[muir_redwoods]

"It might not matter to you if the slave was comfortable and well cared for, or worked to death in the mines of ancient Syracuse, but to the slave I suspect it mattered quite a bit."

Which would be a significant comment if it related to my point even slightly. What I was saying is that the destruction of the spirit of both the slave and the slave owner was as complete irrespective of the care or lack thereof given the slave.

[Shanda]

I have read letters from soldiers during the Civil War, both North and South, also letters from their families. Letters from immigrants to home. I get the impression they were better people than we are.

Kinder, more loving, braver, and tougher. Still there was evil going on. Slavery in the South, horrible working conditions in the North, and not just for men. Riots, real police brutality, including kangaroo courts. Children working long hours in dangerous conditions. Slums for immigrants, and even worse slums for Blacks.

For some reason, people want to concentrate only on slavery and only in the American South. The reason is obvious. They aren't really interested in doing good, they are interested in attacking their neighbor while overlooking their own evil.