You can tell a Conservative has nothing rational to say when they start changing the meanings of words. "Torture" is one. "Peace" is another, "terrorism", "freedom" are others and the list is endless.

The latest I've seen is the manufactured term "proxy compassion". That seems to mean the only compassion which exists is that which costs no one a penny, farthing or sou. Whatever passes as compassion which does involve a transfer of value is not compassion. Giving a child who may have fallen off a bicycle in front of your house a bandage would not be compassionae. Feeding a very hungry disaster survivor would not be compassion if the food cost someone, somewhere any money. It's best to let them go to work for a while and buy their own food. Better for them, saves money all around. If absolutely necessary, let them paint your front porch for lunch, and maybe paint the porch and re-roof it for dinner. If one ruined their shoes or a shirt pulling a person out of a plane wreck, there goes compassion out the window. In that case one is simply caving in to a beggar, being taken advantage of by some slob who does not want to help themselves.

According to the "proxy compassion" guru, Mother Teresa was compassionate because she gave her life, not money. God knows how she got food, shelter and medicine for her charges, but whoever provided those wasn't compassionate. Her life, apparently, is worthless and therefore counts.

Really a bit hard to believe there are people walking around with those ideas. I guess having seen their entire construct of "democracy", "free enterprise", benevolent capitalism and others collapse, they have simply gone nuts and have no compass with which to view the world.

One's heart has to go out to them. Living like that has to be absolute hell. And if they were in an accident I'd try to help, even if it ruined some clothes, or I had to make a call or was late. Or bought them a cup of coffee, a meal, or a ride home. Those people, especially those people, are not going to dictate what I will do, even if it involves them.