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rasputin1952 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-12-10 11:47 PM
Original message
Standing up for what I believe in...
Edited on Mon Sep-13-10 12:00 AM by rasputin1952
All too often, we tend to forget just why we are here, and what we can do. I know that people here stand up to injustice, bigotry and the indignities that one human can place upon another. I guess that is why DU has been my home away from home for many years.

I know that most people here are ready to charge the gates of hell if a cause is just, lately, I think we've all had wonder what is just, and what are obfuscations. I just want to post a few things I believe in and am unshakable on.

First and foremost, every human being deserves to be treated with dignity and respect. Sure, there are some people out there that do horrific things to others, and my empathy lies with the victim, not the victimizer. Those that bring pain and suffering upon others need to be dealt with, but that is but a small fraction of those who we share this planet with.

Along with dignity and respect are basic Human Rights; and fighting for them is a full time job. No man woman or child should be denied the Rights that others have. There is no viable excuse to deny individuals the Rights others share. This includes, gay marriage, equal pay for equal work, protection from those who abuse others and above all, no person should be treated like chattel. There are people in this world that would send women back to the 19th century, denying them the vote, or any empowerment at all. The ones who would do this are evil and need to be exposed and treated as they would treat others.

Every person deserves the opportunity to work, raise a family, love those whom they wish to love and be left alone. There should never be a cloud over this nation where individuals feel they have to fear police, the courts or the government.

No child in this country should go hungry or not have the opportunity to receive inoculations against common pathogens. There is nothing more despairing than hearing a child cry because he or she is hungry. We have it in our power to alleviate this suffering. We are challenged when we do not use this power to make one little change in our corners of the country.

No one should be forced to die because they do not have medical coverage.

Freedom of Speech is essential to a democracy, as is freedom of the press. Speech is often muffled and I have no idea why the press goes after some of the lamest stories of all time as if it were news.

These are a few of the things I stand up for ever day in one way or another, and I believe others do here as well. I am the perennial optimist, I believe that through concerted effort we can do better, we can move ahead and ensure a better place for our children and ourselves. It takes courage and will power, but I have yet to come across some wrong that can be righted if people stand up and challenge the powers that be. I do not believe in failure, any time something doesn't go the way I expect it to, or I get knocked down in the cycle of life, I get up, dust myself off and move forward again.

Please, stand up against injustice, don't just complain about it. If one avenue gets blocked, find another, even if you have to pave your own road, others will follow...the human spirit cannot be broken as long as we are moving toward a common goal that benefits the nation or an aspect of humanity. Take a moment to catch your breath, and then we can move together, a mass of humanity that no power can stand up against.

Thank you for taking the time to read this...and remember, if we can't save the world, we can certainly repair a small part of it where we live. Perform a random act of kindness tomorrow, you'll feel really good.
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CaliforniaPeggy Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-12-10 11:49 PM
Response to Original message
1. My dear ras...
I especially like this sentence of yours:

No one should be forced to die because they do not have medical coverage.

They should also be able to afford it...

Recommended.


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rasputin1952 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-13-10 11:00 AM
Response to Reply #1
4. Thank you...
being in the medical field for years, I an well attuned to suffering and death. It got to me most when I saw children suffering, many of them at death's door. The pain is still with me, and that is a good thing in retrospect, it give me fire when I discuss treatment for the poor and near poor...:hug:
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shireen Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Sun Sep-12-10 11:53 PM
Response to Original message
2. K & R!
Good words. :hug:

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rasputin1952 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-13-10 11:01 AM
Response to Reply #2
6. Thanks...
:D
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opihimoimoi Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-13-10 12:02 AM
Response to Original message
3. KnR Raspy, you da Man :o)
:beer: :toast: :bounce:
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rasputin1952 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-13-10 11:01 AM
Response to Reply #3
5. How are things out there in Paradise!
Always happy to see you on the Boards...:pals:
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opihimoimoi Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-13-10 03:40 PM
Response to Reply #5
8. Aloha Raspy...great thread as usual... :o)
Paradise awaits you...come now, got empty room until Oct...stay for free

Come, we sing laugh smile

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dp72a6rx9-M&feature=fvsr
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OneGrassRoot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-13-10 11:11 AM
Response to Original message
7. Bravo!!!
Please, stand up against injustice, don't just complain about it. If one avenue gets blocked, find another, even if you have to pave your own road, others will follow...the human spirit cannot be broken as long as we are moving toward a common goal that benefits the nation or an aspect of humanity. Take a moment to catch your breath, and then we can move together, a mass of humanity that no power can stand up against.


I'm with you! :applause:

:hi:

I posted this article in GD this morning; it made me all verklempt. I think you'll appreciate it as well. :hug:


http://www.alternet.org/story/148048/how_to_make_the_world_a_better_place_despite_the_roadblocks_and_naysayers?utm_source=Ode+Newsletters&utm_campaign=89adbf59b5-daily-rss&utm_medium=email

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rasputin1952 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-13-10 04:10 PM
Response to Reply #7
9. That's a keeper...
printing it out now.

I'm an older student these days, and I'm actually surprised to see the apathy so many youths have today, I'm Old School, Question Authority! has always been my base in anything I've ever done. I tell kids today that they don't have to fight authority if it is just and fair, but youmust question it whenever your, or anyone else's values are compromised. The only way to combat injustice is to drag it into the light. This is how women were afforded the Right to vote, how slavery was beaten and how so many have gained their basic Human Rights.

Plenty of times we lost the scrap, but eventually we win the culture war and get a chance to change society for the better.

Two things have been bothering me lately, GLBT Rights and what is called "Class Warfare. The GLBT community should have the same Rights and Privileges the rest of us enjoy...and as for "Class Warfare", damn right! And we will bring some kind of parity after we've waged that "war".

The fights do not need to fought violently, they need to be fought with intellect and passion, so we can leave future generations something better than what we have now...:)
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OneGrassRoot Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-13-10 04:33 PM
Response to Reply #9
10. Indeed....

Very well said.

It's stirring the passion -- passion based in truth and knowledge, not a false passion borne of ignorance and fear -- that is the challenge these days, yes?

:)
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rasputin1952 Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-13-10 04:48 PM
Response to Reply #10
11. Yep...
Fear is born of ignorance.

Today's youth is far less "terrified" they are gaining knowledge, and that is a great thing...:)
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felix_numinous Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-13-10 07:44 PM
Response to Original message
12. K & R
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bertman Donating Member (1000+ posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-13-10 10:48 PM
Response to Original message
13. Excellent post, rasputin1952. Rec. Now may I stand up to the injustice of you
locking my thread the other day when some non-freedom-loving poster complained that I wasn't loving President Obama's corporatism enough?
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archiemo Donating Member (257 posts) Send PM | Profile | Ignore Mon Sep-13-10 11:18 PM
Response to Original message
14. Wonderful post...needed some timely, uplifting words, thanks!
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