Rants on Social Issues

We recently, as in a few days ago, received an e-mail forwarding a new district mandate that kids no longer have to stand for the pledge of allegiance or say it. Now I understand, there are religions that do not say the pledge and so on and I understand and respect that. But seriously, you live in a country that gives you a free education, whether you're from here or not, say the freakin' pledge or at least stand and halfway act like you like or care about in respects to those who live here and are extremely patriotic or that have family members fighting wars or have fought wars so that you maintain the freedom to be able to stand or sit during the pledge.

On another note, I read An Ordinary Man, by Paul Rusesabagina, the man who kept the Belgian owned hotel open for refugees during the genocide in Rwanda. So if you've seen the movie "Hotel Rwanda," you have an idea of what went on in Rwanda. The Hutus and the Tutsis were the main two ethnicities in Rwanda and because of Western culture's influence on the country, the Westerners who had been there before had told them which ethnicity was superior, so the Hutus were the ones who felt like they should be in charge and therefore they began killing and murdering, brutally, Tutsis all over the country. In another book I read, it quotes that if the killing in Rwanda would not have stopped at 100 days and it would have continued at the rate of killing that it did, more people would have died in Rwanda than in the entire Holocaust. I think I've quoted that before but I think it's one that should not be forgotten! That's a huge deal. My geography book tells me that the Holocaust is the "systematic murder of more than 6 million Jews." We know this side that there were more than just Jews that were killed but 6 million people, let's turn around and just pretend that didn't happen! This only ensues rage for me in a very strong, furious manner. I'm so serious, don't get me started. So back to the book, he talks about how many clear signs that the genocide was coming that no one really paid attention to. United Nations guards that were placed in Rwanda were instructed that they couldn't use their weapons to stop any of the violence that was already taking place, even if people were murdered or wounded right in front of them! I mean what is the United Nations for. Keeping peace? Hello... I don't really consider watching something like this happen keeping the peace! I have been told that silence is agreement and that is exactly what the U.S. did, what the UN did and what the rest of the world who could do anything to prevent or stop it did! Then we want to make the comment "Never Again." Well if we really believe that, then let's do something about what is happening in Darfur. Even if you can't go to Darfur or do anything with money or whatever, you can at least let someone know so that someone else knows and word spreads so that we stop ignoring atrocities that are taking place at this very moment. Am I passionate about this? Of course and if you are any type of carer of humanity or people at all, please consider others and think about whether you're actually going to do something about what you say you are and stop sitting on your boat only listening or reading me rant about things like this!

"One person can make a difference, and every person should try." -JFK