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The Un-Ugly American

The world may not realize this, because of the way our government behaves, but Americans are pretty generous people. Some of us in the red states have a tendency to deliver aid to people who "deserve it" and with hold from people who "don't - but that's the old puritanical streak kicking in. (The red states, by the way, are all the states that A) voted for Bush, and B) were almost all on the slavery side of the Civil War.) Almost to a one, any American faced with a real person with a real need will do something about it.

Which is why we separate ourselves from suffering caused by corporations by owning mutual funds and not paying too much attention to what our money is supporting. There is a lot of "turning the blind eye" in America. But when a clear cut, honest to goodness disaster happens - we charge into the field.

Our president initially offered 15 million dollars in relief. We were outraged - red and blue states alike - his damned inaugural ball is costing the American taxpayer 40 million! So then he upped the number to 35 million - puh-lease! That's a blip in the spending over the Iraqi war. So now he has been pushed, nudged, sneered, and shamed into 350 million dollar package. That's more like it.

All over the internet, sites are taking up the opportunity to gather funds to send to Indonesia. Over 50 American organizations have sprung up providing aid and services. You can find them at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donations_for_victims_of_the_2004_Indian_Ocean_earthquake#United_States . Not to mention smaller efforts by thousands of schools and churches around the country. This is the America I know and love. This is what I believe my country stands for.

And, in a global sense, we are all pitching in around the world. I believe the west was a little slow to respond - but the charitable part of me wants to belief it was because we did not comprehend the full scale of the devastation. But the every day Joe Shmoe was swinging into action much faster than the governments did.

Which brings me to an essay written not to long ago by David Brin. You can find him at http://www.davidbrin.com/libertarianarticle1.html. He is a moderate libertarian. Myself, I am not so fond of libertarians - a sect of American politics that believes that all government should be abolished to be replaced by contracts between people. Personally I believe government is supposed to be a contract between people to create representatives from their ranks who are then charged with a contract between the governors and the governed. Perhaps I am just as naïve.

However, he makes some very salient, optimistic points, among them he talks about our increased capacity to respond to a complex world without the aid of governing agencies. That through cell phones and the internet, we band ourselves together in time of need and form small armies for good when good deeds are needed - say at the 9-11 disaster - and then dissipate once the problems have been taken care of. It all starts out sort of like the six degrees of separation in action. We need x! Well, I know a guy who know a guy who knows a gal - well, can you call them? He also points out that the only plane sabotage that was foiled from it's intended target was not hit by a military target - but by ordinary people like you and I, refusing to cooperate with a brutal scheme.

What does this portend for the future? A freer world? A more compassionate world? A world in which public opinion polls can force the president to move his stingy butt from 15-350 million dollars in aid in a matter of days? As we become more educated, more connected, more concerned about how our actions affect others around the world - a bit of a snowball effect could occur.

If the people ever hear about this, we may be in for a revolution.

PS A very kind reader contacted me about a book not so long ago and I lost her e-mail address through the vagaries of the internet. I request that she contact me again. Thank you.

by

Sarah Byam
9th January 2004

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