How much more do we need?  Do you see the stakes being raised as this goes on?  It is going to be harder and harder to explain to future generations why we let them get away with it.  I was born in 1936.  I saw the news reels of the American forces entering the concentration camps at the end of the war.  I'll never forget seeing the human skeletons expressing joy as they realized it was over.  But was it?  Their children and grandchildren had to go through some pretty rough times living with them.  The damage was huge and lasting.  Things like that do not just go away.  The Effects of the Holocaust on the Children of Survivors

According to studies, the long-term effects of the Holocaust on the children of survivors suggest a "psychological profile." Their parents’ suffering may have [led to]a second generation 'complex' characterized by processes that affect identity, self-esteem, interpersonal interactions and worldview.

 Why is it necessary to point this out in the context of the present day attrocities?  Look below the break to find out.

Even though I've been a regular visitor here, I've never posted my own diary. However, as I see a lot of people wanting to help and the traditional way of helping (red cross, doctors without borders etc) are being hindered by the junta's red tape, stubboness, and paranoia, I'd like to suggest an alternative way of helping.

As a Burmese being in the States for 14 years, I believe I have a better understanding of what is happening. As is the case of 2005 tsunami, the military government is extremely weary of outsiders, regardless of the purpose of the visit. It (the ruthless regime machine) is also afraid of any single reporter that would return home and plaster a couple of pictures on the front page of Newsweek or Time magazine.

Unless of course, they continue to be victimized?

The New York Times is reporting that key Bush cabinet officials have joined with top oil company executives in an effort to absolve Libya of damages it owes to victims of terrorist attacks authorized and funded by Libyan leader Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.

The move comes as ConocoPhillips, Hess, Occidental, Marathon Oil, ExxonMobil, Chevron and Dow Chemical warn that "a law that Congress passed in January that is intended to ensure that victims of terrorist attacks are compensated......threatens to disrupt commerce that the United States is trying to encourage."

To have a gander at the offensive Life magazine cover from 1985, along with a link to the full text of the biased article, pay a visit to my blog.

There are two basic kinds of war monuments here in France. The most ubiquitous and easy to find are those commemorating the fallen of World War I -- "the war to end all wars." There is at least one in every town and every hamlet, no matter how small, and all bear impossibly long lists of names of those who died "for the glory of France."

There are other monuments, often just plaques, affixed to what seem to be random walls and fences and buildings, scattered here and there in cities and suburbs: these are from World War II, and they commemorate a specific act at a specific moment in time that occurred on that very spot: members of the Resistance executed by the Nazis, for example.

What kind of monument will be built in Iraq?

Privileged people passing themselves off as victims is very nauseating to witness.

Yet every election cycle (and even in non-election cycles) this is what we get from Republicans.

You don't agree with a Republican?  Then you are not only wrong, you are, by not agreeing with the Republican, purposely persecuting the Republican. (Perhaps  this is why they are given to screaming fits when "debating" someone possessing an opposite view. Because they feel the opposing viewpoint is literally hurting them).  Here's an example...

http://www.newshounds.us/...

It's like Glenn Greenwald said (paraphrased): "Neocons never err:  They are just the victims of other people's shortcomings."

That sums it up (and what I am trying to articulate) beautifully.
 

Even upon casual examination,  'tis clear posing as a victim is fundamental to modern-day conservatism.

There have been so many bad religious and Baptist stories recently I decided to comment on a good one.

CBS News: Retired Man Feeds Disaster Victims

John Doe Cho 2 Empathize or Vilify?

sometimes there's more tears than rain

Sometimes it seems there's no vacancy in the city of sadness

maybe I can make you smile again

Well, it seems as though many got what they wanted out of the Virginia Tech tragedy.

The gunman, Cho Seung-Hui, garnered the notoriety he desired, (like Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris at Colombine, whom Cho admired) having pictures of his face plastered in news headlines, and the media freely displaying his maniacal diatribe.

NBC got the scoop, receiving the package containing exclusive video clips and pictures of the mass murderer, and did not hesitate to air the ramblings of a madman. Their excuse:

'We want to know why. We need to know what was in his head, what drove him to do this.'

