British Home Children and Barnardo's Boys - A personal Tale

Immigration is always in the news, it seems. Always. Once upon a time, immigration into the USA and Canada was mostly by white people. These people did not always come willingly, and were often not treated well once here. In the USA, check out the 'No Irish Need Apply' statements from the 1800's, for one example. For an example of harsh working conditions, how's about the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory? These white immigrants often came from the same impoverished, abusive and horrible situations modern immigrants nowadays leave in their home countries to try for a better place here. And often, the places they found here weren't that much better than those they had left, at least at first.

British Home Children working in the fields. From the BBC story discussed below.

USA In Decline

Recently I read an article on Consortium News by Michael Brenner, Professor Emeritus at the University of Pittsburgh. The article, 'The New 'New World'' (with this subheading: 'What happens when reality hits delusion? U.S. mythology and fantasy will remain resilient. Denial, doubling-down, scapegoating, recrimination and more audacious adventures are the instinctive responses') is very good, and made me really think.

I've been wrestling with posting this article, because of a couple reasons: 1. It's depressing and scary 2. It's way too damned long and repeats itself, but then, the writer's a professor, so, of course, it is and, of course, it does. 3. I agree with his points in the article, but I don't agree with them as well, at least as they pertain to me and those closest to me and, I think, as they pertain to most of the people on Caucus99% too. On the other hand, the writer, Brenner, is insightful and argues his points well. I wanna know what you think about the article, so here's the beginning of it:

Americans discount the past. They live in the present and imagine the future. Events are assimilated into a mythologized pageant of progress that leads to an ever fuller realization of a more perfect union — liberty and justice at home, goodwill and good works abroad.