of self-discipline and have become impatient with the idea of constraints on their individual will. This is deeply rooted in American history and psychology... Our liberation from natural and traditional constraints can only continue in an atmosphere of steady, broad-based material progress, which, aside from the 1970s stagflation lull, we’ve experienced since World War II ended the Depression... Yet we cannot blame our politicians for failing to lead us, because they are the products of a consumerist culture that does not take ‘no’ for an answer. How many politicians of either party could hope to win office by telling voters we have a responsibility to delay short-term gratification for the long-term good of the country?” —Rod Dreher

Yes we can!

But only to the extent of contributing to the problem and not being the blame of one's own problems which are a product of one's own decisions.

If politicians decided to make heroin legal would they be absent from blame for the many deaths that will result?

[Colossus_500]

Yes we can!

But only to the extent of contributing to the problem and not being the blame of one's own problems which are a product of one's own decisions.

If politicians decided to make heroin legal would they be absent from blame for the many deaths that will result?

If you only answer the question as you have in bold....no.  But if you read Dreher's comments in its entire content, it's hard to disagree with him. 

Hey, what do you think of this article by Star Parker?

Will Racial Politics Ever End?
By Star Parker
townhall.com
Monday, April 7, 2008

On April 4, 1968, the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. walked out on a motel balcony in Memphis, Tenn., and was felled by an assassin's bullet.

It is a poignant and hurtful thing to recall. But, now, 40 years later, circumstances provoke more than the usual reflection about this man, his life and our country.

Given what King lived and died for, and given his milestone civil-rights achievements in his short life, why are we still talking about race in the United States in 2008?

Today, we have not just black millionaires but black billionaires, black celebrities, black CEOs, accomplished black professionals in every field. We have black governors, mayors and national and state legislatures filled with black representatives.

Certainly in our large cities, interracial couples no longer get stares.

Will electing a black man president finally bridge the racial divide? The prospect hovers before us. Yet, rather than fading into the background, the focus on race is getting more intense.

Can it be that, along with money and sex, talk about race will be with us forever?

King asked the question in his "I Have a Dream" speech.

"There are those who are asking ... When will you be satisfied?" And he answered, quoting the prophet Amos, not until "justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream."

I would assume that even the most rabid Barack Obama supporter wouldn't claim an Obama administration would produce a mighty stream of righteousness.

So will it ever end?

The civil-rights movement led by King was, of course, a Christian movement. Its songs were spirituals. Its color and tangibility came from biblical imagery. It recalled the Israelites enslaved in Egypt and Moses demanding Pharoah to "let my people go."

And, in those fateful words that night before he was shot, King said he'd gone "up to the mountain. ... And I've seen the Promised Land."

The Israelites wandered for 40 years. Soon after they left Egypt, it was evident the generation of slaves was not ready to become a generation capable of the responsibilities of freedom.

Although there probably is no word more frequently used in American political discourse than "freedom," our popular sense of this word is quite different from the principle in that biblical story of liberation.

Receiving the law was the crucial stop between escaping Egyptian servitude and entering the Promised Land. Freedom amounted to exchanging external oppression for personal responsibility.

Like Moses, the great prophet and leader of the Israelites, King did not make it into the land.

Perhaps the message is that even the greatest leader has his place. He can lead in adversity, but he cannot live your life for you.

The Israelites' great sin, which condemned them to wander for 40 years, was to say, despite having all that they needed, "We're not ready. We can't do it. The challenge is too great."

King led the movement that produced the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965, closing the door on legal discrimination in this country. But more than 40 years later, we still hear, "We're not ready. We can't do it."

Washington lobbyists and special interests are not to blame for single-parent homes, drugs, promiscuity, abortion and sexually transmitted diseases, high-school dropouts and the accompanying poverty. The conditions reflect personal decisions and can only be addressed through personal conviction and resolve.

The Israelites were warned about false prophets. In today's terminology, I'd call this anyone, be it politician or clergyman, who suggests that anyone but you can solve your own problems.

The greatest tribute any American, black or white, can pay to King is to embrace the traditional values and truths critical to live the free life that his work helped make possible.

