(Cartoon above by John Trever)
Definition: Satire: a tongue-in-cheek opinion, a presentation of ideas to stimulate thinking, not necessarily as a realistic solution to a given situation.
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In a world that is badly overpopulated, with insufficient food and resources to sustain this unhindered growth, steps need to be taken to staunch the problem. It appears that world leaders are reluctant to address the problem aggressively for many reasons. They are afraid to offend religious leaders or to play “God” in terms of procreation. In recent years, only the Chinese government has taken major steps on this issue, by adopting a “one child per family” policy, which worked up to a point.
One of the great sci-fi novels in history may be “Logan’s Run” by William F. Nolan and George Clayton Johnson. It provided a future where a dystopian society decided that that life ends at 21 (the movie was 30) by design. This is a severe case of Aschimothusia, benevolent suicide to protect the welfare of society.
I would like to proffer a few minor suggestions toward a better and more viable future.
(1) Lifetime Politicians
When Will Rogers is quoted: “I never met a man I didn’t like”, a possible second half of that quote (may have accidently been deleted or forgotten) should have been: “I never met a politician that I did like and certainly never met one that I trusted”. Let’s be honest! Do politicians really serve any useful purpose? If there ever were leeches on society, this category may have a monopoly. The average net worth of a Senator is currently $2.5 million. Does anyone believe that most of them walked into office with that amount?! Combined with book deals and a future as a lobbyist, politics is a cash cow for the successful politician, at the public’s expense, i.e. tax dollars. And we all sit by and reelect this coterie of buffoons time after time.
Our founding fathers believed that public service in Congress should be for one or two terms. Many people, including myself, believe in strict term limits. However, I would like to alter that concept to “termination limits”. After two terms, all Congressional representatives should be “euthanized”. This would be more of a public service than most of them have ever given us!
(2) Hedge Fund Managers & CEOs of Wall Street Brokerage Firms
If one were to Google Images: “Greed”, probably the CEOs of Goldman Sachs, Citibank, and half the hedge fund managers would have their photos magically appear. While these CEOs guarantee nothing to their clients, they do guarantee a huge payday for themselves. So let’s not begrudge them their upscale lifestyle. But let’s limit them to five years, at which time they are euthanized. We can term it “equitable return” on their investment into robbing half the U.S. population of their future, by not paying their fair share of taxes and by usurping the major wealth in this country. Euthanizing this group would simply eliminate a “group of financial vultures”.
(3) The College of Cardinals; Ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders; Leaders of Mormon groups that believe in polygamy; all religious orders that prohibit birth control
We live in 2015, while the College of Cardinals lives in the 15th century. This idea that birth control is a sin, that procreation is blessed (even if you cannot afford to provide for your children), that the Catholic Church needs new believers, should be ended once and for all. I realize that it is blasphemy to go after a “holy order” like this, but let’s remember that they have allowed a proliferation of “child abuse” for centuries with a major cover up. So they are not as sacrosanct as all that. Euthanizing this group might result in a new group of younger, more progressive priests who can rise above the current anachronistic culture that pervades this group.
Ultra-Orthodox Jewish leaders use ancient scripture that encourages procreation and the “waste of seed”. It is time to move into the 21st century and realize that “ancient scriptures” are exactly that: outdated. Since there is no method of convincing them that they are wrong, euthanasia appears to be the only solution.
Historically, it appears that the leaders of the few Mormon groups that believe in polygamy also believe in multiple children. These leaders should no longer be tolerated as they are self-serving egomaniacs whose primary goal is to proliferate. As we locate them, they should simply be euthanized.
(4) Holocaust Deniers:
There is a certain level of evil that should not be tolerated. Most students of history forget that the genocide perpetrated by the Nazi empire was not limited to Jews. Millions of Christians and other religious groups were also exterminated.
Whatever the religion, whatever the ethnic background, there is no room for these nefarious individuals on this planet. History may not be rewritten for convenience. Just as the Turkish government has been denying the existence of the Armenian genocide since 1921, these individuals would like to forget the heinous nature of what occurred by pretending it never happened. While this would probably only rid us of a few thousand dissident minds, we would all be better off without them.
(5) Child Pornographers; Child Molesters & those individuals who unleash them on Society
Psychiatrists; Clinical Psychologists, and social workers would like us to believe that these individuals are mentally ill, but can be cured. So we all pretend that these individuals can actually be rehabilitated. As a result, we put them in institutions for a few years. Then some fool of a psychiatrist says that they are cured and are no longer a threat to society. They are released and, most probably, within a few years, they have committed new atrocities against innocent children. These individuals are simply not worth our time and trouble; they are an ever-present danger to children and should be euthanized for the benefit of society. And the individuals who set them free are just as guilty!
(6) All People Who Oppose Euthanasia and “Assisted Suicide”
To end life with dignity should be a God-given right. But because of religious leaders espousing blatant ignorance, e.g. “Christian Right”, laws are passed to prevent “freedom of choice”. Disposing of these fanatics who believe that they have all the answers, with a “direct line” to God, would eliminate of great number of global issues that permeate society.
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Footnote:
Every year millions of people around the globe suffer immeasurable agony from numerous diseases, saturating nursing homes and hospitals with the terminally ill. Many others agonize at home with families, with no quality of life whatsoever. The costs to society in terms of dollars are staggering and the costs to these individuals in sacrificing their dignity cannot be calculated.
On October 7, 1997, Oregon passed an “assisted suicide law” – “Death with Dignity” act, in order to allow people the freedom to make their own choices without interference of government of religious zealots. In 2014, 105 Oregonians took advantage of this act. Since enactment, 859 individuals have successfully ended their own lives with freedom of choice. https://public.health.oregon.gov/ProviderPartnerResources/EvaluationResearch/DeathwithDignityAct/Documents/year17.pdf
Dr. Jack Kevorkian was a hero to many because he stood for the right of individuals to make life-ending decisions, to preserve their dignity and to end horrific suffering as a result of terminal diseases.
On February 19, 2008, Luxembourg became the 3rd European Country to pass a law legalizing “euthanasia”.
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I would like to dedicate this blog to Jonathan Swift, one of the greatest satirists in history. His article “A Modest Proposal”, published in 1729, may be the finest political satire of all time”. It never fails to make me smile, because it is written in perfect symmetry with the political climate in Ireland at the time.