What *do* we tell our children? And our children's children?

[Stinky The Clown]

The bible thumping cluck cluckers framed many questions that way, all the way back to BlowJobGate.

But now I think its time to ask *them* these questions.

What, exactly, *do* we tell our children about the fact that their lives will be less fulfilled than ours, the first generation to have to endure that?

What, exactly, *do* we tell our grandchildren about that debt we sentenced them to bear, much like Original Sin?

What, exactly, *do* we tell our children and our grandchildren about having to live in a world where, because of nothing more than their country of birth, they are among the most reviled people on earth?

What, exactly, *do* we tell our children and our grandchildren ........ ?

[spindrifter]

1. Unfortunately, we have to tell them

that we were a generation of weak people. Most of us were too weak to be able to stand up to the ones we put in positions of trust. Most of us were too weak to take a stand against corruption. We failed our parents and their parents who entrusted us with the ideals they had protected. We failed our children and all that follow them.

[rubberducky]

2. What do we tell them

about a government that lies, cheats,and steals?? How do we try to teach values when the very people who run this country are common criminals? torture is condoned,killing innocent people (collateral damage) is condoned. Having a criminal prez who says "you`re either with us or against us", and wo be unto you if you are against these thugs. And the crazy part is they say they are the party of values. What a sad, scary time for America.

[snowbear]

3. And they also tell him...

[iamahaingttta]

4. Obviously, we tell them...

... to go fuck themselves. In everything that we do, we tell them to fuck themselves. How else can they interpret our actions?

[ninkasi]

5. My case is a bit different

in that while my husband and I have four children between us, they are all adults, and the two youngest are 38 and 39. Our youngest grandchildren are 13. We have one 2 year old, and one 4 month old great-grandchildren. Our grown children, and the two oldest grandchildren agree with us.

We are trying to teach the younger ones the importance of cooperation among people, about wasting the earth's resources, and about choosing to do good, rather than being selfish. When I was much younger, I realized that, due to marrying young and having children, I might never fulfill my dream of traveling the world.

Ten years ago, I could live with that reality, with the idea in the back of my mind that the beautiful and special places on earth would still be there when my descendants decided to travel. Now, I just pray that my family stops having children, because the dangers of war, of poverty, and hunger, and global warming are all too immediate.

All we can do now, in my family, is to spend as much time as possible together. We enjoy each other's company, we contribute to whatever causes we can afford, and we try not to pollute the earth with our debris. My grass cuttings go into a compost bin, as do anything else that is suitable. My plants are grown without benefit of chemicals, and if that means sometimes losing a plant, or the leaves of one, so be it.

It's not enough, of course, but for now it's what we can do. So, we put up jars of chow-chow with our tomatoes, and make fresh salsa, we bake bread for the taste and aroma, and we choose to entertain ourselves with get-togethers and good food, instead of patronizing amusement parks and other places that we consider devoid of soul.

We have offered places to stay temporarily for friends and family, we have lent money to each other, and given each other leads on jobs. We adopt our pets from rescue, instead of contributing to puppy mills, and the cats we can tame enough, we have spayed or neutered, since some will never adapt to being confined to a house.

There are countless others like us, I do not delude myself that we are special, or unique. What we tell our children, though, is more an exercise in warning them of how easily even great nations are led to bankruptcy and ruin. We teach them how easy it is to become distrusted and hated, because a regime can use war and threats instead of engaging in dialog, and diplomacy.

While we are Americans, and love this country, we are humans first. We all share common ancestors, and in the end, all die, and go to whatever lies waiting for us. While we have life on this earth, though, why not try to live it in peace, and in a spirit of sharing so that some are not so bloated with wealth that they lose their humanity, and others are not so mired in poverty that they do the same.

[gulliver]

6. What do "they" tell their children? We're golden.

Once upon a time there were a bunch of spoiled, arrogant, vain, bigoted baby boomer idiots. They were my age, so I knew them. They thought they were entitled by mere accident of birth to the lifestyle America had at that time. And they thought that preserving their lifestyle just meant craven things like kissing up and kicking down.

