Dear Ms Clinton,
It Takes a Village. Do you remember that? Long ago, you wrote it and you said it.
You said that society has a shared responsibility for raising children.
At the 1996 Democratic convention, you said that you wanted to talk about what matters most in our lives: children and families. Are you still interested in that?
What are children learning in your village?
- They are learning that lies are acceptable when they are the means to the desired end.
- They are learning that cheating is not only acceptable, it is rewarded.
- They are learning that doing illegal things is not only acceptable, but can be done with impunity.
- They have learned that bribery is acceptable as long as the bribe is large enough.
- They are learning that if someone has something that you want, taking it is acceptable.
- They are learning that anyone who disagrees with you can be taken away.
- They are learning that gratuitous accusation is acceptable if it is effective in neutralizing an opponent.
- They are learning that being caught in wrongdoing should be merely dismissed as irrelevant.
- They are learning that conquering other countries is not only acceptable, but is the preferred method to keep the military industrial establishment employed and profitable.
- They are learning that people, including the children, in other lands are expendable. If they are not American, they are merely collateral damage or a simple mistake. Their own village may be erased, as might be their families, or even themselves. It doesn’t matter.
- They are learning that their own family is expendable if their way of life interferes with corporate profits.
- They are learning that the future habitability of our planet is subsidiary to profits.
- They are learning that speaking, writing, and acting sincerely is an impediment to success.
- They are learning to consider their own success before considering anything or anyone else.
I really don’t like your village. The children and I are leaving now.
Thos