from nz.general re underclass

There will always be an underclass, though how far under may perhaps be
altered by wise political decisions.
The Americans said (Declaration of Independence):
"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal,
that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that
among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness."

Noble sentiments, over two hundred years ago. But is that true? Are we
created or have we evolved, is there really a Creator, are all babies born
with equal physical and mental abilities, and just what rights are
unalienable if the government decides otherwise?

Life? There are wars and the death penalty. (And abortion of course, but
that is opening a can of worms.) Liberty? There are prisons, and the draft
when a war starts. Everyone pursues Happiness, but do they really have a
right to it? And what is happiness, anyway?

And did they consider women, blacks and native Americans as the equal of
themselves? I wonder. The Declaration calls the natives "merciless Indian
Savages" in the list of King George's wrongdoings.

I'm not knocking the Declaration of Independence. It was astonishingly
advanced for its day.
But I wonder what would have happened if the Americans and Britain could
have sorted out their differences and continued together.

But to return to the underclass, there will always be around half below
average in anything you are measuring.

As the Heckler said, "Half the population are of below average intelligence,
and what is the government going to do about it?"

"For ye have the poor always with you", as true today as two thousand years
ago.

written for nz.general but not posted there.

The French are England's traditional foes.

William the Conqueror took the country from Harold, and we had French Barons
and Lords for centuries.
Henry V fought the French at Agincourt.

The French took Calais from Britain, though it had been ours for centuries.

French Catholics persecuted the Protestant Huguenots, many of whom came to
England.

French had a bloody revolution. They seem to have conveniently forgotten
that Holocaust, from the hypocritical way they celebrated it recently.

It was followed by Napoleon. Trafalgar and Waterloo sorted him out!

We were allies in World War I, but although there were many brave Resistance
fighters in WWII there was that disgusting Vichy government in charge,
collaborating with the Nazis.

The last straw here was the Rainbow Warrior affair.

But I expect the French can make a long list of England's misdeeds.
And individual French people are not responsible for their governments.
They are nice folks, like most people when you get to know them.

Let's hope for a good game this weekend, with a good referee, and may the
best team win!