I must have missed when you were there...

[Divine Discontent]

When I look into their pain-filled eyes and hear their words saying they HOPE that they'll be able to either, - find a job, get over their physical or mental illness that's kept them from working, or simply be able to go back home to their family that rejects them, I often look to the other people around us to help me deal with the emotional overload - and I don't see you Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Bill O'Reilly, Rush Limbaugh, Liz Cheney, Michelle Malkin, Michael Savage, or matter of fact, any of your loud-mouthed backers.

In fact, when I talk to the people who I've been around that were being nice or helping people in need - they're all liberal in thought. The hyper-cynical haters of humanity are nowhere to be found, and yet, these screamers of lies who say we should only have private charities and remove public spending from those 'leeches who live off our taxes', well, I just can't seem to find them.

When I had my arm around a lady named, "Precious", who I met in a hospital who had no one with her while she was going through her chemo, and she was coughing up and in pain and thanked me for taking the time to talk to her, I wondered where those great charitable GOPers like Sen. Coburn were at, to help "individually as neighbors" share the community burden of this woman who was all alone? You'd think there'd be 10 or 15 Republicans there with this lady in a county that is heavily Republican, right? Maybe I'm wrong. (cough cough)

When I helped a 400 pound woman named, "Laura", with food & a blanket, who wasn't even allowed to ride city buses because of complaints of the smell, I didn't see any 'freedom fighters' of the right, there helping her with me (only a rich lady in a $70K SUV calling the cops on me and saying 'you only encourage her to stick around here').

When I look around at these other volunteers who are helping those in need - I see merciful, and compassionate souls who are extremely progressive in thought. But, I apologize, I do know there are certainly a decent percentage of Republicans who give their time to those in need, and more so, just like all people, who give donations instead of time, even if I meet so very few of them. And we all know about the pronouncements of people like Rush giving a million dollars to charity for Sen Reid's condemnation letter, but it's not more so the money that matters (and the ensuing media press and tax write-offs), it's the time given in applying the care-giving and the listening to these people's horrible pains that matters most.

Extreme conservatives don't want to believe, or want us to believe, that anyone is on government support who truly deserves it. Yesterday, I received a wet-behind-the-ears rebuke email from an old conservative friend. He told me I was a pie-in-the-sky dreamer for thinking there are people who actually want off state & gov't support. He says they all have nicer electronics than he does, and they feign illness or say there's nothing out there. It was disgusting to read, and I let him know of 3 stories of people that I know of first hand, with details, and told him, I help people when I can and see their actions and motivations, and yes, there are many who are users and don't want help, but there are certainly more than the 1% he cited who want to work and make a living, and he'd find that out if he got out from time to time and put himself in uncomfortable situations to try and help even one person change their life, or at the least, know that they're not alone.

So to all the Coulters, Cheneys and Savages out there, in regards to never seeing you or other hard-conservatives DOING charitable and compassionate acts, I will give you the benefit of the doubt and say, I must have missed you when you were there...

[Skittles]

1. CORRECT

and every one of those rightwing nutjobs has the gall to call themselves CHRISTIANS :puke:

[Divine Discontent]

2. Thank you, as always Skittles, for a great point. Shame on them.

[NanceGreggs]

3. Beautifully stated, my dear friend ...

... poetry of the spirit, that speaks directly to the soul.

Thank you.

[Divine Discontent]

5. you are so kind, thank you NG. ps -

on a side note - I just watched Congresswoman Pingree speak at protectmainequality.org . What a great person. She so wants to take back a message to her fellow reps from Maine. I am so hopeful that the people of Maine are going to do the right thing tonight, it's so close, and they've worked so hard up there. Regardless, it is so clear that there is strong support for equal rights for all - there is hope.

[NanceGreggs]

7. There is always hope ...

... and when so many people DO support equal rights for all, it is a tide than cannot be turned.

[imdjh]

4. I obviously don't see the entertainers you mentioned, but people who piss me off ....

... politically often also do things which are generous both in time and money. It's what confuses the issue so much. Lord knows it would be easier if everyone was both right wing and heartless or both liberal and righteous, but it simply doesn't work out that way to any noticeable degree from where I stand. As I pointed out in a moment of annoyance not too long ago, it was the conservatives, the Baptists and the pentecostals who were in the saddle and riding to the rescue while the rain was still falling in New Orleans and Mississippi. Not only the speed with which they mobilized, but the scope of their generosity (IN MY OBSERVATION) dwarfed any other effort. While some people were busy trying to figure out what Washington ought to be doing, the pentecostals and fundamentalists were driving trucks full of stuff up from Central Florida to the disaster zone and bringing back the homeless and dispossessed.

[Divine Discontent]

6. those are the righteous and compassionate souls, more power to them! it is interesting to see the

ones who do help who are very religious, and it usually turns out they're not very political - they simply follow what they know is right in caring for those in need.

best to us, and those tonight who are hurting.

[MissMarple]

8. Peace. n/t

[1776Forever]

9. Ye Did It Unto The Least Of These - A poem by Danita Pergerson

http://www.familyfriendpoems.com/spiritual/poetry.asp?poem=20603

Ye Did It Unto The Least Of These © Danita Pergerson

We’re in a world so busy
People running everywhere.
Forever looking at our watches
Our minds racing with cares.

We never see that lonely man
Sitting on the street.
We don’t even notice that hungry lady
Struggling in the heat.

Children so needy
Filled with despair.
An old grandma rocking sadly
And no one cares.

We must remember
Jesus left us with a plea…
“Ye did unto the least of these
my brethren, ye did it unto me.”

So what about you?
What about me?
What about the lonely man
Sitting on the street?

Will you reach out
Without a shadow of doubt?
Will you love the least of these
And fulfill Jesus’ plea?

A smile for the lonely man sitting on the street.
A bit of food for the hungry lady struggling in the heat.
A hug for the children so full of despair.
A cheery voice for the old Grandma in the rocking chair.

This seems so simple
Such an easy thing to do.
Let’s reach out for the least of these
And for Jesus too.

Danita Pergerson
July 1990 @FamilyFriend Poems

...........

You Did It Unto The Least Of These - Blessings!

It is by our works that we shall be known, not by some Minister's opinions. Life is very short and someday these greedy people will be asked "And what did you do for the least of these?". You will be able to say, "I did all I could." And they, the Limbaugh's of the World will say "What? I don't know who you mean." They, the needy and depressed, are invisible to them. They see with their $$ signed eyes. Those who care like you see with your heart. We do what we can when the need arises.