I miss my country

[Warpy]

I Miss My Country
by Victor Rozek

In my country there are no free speech zones. On this soil, speech is not fenced and cannot be arbitrarily quarantined for the convenience of those it may challenge or offend. The entire nation is a free speech zone, and the more unpopular the speech, the more fiercely it is defended. In my country the voices of dissent are honored and encouraged because they offer the best opportunity for popular opinion to mature and self-correct. Debate is invited and demanding questions are welcomed, since only those policies that withstand challenge and examination are ultimately embraced.

My nation has wise and honorable leaders who are unafraid to walk among their people. They engage in dialogue and do not fear respectful protest knowing there is nothing to learn from unquestioned agreement. Here, political audiences are not vetted and sworn to loyalty before they may stand in the presence of power.

In my country, compassion is a verb, not an adjective. Action, not rhetoric is compassion’s proof. Here, the weakest among us are not left to the incertitude of market forces or the unreliable promise of volunteers. We do not subject those with modest means to what we ourselves would not wish: that our welfare depend solely on erratic economic cycles or the availability of benevolent strangers.


Read more at http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0406-29.htm

[CrispyQ]

1. "...compassion is a verb, not an adjective"

I'd like a bumper sticker that says that.

Very good editorial. I've printed it & added it to my extensive liberal notebook.

[Freedom_from_Chains]

2. I liked that analogy also

However, dictionary.com says it is a noun.