From: cjackson@adobe.com (Curtis Jackson)
Subject: Re: US as No. 1 (3 data books)
Organization: Adobe Systems Incorporated, Mountain View
Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1993 19:45:22 GMT

In article <1993Jan26.165916.13401@sunova.ssc.gov> pamela@sscux1.ssc.gov (pamela gurd) writes:
}This Canadian now living in the US feels that US natives are much
}less free in the matter of religion.  It is strongly encouraged in
}Texas society to go to a Christian church - and didn't a former
}president opine that atheists couldn't be true citizens?

*sigh* An oh-so-typical "net-picking" response. Whenever one speaks
in generalities (as one must when discussing the attitude of an
entire country), there are bound to be exceptions. With the exception
of the fact that these corporations that call themselves churches
do not pay any taxes, no American tax dollars go to support a church.
Thus the *state* does not officially support or endorse any single
church or religious group. What individual citizens do in terms of
peer pressure is a different matter, of course, and varies from
locale to locale. And keep in mind that this fundamentalist craze,
even in Texas, is probably a passing multi-generational phase. We
didn't even have "under God" in our pledge of allegiance until 1954,
when a panicked legislature equated atheism with communism.

}On the other hand, schools are much less likely to include anything
}that vaguely comes from religion - no Christmas carols, for example.
}Seems kind of sad to me.

Probably doesn't seem sad to the Hindu students, the Bhuddist students,
the Moslem students, the Jewish students, the agnostic students,
the atheist students, the.... Christmas carols would be just one
more way in which they would feel different and left out of the culture.
Children are in school for a very small fraction of their days; there
is plenty of time left for outside singing, including singing with
other children.

}>Mandatory government/military service
}
}I was a Canadian college student in the 60s.  Vietnam, remember?

I was referring to countries that have mandatory 1-3 years of
government and/or military service, a la the former Soviet Union,
Israel, et. al. A draft in wartime, even for an unjust war, is
a passing phenomenon.

}>Mandatory separation of college-bound vs. trade-bound students
}>in the early/mid teenage years
}
}On the other hand, the children of the ghetto have no chance at
}college much earlier than that.

Agreed. One hopes that Clinton can begin to change this via education
up and down the spectrum -- it is parents who encourage their children
to break the bonds of poverty and aspire to an education. It is
not enough to improve the schools, a child must be shown early on that
learning is fun, and it is often too late by the time the schools get
the children.

}I venture to suggest it's not power that breeds arrogance, but
}ignorance.  Americans know theirs is the best country in the
}world, and refuse to see any evidence to the contrary.

By the shallow materialistic standards by which Americans judge
their own lives and other's lives, America *IS* the best country.
Your suggestion that this is indicative of ignorance is just as
arrogant as my characterisation of these standards as "shallow"
in the previous sentence.

}In fact, countries are even more individual than their inhabitants.
}There isn't one that is better in all ways than all others.

Of course you and I know that. I still think America is #1 because
we have the core personal freedoms that are so important to me.
Now all we have to do is teach our people how to handle those
freedoms without hurting each other and beating each other down
so much.
-- 
Curtis Jackson			'91 Black Lab/Blue Heeler "Studley Doright"
cjackson@mv.us.adobe.com	'92 Collie/Golden "George"
DoD #721	KotB		'91 Hawk GT	'81 Maxim 650
"I'd rather die while I'm living than live while I'm dead." -- J. Buffett
Newsgroups: sci.econ