Soapbox

For Shame

It is no coincidence that in the same week we learned that U.S. oil companies made more in profits last year than many countries while gas prices rose again; that drug companies are about to reap huge windfall profits from Medicare while seniors struggle to get their medicine and congress defeats legislation designed to help them; that congress gave even more tax breaks for the richest Americans while cutting Medicaid, food stamps and student loans and called it “fiscal responsibility”, and that the president wants $120 billion dollars more for a war that, $440 billion ago, was supposed to play for itself.
It is no coincidence…it is just a shame.

Shame on congress for going along with the president’s hideous war against the poor in America, and shame on America for being more concerned about Brad and Angelina’s baby than the growing lines at food pantries.

Shame on the President for giving away money hand over fist to rich corporations over in Iraq and shame on us for allowing congress to cut Head Start and the Earned Income Tax Credit for the poorest among us to pay for it.

Shame on all those who allow religion to be the driving force in politics, yet are willfully blind to the fact that the Bible speaks of ending poverty over 3,000 times, and of homosexuality scarcely at all. Shame on those who sit in their pews on sunday and allow the Christo-political movement to impose their values, and their hate, on the rest of the country. they should ask themselves, “Who would Jesus force his beliefs upon?” the answer, of course, is “no one”.

Shame on us for paying lip service to the passing of Coretta Scott King, because clearly most of us are more concerned with the Super bowl than with civil rights.

Shame on those who say they support our troops but allow the government to under-equip them in battle, force them to serve extended tours of duty and under-fund their care after they return home terribly wounded.

Shame on America for allowing our government to scare us into turning our backs on everything we say America stands for: free speech, equal opportunity, the rule of law, balance of power, fair voting, honesty, justice, compassion and generosity. All they had to do was whisper “terrorism” in our ears and we now condone discrimination, injustice, imperialism, lying, law-breaking and torture.

Shame on our government officials for wearing flags on their lapels while betraying everything that our flag represents. And shame on America for sitting quietly and letting it happen.