By so doing, racial politics will finally end and righteousness will flow "like a mighty stream."


Copyright © 2008 Salem Web Network. All Rights Reserved. 

[OzmO]

I pretty much agree with the overall premise.

[240 is Back]

IMHO, people who make race the #1 issues aren't smart enough to understand issues like war, the economy, or healthcare.

[OzmO]

IMHO, people who make race the #1 issues aren't smart enough to understand issues like war, the economy, or healthcare.

It seems to me, with Obama running, race will be an unneeded issue that will be brought over and over again.   

Racism is far better now than ever IMO. 

[shootfighter1]

"The greatest tribute any American, black or white, can pay to King is to embrace the traditional values and truths critical to live the free life that his work helped make possible".

"Washington lobbyists and special interests are not to blame for single-parent homes, drugs, promiscuity, abortion and sexually transmitted diseases, high-school dropouts and the accompanying poverty. The conditions reflect personal decisions and can only be addressed through personal conviction and resolve".

These two quotes are particularly strong IMO.  We can debate on why there are more minorities with the above conditions but whats not debateable is that personal responsibility, respecting oneself & ones family, learning solid values, self-love and family are necessary ingredients to success.  These items are commonly missing in families that are in the cycle of poverty.  Without these we can create all the federal programs we want and throw obscene amounts of $ at the problem with little or no success.

[OzmO]

"The greatest tribute any American, black or white, can pay to King is to embrace the traditional values and truths critical to live the free life that his work helped make possible".

"Washington lobbyists and special interests are not to blame for single-parent homes, drugs, promiscuity, abortion and sexually transmitted diseases, high-school dropouts and the accompanying poverty. The conditions reflect personal decisions and can only be addressed through personal conviction and resolve".

These two quotes are particularly strong IMO.  We can debate on why there are more minorities with the above conditions but whats not debateable is that personal responsibility, respecting oneself & ones family, learning solid values, self-love and family are necessary ingredients to success.  These items are commonly missing in families that are in the cycle of poverty.  Without these we can create all the federal programs we want and throw obscene amounts of $ at the problem with little or no success.

That's the thing, so many government programs seem to bail people out too much while at the same time, there are situations that justify the help.

[shootfighter1]

Thats a big part of the problem in our large city schools too.  Cleveland has less than 40% of their students in Cleveland Public schools that graduate from HS.  Its horrible and its not for lack of funding or books as the more liberal educators claimed the last 20 yrs.  Its getting worse as more $ is poured in.

Its a cycle of poor parenting & lack of real family support.  The parents don't raise the children well (if there are parents still involved), there's little parental support for proper education, encouragement and acedemic support for the kids at home, the kids learn by their parent's example, the kids don't respect the teachers or other students, they don't care about learning or getting good grades, and real education & learning becomes a lesser focus in school.  Also, there are many disruptive, and often threatening/violent kids who make it harder for those kids that do want to learn and achieve.

[OzmO]

Thats a big part of the problem in our large city schools too.  Cleveland has less than 40% of their students in Cleveland Public schools that graduate from HS.  Its horrible and its not for lack of funding or books as the more liberal educators claimed the last 20 yrs.  Its getting worse as more $ is poured in.

Its a cycle of poor parenting & lack of real family support.  The parents don't raise the children well (if there are parents still involved), there's little parental support for proper education, encouragement and acedemic support for the kids at home, the kids learn by their parent's example, the kids don't respect the teachers or other students, they don't care about learning or getting good grades, and real education & learning becomes a lesser focus in school.  Also, there are many disruptive, and often threatening/violent kids who make it harder for those kids that do want to learn and achieve.

So true.  And there's also the other part of the problem.  Schools can't afford to buy current text books, programs such as music, art and some sports are being canceled altogether, teachers are under paid in many cases etc...  We rank low in education worldwide and it will affect our future. 

I see the problem as 2 fold.  What you said above is a very big part of it as well as the effects of the lack of funding for kids and parents who do have the right intentions.

[drkaje]

Curtis said it best.