Europeans Thank Healthcare Professionals Amidst COVID-19 Coronavirus Pandemic

“In a gesture of gratitude for doctors, nurses and other medical workers who work in Spain’s national health system, people went to their balconies all over the country at 10 p.m. local time to applaud in unison.”

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/03/16/816309232/global-deaths-from-coronavirus-surpass-6-000

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Folks in America would ~NEVER~ do anything even remotely like that.

And, that’s quite sad, indeed, given that gratitude – which is among, if not THE most “Christian” of all human expressions – isn’t practiced on a broad collective level by an ostensibly “Christian” nation.

Perhaps the nation’s churches, synagogues, temples, mosques, and other houses of worship should reconsider the merit their work has, or has accomplished, given as much.

And “yes,” regardless of one’s personal, or religious opinion of the Christ’s teachings, or claims of divinity, most faith traditions – especially the closely-related faith practices of Islam, Judaism, and Christendom (ecumenism), including those of Buddhism, Sikhism, Hinduism, Jainism, etc. – celebrate the principles, teachings, and/or respect the purpose, reason, and cause to, and for which, his self-stated initiative was devoted – acceptance, love, and respect of everyone, and the selfsame expression of that love, and demonstration of acceptance and respect, which inherently includes forgiveness, by and through selfless actions for others’ benefit, without regard for any other factor.

While I have seen, and experienced some “messages of gratitude for these and other essential workers” personally, mine are anecdotal, while the observation and citation referenced above, is not.

My greater point is not individualism, but collectivism — a unified expression of gratitude on a national basis, as in “they were all in one accord.”

And, might I add, simultaneous.

The closest thing we have in that regard is Thanksgiving, or Independence Day, both which are both national holidays, though one has religious overtones, while the other does not.

See also:

BY LORI HINNANT
Friday, 20 March 2020

PARIS (AP) — At a time of isolation, people in many European cities hit hard by the new coronavirus are taking at least a minute each night to come together in gratitude.

They stand at open windows or on balconies in Rome, Madrid, Paris, Athens and Amsterdam, singing, cheering and applauding even though they know their intended audience is too busy to listen.

The adulation is for the doctors, nurses and other health care workers putting themselves at risk on the front lines of the pandemic that is forcing most residents to stay home. A 52-year-old nurse on Thursday became the first medical professional in Spain to die of COVID-19.

In Italy, where the number of virus-related deaths surpassed those in China, 2,900 health care providers have been infected, or 10% of the country’s total. Italian broadcasters regularly feature exhausted doctors and nurses begging people to stay home and

What are taxes for? Who should pay them? Should you pay more, or less?

Kroger Tools for Schools Drive sign

It infuriates me to see signs & posters like these, because THAT is what taxes are for!

And, if there aren’t enough taxes collected from the wealthy (and obviously, there aren’t), then we see “drives” and other collection points like this.

Just this evening, in conversation with my neighbor, she shared with me about how her co-worker – a young, single mother – recently confided in her, and said that she didn’t earn enough money to make ends meet – to pay the rent, keep the lights turned on, and feed her family and that she regularly has to go to a local food pantry (which itself often runs out of food because the need is so great) to augment her meager ability to purchase food – and that she, herself, didn’t have supper because she chose to feed her children, instead.

My neighbor remarked,

Alabama is USA’s 2d most religious state

Alabama also ranks up there in poverty, divorce, sexually transmitted diseases, lack of a high school education, spousal abuse, and…

Thank God for Mississippi, eh?

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Gallup: Alabama 2nd most religious state in America

By George Talbot | gtalbot@al.com
on February 17, 2013 at 10:51 AM, updated February 17, 2013 at 12:31 PM

Alabama ranked as the nation’s second most religious state in 2012, behind Mississippi and tied with Utah, according to a new survey by Gallup.

The Washington, D.C.-based polling firm found that 56 percent of Alabama residents identified themselves as “very religious” – based on saying religion is an important part of their daily life and that they attend religious services every week or almost every week.

Alabama trailed only Mississippi, its Deep South neighbor, where

DoD says Climate Change is National Security Risk

Here’s an item from our “Things You Probably Didn’t Know About Climate Change“ file.

While there continues to be much frothing about the mouth from conservative and libertarian types about climate change, there remains no doubt of its existence.

Some – mostly Republican & Libertarians – continue to assert that climate change is as much a hoax as the Tooth Fairy, Easter Bunny or Great Pumpkin. However, to be certain, there is no doubt that change has occurred, and continues to occur. The reason(s) why, and causes of the same are subjects of valid scientific debate and research. But there is no disagreement that change has, and is occurring.

The United States Department of Defense,

The best government money can buy

Overturning a nearly-century-long trend of limiting BIG BUCK$ from BIG BU$INE$$ and UNION$ to influence elections, the Supreme Court Of The United States (SCOTUS) overturned