Anaheim, California (CNN) -- In the shadows of Disneyland, often referred to as the "happiest place on Earth," many children are living a reality that's far from carefree.
They are living in cheap motels more commonly associated with drug dealers, prostitutes and illicit affairs.
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"Some people are stuck, they have no money. They need to live in that room," said Bruno Serato, a local chef and restaurateur. "They've lost everything they have. They have no other chance. No choice."
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When Serato learned that these children often go hungry, he began serving up assistance, one plate at a time. To date, he's served more than 270,000 pasta dinners -- for free -- to those in need.
Read the story:
http://www.cnn.com/2011/LIVING/03/24/cnnheroes.serato.motel.kids/index.html?hpt=Sbin-------------------------------------------------------------------
When I read this article I was moved to tears by the kindness and generosity of the man who's doing this. And then I made the mistake of reading all the comments, where there are many supportive ones...and also many "Screw those illegal immigrant brats; their parents are lazy parasites!" type comments. That stuff hit me hard; how can ANYONE, or at least anyone HUMAN, want to punish innocent children with hunger just because some of their parents are immigrants? Do they have any idea what real hunger feels like? Do they know how traumatizing it is...how you never, ever get over it?
It made me realize something I'd never admitted to myself before; I don't WANT to live in a country with people who think like that. I don't mean that in a philosophical, "Let's change their minds" way, because those people are NEVER going to change their minds. Their minds are Closed, permanently. No, I just don't want to share a nation with them anymore. For the first time in my life, I actually found myself WISHING for a peaceful division of this Union so that those greedy, heartless bastards can't have a say in our nations' laws anymore. I don't want to live with them; I don't even want to KNOW them.
If that means dividing up the land because half of our citizens are too stupid and cruel to show an ounce of basic human compassion to an innocent, hungry child, then SO BE IT. I don't want neighbors or co-workers like that. They'll kill us all out of spite and ego and greed if you give them half a chance. I'm tired of people like THAT getting to poison the well of our nation's laws and policies. Reasoned argument doesn't work with them, because they are unable to be convinced except by having empathy FORCED upon them through personal hardship and suffering. Well, any ultra-conservative nation would surely have PLENTY of THAT...so let them go there.
I don't mean ALL conservatives. There is room for civil disagreement. But people who are SO fanatic and obsessed with their ideology that they literally want to see children STARVE because they dislike their parents?! People who want to see others put to DEATH for being gay?! People who are SO radicalized and extreme that they would LITERALLY be killing us in the streets if they weren't afraid of prison?! Let them take their hate somewhere else and leave the rest of us alone so that we can make some attempt at restoring America's dignity and honor. They claim the mantle of "the only TRUE patriots": well they aren't "patriots". They're hardly even HUMAN. They are nothing more than wild, vicious beasts that endanger everyone around them.
This society has turned into Lord of the fucking Flies, and those people are Jack's violent, lawless pack of beasts, masquerading as human beings. Let them go kill and hate each OTHER for a change, so the rest of us can try to help each other and ease the suffering of our fellow human beings without being constantly thwarted, abused, and villified for it.