But there have been a couple things over the past few days that have really made me think - Why? Why do we even bother with anything if we have people in the world who care only about themselves and their own interests? I think I'm a good person, I may be tooting my own horn a bit there but that's how I see myself. I think of other people. Of course, I make some incredibly selfish choices, who doesn't, but I like to think that I only do it on small scale things, not something that, I don't know, affects hundreds, thousands, maybe millions of people? So I can't fathom how people can leave their conscience's at the door, and go about life as if they are more important than anyone else. I, of course, come prepared with examples.
Naomi Campbell. We're all going to get bored hearing rants about her over the next few days so I'm getting in early. For those who are unaware, she gave testimony at the trial of Charles Taylor, former president of Liberia and warlord accused of trading weapons to the Revolutionary United Front in Sierra Leone, in exchange for uncut diamonds, which were then sold on for huge profit. It's very likely that you only heard of this trial now because Campbell has become involved (but that is another rant about the media and our celebrity-obsessed society for another time), but it has been going on since 2007. She was there because she had attended a charity dinner at Nelson Mandela's house, sat on a table with Taylor and was later aroused from sleep to be given a gift of what she described as "dirty looking stones," which turned out to be conflict diamonds.
So, of course Naomi Campbell was ready to help put away a man who murdered many and allegedly participated in an illegal weapons trade? Of course she wasn't. Before the trial started, she stated to the judge: "I want to get this over an done with. It's a big inconvenience."
Oh we are all so sorry madam, we thought that maybe you'd be able to take your head out of your own arse for two seconds and realise that your giving evidence could, you know, bring about some justice in the world. But no, you don't care, do you? You say you don't want to be involved with this man, even storming off a TV set proclaiming so. Well unfortunately, you are involved, you had dinner with him, then some diamonds appeared, and considering his reputation, it is likely they were from him. So you are involved, and you should care that you may help to put him in prison to pay for his atrocious crimes. I don't even care that you didn't know anything about him before hand, I'd assumed you were a vacuous bimbo from many of your other activities, but you sure as hell do now! I also knew you were a self-centred, egotistical fuckhead, but I REALLY didn't think you could be this selfish.
And that's just for starters. Over the pond in that brave land of the free we call the United States of America, congress has been debating a bill that would give healthcare to the first responders to the 9/11 attacks. These are the people, nay, HEROES (and I'm not normally one for such sensationalist language), fire-fighters, paramedics, whatever, who crawled through the rubble and wreckage of the twin towers to pull out survivors and recover bodies. These people have suffered monumental health problems from their courageous acts, and this bill would assure them the care and attention they desperately need but may not be able to afford. Easy. Everyone would agree with that, right? Of course not. Despite receiving a good majority in the vote, the bill didn't attract the 2/3 majority needed in this case to pass.
So why did this bill not fly through? Well, there's one word. Republicans. Despite all their rhetoric about how these true American heroes battled to save the lives of other decent Americans in the face of cold-blooded terrorism, they cared more about the fact that, to pay for the bill, the government would have to raise tax. So even for these exulted and heroic people, they refuse to pay a little more to help out. And it isn't even them who has to pay. The bill would have been covered by the closure of a loophole which allowed foreign-multinationals to avoid paying tax to the US government by having headquarters of of American soil. We're having this discussion in the UK too, and in my opinion avoiding tax is the same as evading it. You should be prosecuted and made to pay up. And to clarify, a bill normally doesn't need a 2/3 majority, but the democrats wanted to avoid amendments by republicans, such as not allowing those who helped but were illegal immigrants from getting the free healthcare. Those damn freeloaders...
So, the people who acted in the true spirit of the American ideal are, excuse my french, fucked over by the very people who claim to stand for it. And all because they didn't want their precious businessman friends to have to pay a little bit more for the right to trade in their country and to protect those who served their country. It really makes me sick.
So, I only have one more thing to say. To Naomi, Republicans and any others who can't see past their own noses to provide a little help to the needy: Go fuck yourselves. Thank you.