Go here for the complete story

Wikipedia, with 6 million articles in 250 languages, including 1.6 million in English was too liberal and godless, and now conservatives have a Godly alternative, Conservapedia, 4,300 articles, in one language, English.

And, you liberals, don't even think about messing around with Conservapedia:

Minors under 16 years use this site. Posting of obscenity here is punishable by up to 10 years in jail under 18 USC § 1470. Vandalism is punishable up to 10 years in jail per 18 USC § 1030. We will trace your IP address and give it to authorities if necessary.

So, let's take a brief tour of the conservative mind:

I don't know how many saw Cavuto this Morning (I caught it in the middle of one of the segments; no transcript is up yet). The segment was with some severely sick 9-11 workers who have had a hard time collecting money from a fund that was set up to support 9-11 victim families, as well as, workers. One of the guest was the wife of 9-11 worker, and the other 2 were actually workers who have developed respiratory problem because they breathed in air that contained asbestos, cement particles, chemicals, and god know what else.

I happened to see an old article from a Twin Cities-area campus newspaper and found it interesting.

Apparently, though no one is complaining about specific descriptors of HOW peach or HOW brown a person's skin color is in crime reports, two students represented complaints about not-actually-physically-descriptive terms like "black" or "African American" being on the little security alert flyers that the college puts up around campus.

If you have ever been in or anticipate getting into a policy debate with friends, family, decisionmakers in your community, etc. about racial profiling or similar issues, read below the fold.

They are being called "The Next Jihadists". That strikes me as a death sentence, not a future. It's not GenX, or "The Next Generation". What it is, is our fault, not ours alone, but we bear much of the blame. NewsWeek has a new piece on this topic.

Iraq is a young country: nearly half the population is under the age of 18. And those children have had a particularly turbulent upbringing. Kids like Ammar were born in the aftermath of one debilitating war, against neighboring Iran, then suffered two others and years of impoverishing sanctions in between. They are especially vulnerable to the demons that now grip Iraq. Hassan Ali, a sociologist at the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, estimates that at least 1 million Iraqi kids have seen their lives damaged by the war—they've lost parents and homes, watched as their communities have been torn apart by sectarian furies. "These children will come to believe in the principles of force and violence," says Ali. "There's no question that society as a whole is going to feel the effects in the future"—and not only Iraqi society. From the Middle East to Europe to America, violence may well beget violence around the world for years to come.

While Bush is preoccupied with what to do about the mess he has created in Iraq New Orleans continues to suffer. The city of the forgotten has been forgotten again. In September while parts of the city Bush made another of his controlled and staged appearancesand..

One year ago this week my hospital discharged a young man who had been in our care for several months.  On this, the beginning of our holiday season, I thought I'd share his story.

Well, here is one group of voters the Bush Administration CLEARLY has written off.  Today, Election Day eve, my Tulane graduate daughter, who was last August a registered Louisiana voter and whose car was registered in Louisiana, got a letter from FEMA, and, ostensibly from Kathleen Blanco also (although I don't believe she could possibly know about this) demanding its $2000 back because "The damaged dwelling is not your primary residence."  

Enough is enough.  Somebody in California please send a letter to the editor.  Here we have poor "Duke" Cunningham playing the victim for his crimes.  That darn reporter and that defense contractor who testified against him are ruining his life.  Wouldn't it be nice to send pictures of those he has ruined with his arrogance and greed.  The only thing he is sorry for is receiving gifts?  No wonder the world thinks so lowly of Americans.  

This excerpt is from "Yahoo News":  
"I should have said no to the gifts. For that, I am truly sorry," Cunningham wrote.  "Each time you print it hurts my family and now I have lost them along with everything I have worked for during my 64 years of life," Cunningham wrote. "I am human not an animal to keep whipping."

How can people still support these people?  How do Christians sleep at night when people like Cunningham say things like "I hurt more than anyone could imagine and without my faith your constant cruelty would destroy me," again from Yahoo news.