"We deserve better than this!"

So read the headline of an editorial in the newspaper this AM. Hmmm. Do "we deserve better than this?"

The editor, who is usually pretty much on the mark, raises an interesting question. He clearly believes that Detroiters (and, by extension, Michigeese?) have been given the shaft by their elected officials. I would agree with that, but why do Detroiters, Michigeese, or even Americans "deserve better?" Perhaps we get the politicians and policies we "deserve."

First, we elect our officials. If we elected them, then don't we "deserve" them, not something "better?" After all, we had choices. And, in most elections of recent vintage, the choices have been pretty clear cut. We chose what we have. So....

Second, why do we "deserve better?" Exactly why? We seem squeamish, even ashamed of what we have here in the US. It's almost like we apologize to the rest of the world for our success, properity, freedoms, and everything else. Consider that silliness called "multicultural diversity." It holds that all people are deserving of respect and acceptance. It believes that no people, no system is superior to the rest. Do those people ever, ever, think???? Consider what we teach our children in schools--that Columbus was an evil, evil man, undoing the idyllic lives of the Native Americans (erstwhile known as the "Indians"). Those denizens of the western Eden, however, practiced cannibalism, human sacrifice, and slavery, among other abominations. They had no concept of individual liberties or equal rights. (I know all about the attempts, for instance, to make the Iroquois the real Founding Fathers of the Constitution. It's all bull-puckey!)

Why do we apologize for our civilization, the freest, most prosperous (and most generous!) the world has ever seen? Why is our liberty, equality something, not to flaunt, but to be ashamed of? Why do we hold up, say, Islamic nations as cultures that are as good or better than ours? Why aren't we willing to say we have a superior civilization to theirs? Or do we secretly practice female genital mutilation, beheadings, honor killings, suicide bombings, etc. like the Muslims do? Do we require that our women where burkhas, veils, that they walk several steps behind men, not be allowed to drive or be educated? How can anyone in his right mind argue that we aren't superior to that?

Imagine someone in the US going on an anti-homosexual rampage? Oh, the diversity people would be all over that one! No doubt about that, is there? Then, on the other hand, those same folks "respect and accept" Islam, which has strict prohibitions and approbations against homosexuality. In fact, when a DutchMuslim published a book calling for Muslims to toss homosexuals off the roofs of buidlings and, if the thrown person wasn't dead from the fall, for the faithful to then stone him to death, nobody raised a peep to stop that book from being published there. It would be "intolerant" to restrict freedom of speech, I guess. Nothing productive is gained from such limitations. I suppose these Neanderthal Dutch can find something productive in throwing men from the roofs of buildings?????

Yet, we not only tolerate these things, never speaking out against them, but we hold up such civilizations/cultures as being "equal" to ours--or, at least, ours isn't superior to theirs. "Whose to say ours is right and theirs is wrong?" I don't know, maybe I'm the one to say it. Mutilating females, killing a female relative for her sexual activities, beheading one of another faith--yeah, I'm going to say our culture is better than theirs, that ours is right and theirs is wrong.

Go ahead, find a politician, a media wonk, an education-type willing to do that. Nah, don't bother. None exist. Imagine, after 9/11 we've held annual Ramadan dinners/feasts in DC for all the Muslim honchos. See, we're making nice with you! Gee, I wonder how many Christmas or Hanakkah festivities are held in Saudi Arabia, Iran, Afghanistan, Pakistan...for Christian or Jewish honchos. After all, it wasn't some Jew or Christian who flew planes into....

Again, I would urge people to read about the fall of the Roman Empire....