Baby Noor

I suppose it's sweet and nice that the U.S. is helping the Iraqi child Baby Noor with her spinal whatsis, but I'd rather see that money going to help people here in the U.S. Preferably, adults who are unemployed or underemployed and can't afford health insurance.

Baby Noor is propaganda. She's a tool to improve the image of the United States as regards Iraq. Look! We saved Baby Noor! Great. What of Americans who go without medical care because the U.S. will help only those Americans who have bred? Do working, taxpaying adults count for nothing? Even if they're homeless, jobless, and not taxpaying, they still have more potential for contribution than a child does. Why not help the adults?

It's a rhetorical question. I believe that the U.S., and much of Western culture in general, is lost to the Cult of the Child and this will never change. The lives and well-being of children will always trump the lives and well-being of adults.

We as a country and culture would be smart to think about airline safety instructions for passengers. The airline safety cards and videos always show an adult putting the oxygen mask on first, and then helping a child with its mask. "Put your mask on first." It makes sense. If the adults are not able to care for the children, who will care for them? Who will help them, in this modern society that has done its utmost to ensure children cannot care for themselves?

A country and culture that really wants to help children needs to put adults first. Make sure adults are taken care of, and they are in a better position to help children. This also works really well for people like me who don't care about kids all that much and aren't that interested in helping them. It's a win-win solution.