A Writer

This guy, Mr. Howard Zinn, is an amazing man who will probably be remembered (by me at least) as a major catalyst for perspective change in my life. I found a copy of a book he wrote some years back, "Passionate Declarations", sitting outside of my neighbors door in a pile of stuff they were getting rid of.

How often is it that the best things in life are free? For me, often. This book has been a blessing to me in more ways than i can convey to you. He tackles issues i have wrestled with for many years. War, government systems, injustice, civil disobedience and that's just in the first three chapters. He eloquently and unabashedly makes statements about America so beautiful that it has brought tears to my eyes because of the honesty found within them.

I wont say that Zinn has given me hope to believe in any real change within this country but he
has reminded me that there are a remnant of folks left in this hollow shell of a nation who still believe that "all men are created equal" and are willing to stand up for those who can't.

I'll leave you with a few quotes from his text:

"How many times have the dreams of young people-the desire to help others; to devote their lives to the sick or the poor; or to poetry, music or drama-been demeaned as foolish romanticism, impractical in a world where one must "make a living"? "

"To defend or attack Columbus is pointless. What is important is how we look today at what is done to human beings, what criteria we use for "progress." We [Americans] are accustomed to measuring the state of the nation by the numbers on the stock market (the Dow-Jones average), rather than by how many children died of malnutrition."

Great writing if you ask me.