Friday, November 23, 2007

A Thanksgiving Reality Check.


I can't tell which one is the Turkey??
Truthdig:
Along with family gatherings and counting one’s blessings, Thanksgiving has come to signify a rather rosy view of the unity of American society. This weekend, however, two largely overlooked news items—about unexpected financial issues that some wounded American veterans face and hunger in New York City, respectively—tell a slightly different story.
First, much has been made of the need to support our troops at war in Afghanistan and Iraq. However, as wounded veteran Jordan Fox found out rather abruptly, some government officials don’t always make sure that U.S. forces get the treatment they deserve when injuries prevent them from continuing their service. Fox, who returned from Iraq to his native Pennsylvania after a roadside bomb made him blind in one eye, discovered shortly after his homecoming that the Department of Defense wanted him to return some of the money he received when he enlisted.

Next, it apparently took another country’s news media to take note of some startling statistics about hunger in one of America’s biggest cities. The BBC reported Wednesday that “[o]ver 1.3 million people, one in six New Yorkers, cannot afford enough food, with queues at soup kitchens getting longer,” according to anti-poverty groups based in New York. What’s more, some of the city’s food distribution outlets were unable to serve turkey dinners Thursday because of drastic cuts to federal food supplies:

BBC:
The New York City Coalition Against Hunger says the number of people who use food pantries and soup kitchens in the city increased by 20% in 2007.
Some of the food distribution points are struggling to meet demand.
The coalition blames the situation mainly on increased poverty as well as government cutbacks in food aid.

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