Heart pains reading the Sunday news in the comfort of my chair.

http://nyti.ms/nIGdNn   Do parallels arise in your mind between the avoidance of those "looking" at Nazi camps--who knew--but remained silent and "us"--the civilized (?) world which knows but engages in more hand wringing than action in the face of famine, rape, children dying, starvation, mutilation of young females, more?  What have been the financial priorities (war?) that have so distracted and impoverished the so called developed world that a hopeless shrug and a touch of guilt assuaging cosmetic aid is the totality of our national and world response? How can I, you, we act in the face of such a massive horror? I feel driven to act  but numb paralyzing befuddlement in terms of what to do, what can be done. We must find another way to govern and guide in a global web of interdependency.  What are the sermon topics around America today?  Where are the politicians today on a rainy (in my town) gentle fall day? Deciding where to go for lunch?  Watching a game? Preparing asinine news releases seeking to rationalize cruel,  psychotic world views and insane anti-intellectual anti-science diatribes about climate, "creation," economics, pro-voodoo insanity driven by desire to be reelected, feed a frothing base? What will wake us from this national nightmare of  rhetorical push toward darkness and fragmentation?  The appeal of community, compassion, reasoned discourse, integration of our best as humans translated into policy and action. Advancing civilization is not automatic.  We can descend further into primitive responses to a complex world.  We can't have smug certainty and simplicity and at the same time deal with the inherent ambiguity and complexity of the actual human condition.  We need humble leadership grounded in the best education possible and guided by a love for the planet, its creatures, its people. The people with "the simple answers" and who wish to impose their views on others rather than inquire together, study together, plan together, act in a communal interest don't have what our nation and world needs.