Concerned Citizen or Busybody?

As I was leaving my house to go walking with a friend, I ran into a solicitor walking up my sidewalk about to deposit a wad of advertisement litter on my front porch. (Now, door to door solicitors are a BIG pet peeve of mine, especially after I caught one peering through the glass and then attempting to open my front door apparently because he thought I wasn’t home.)


So, I sprang into action. “No way,” I said. “Don’t leave those papers on my property. In fact, these are private streets with no soliciting signs clearly posted. You need to leave.” I whipped out my trusty cell phone, dialed up the association and reported this guy. My friend, obviously impressed, said she was glad I did that because she’s tired of all the solicitors as well. I felt good. A few minutes later we passed by some gang graffiti on a wall and cable box, and immediately I called the city’s graffiti hot line to report it. My friend said she didn’t realize I was such an involved neighbor and good citizen. Someone has to pay attention to what’s happening in our neighborhoods she said. I felt good.


We continued our walk and re-entering our neighborhood we happened upon the same solicitor, still leaving wads of advertisements on people’s property. This time, I asked him for the flyers and rang up the companies directly, told them they were illegally distributing advertisements on private streets. But this time, did I detect a note of disapproval from my walking buddy for my vigilante actions? And that got me to thinking. Where is the line between concerned citizen and busybody? Where is the delineation in trying to make the world a better place or just getting on your high horse and sticking your nose where it doesn’t belong? Righteous anger or ill-advised intervention? I felt bad.

Of course, being a Sensible Woman, I began to wonder how I could write a blog about this, uh, I mean, I wondered about the busybody stance of the UN and the U.S. involvement in Libya. Yes, Ghadaffi is a ruthless, insane dictator. BUT, is it the world’s job to side with the rebels against an established, albeit merciless, cruel government of a sovereign country? The media keeps repeating the phrase, "Ghadaffi is killing his own people". Yes, that's what happens in a civil war or revolt. Each side tries to kill each other. Civilized, isn't it? That’s what happened in the American Revolution. We, as revolutionaries, forced the British to fire on us – it’s own citizens.

We in the United States want so desperately to believe that this civil war is about the oppressed finally rising up to fight for their freedom and democracy. Maybe. Maybe they are the majority or maybe they are the minority. Who knows? Are we to say who should win control of Libya? The West has proven time and time again that we don’t understand the Middle East and we don’t always support the “good guys”. If there are freedom fighters in Libya, this is their fight to win or lose. As proven time and time again, the U.S. can’t “give” a country freedom and democracy. It has to come from the courage and sacrifice of the people themselves and it must be paid for with the blood of patriots.

And by the way, if killing one’s own citizens is the litmus test for UN or US intervention, then I’m pretty sure North Korea’s Kim Jung-Il has starved to death more of his citizens than Ghadaffi has killed in the last few weeks, but where's the UN on that one?