Rather than striving to become decent, civilized, well-mannered, and moderate, large numbers of these people simply inverted the world so that they could feel themselves "good" relative to it. They thought they were above science, and they redefined God as the devil. North became south and vice versa. George W. Bush, a prion in reality, was defined to be a great man and every Democrat was judged evil or at best weak-minded. All fiducials, including peace, philanthropy, self-control, respect for law, rationality, cleanliness, tradition, and neighborliness were cast aside or redefined to their opposites. The fools wondered why they felt lost, but they were told by their leaders that compasses were for "liberals" and true Americans just stay the course, whatever it is.

These people are to blame for the halving of American greatness. They made a big mistake, and they made it for lack of personal virtue. Many of them now see that.

Kids, I did my best. I voted against the madness, contributed more money than I could afford, canvassed against the deranged and fraudulent leaders of their cause, and spoke up for good. When the dividers and conquerors of America finally fell, I was there for the party.

[Steely_Dan]

7. Great Post

I copied and pasted it to print and leave on my desk...

-P

[Zodiak]

8. I suppose for DU I am young

I am of Generation X. We were the kids of the boomers, and really all we ask is that our parents understand that the American dream is, for practical purposes, over. Survival is the only goal for many of us, even those with educations. If we fall on our face or do not realize our dreams, it is NOT because we are lesser, whinier, or lazier than our parents, it is just the world has changed so much.

That is all we ask.

We don't want to be told any excuses for how the world got this way. We just want acknowledgement that it did it get this way and a little understanding when the world beats us down and we need help. That is all.

As for the Gen Xer Bushbots, they just believed what they were told in the 80's. The myth of American exceptionalism is deeply ingrained into their "inner child" because that was the culture of Reagan we grew up with. I feel sorry for them, and hope that, like me, their ingrained ideology runs head-long into reality. For the sake of all, we need it.

[Hosnon]

12. Agreed - I can't wait for the baby boomers to step aside...Instant

gratification seems to be that generation's main concern.

[Stinky The Clown]

13. That's an awfully broad brush there, sport.

You seem willing to throw all boomers under the bbus, but you fail to recognize .....

There are millions of boomers **still** fighting for what they did back in the 60s and 70s.

As but one example, your (or your girlfriend's) uterus is so far still hers thanks to those millions of boomer women, with many men at their sides, who fought for that and are still fighting.

That's one example, sport. So don't be so quick to condemn.

[Hosnon]

14. Well I qualified with "seems" indicating I was speaking from my

experience. And the broad brush was intentional - I simply moved from the specific (my experiences) to the general. Of course the wide net catches some who don't belong but such is the risk of speaking generally.

I applaud those that are fighting but I don't think it's the majority.

[Joe Bacon]

9. My family of Religious NUTS says it doesn't matter

They won't have to tell their children or grandchildren anything because JC and his SUNSHINE BAND will be here in a week or 2 to do THE GREAT FLOAT OFF where every rich white Republican gets to float in the air with JC.

Them Gawdless Liberals will be left here with all them unchristian non-white people to face Armageddon and the Lake of Fire thing.

They have been uttering this crap since 1980 and the worse it gets, the deeper those idiots get into religion.

This country is doomed.

[snowbear]

10. Wow.. Joe.. that's scary!

Dinners at your parent's house must get interesting when politics is brought up..

[Joe Bacon]

11. Sad truth is they all love Bush

In 1980, they all voted for Carter and were solid Democrats, then Reagan brought Jesus in with him and they all converted to the Assemblies of God. All of them voted for Reagan in 1984 even as Reagan killed the steel industry in Western PA and took all the good paying jobs away.

But they don''t care, Abortion is evil, Reagan is Pro -Life. God told him to implement free trade.

They are totally brainwashed by Jesus. Anything a Republican does is acceptable because Republicans are Christians, not like that ungodly Bill Clinton and his satanic Clenis or Hillary and her evil Clintoris...

Millions of Americans are just as brainwashed as my family, that's why I've given up on them.