I always stop by Seraphic Secret to see what is new and interesting. Robert blogs on many interesting topics, including fashion, film history, great films, current events, screenwriting, writing in general, Yiddishkeit, his family, etc.
Yesterday’s post really hit home for me– check it out: http://www.seraphicpress.com/childs-school-lunch-confiscated-by-government-official/
This is *exactly* what is going wrong with public/gov’t institutions: people who think they know better than anyone else what is “good” for them. This elitism and secular fundamentalism is doing more to destroy our ability to make our own decisions, conduct our lives responsibly and without interference, and not have to look over our shoulders. Isn’t that one of the things that makes the USA such a great place? I don’t want to use the past tense here, but if this slide continues, shame on all who sat back and let it happen.
That’s why all these “government initiatives” are so insidious. These agencies and program personnel tell us how much better our lives will be, or what better people we will be, if we just listen to them and do as they tell us. And now, if we don’t, they’ll make our lives worse until we do as we’re told. Because they’ve got all these little pieces of paper telling us how smart and better they are than us. It’s for our benefit, they stress. For the children. For the planet. To these people, we are just a mass of sheeple needing to be “governed” and incapable of thinking their lofty thoughts or restraining ourselves from analyzing and coming to our own actually informed decisions.
Unless found unfit or abusive, parents have every right to determine what goes into their child’s lunch. There are situations where I would want a school to (gently) inform me if my food choices for a packed lunch were not acceptable. This would be in the area of kashrut, however, and a private matter between parents and the private educational institution (ie, something in the meal not meeting the heksher standards of the school). But that’s the school I’ve chosen, so I accepted their standards and will abide by them– by choice and agreement. That aside, since when does a turkey/cheese sandwich lose to chicken nuggets on any nutritional scale??
Here’s the rub. Freedom is difficult. Individual responsibility and self-direction can be hard. However, the founders of this country, having come from or experienced oppression and colonialism and loss of control over their affairs under the British, understood that a nation following the path of freedom and individual liberty was bound to be better than a repressive, controlling form of government. Were they perfect? Was the system they devised perfect? Of course not. But it still beats any alternative. That is what people clamoring for more government oversite, more “fairness” (whatever is meant by that), and less personal choice/responsibility do not seem to understand. The EU is running roughshod over national rights of individuals. They are openly protecting the wrong people, not holding them accountable to the laws of the societies they now live in, and not doing a thing for protecting the rights and safety of citizens living according to their nations’ laws. And it seems to be happening more and more here as well.
But slavery, on the other hand, is easy. You don’t have to think, because someone else is doing it for you. You play along, and have all your needs taken care of (think Greece here). Just submit to a governmental authority, and there’s a roof over your head and food on the table. Like all slaves, though, step out of line, have some independence, and the kid gloves are off and exposing the steel fists underneath. You are not your own. You are OWNED. You do as you’re told, and you don’t get hurt. Unless, of course, you belong to a scapegoated class. Unless you aspire to something more than just existing. As those of us in the CB’s bullying cycle are finding out.
As more and more Americans will be finding out.
UPDATE, 2/17: And I’m not at all suprised to discover this wasn’t the only child who didn’t get to eat their parentally-packed lunch in the same school… Looking at their guidelines, it would appear that some religious early childhood educational institutions would not qualify for this program. *Requiring* meat? Ok, they do mention “meat alternatives” but what if your kid won’t eat tuna? Oh, btw– not that I get to eat candy anyway, but it’d be worth finding out what other products Mars, Inc. makes besides Snickers, & etc. They signed on to FLOTUS’ food police initiative, and now your king-size candy bar are history. And the regulars will be smaller (but not less expensive). I say end purchases of ANY company on that list…
snappedintoreality 