Notes of concern…
Jack Blair
MOTHER NATURE TRIMS THE TREE
“Tis the season to be jolly” the song says. Bah humbug! As I write this column I have been without power for seven days and have no expectation of a near term solution.
I have talked with Fema, with the Massachusetts emergency management folks, left a message (unreturned) for the man in charge in Winchendon, my insurance broker, my insurance company, and my electrician.
But my home is intact. My family is healthy and happy. And I am not unaware I have much for which to be thankful.
Mother nature threw us a curve. She decided she would trim the tree this year. Actually, she decided she would trim a lot of trees.
Even through the horror of the ice storm carnage one could see beautiful crystals flashing in the sunlight, tree limbs encased in white, homes looking warm and inviting because there was candlelight everywhere.
For a time, we were required to live without all the conveniences to which we have been accustomed. We needed to be resourceful. And we were reminded of how so many people in the world live like this, or worse, every day in their lives.
I traveled once to a remote village in Ecuador, many hours from a town. The people lived in one-room huts. They ate modestly. They had short life spans because there were no doctors. A missionary visited them once a month.
These people greeted me enthusiastically. Not one person was grumpy. The children were well dressed and immaculate. All functions were held in the church they had built. Their lives were very different from ours. They made the best of it.
On many trips to the Republic of South Africa my drive from the airports in Johannesburg and Cape Town took me past miles and miles of lean-to huts. People lived under metal slabs leaning against a tree or fence. The only modernization obvious was the Port-0-Potties the government had supplied and these were lined up, side by side, for miles. There were no trees because they had all long since been cut down for firewood.
These people were not happy. But they accepted their lot in life and tried to make the best of it.
In India last year I witnessed people urinating and defecating on the sides of the roads. We never came to a stop that a young woman didn’t approach our car with a small infant in her arms asking for money. I went past an entire village where the huts were made with dried cow dung.
So if you are without electricity for a week or so, cannot watch your favorite television program or email your friends, look at it as if it is just a little taste of how most of the world lives all of the time.
Moving from our little world in Winchendon and keeping in mind the less fortunate, lets consider our current national crisis of confidence in our leaders, our institutions and our economy.
I quote George Shultz, reknowned college professor and former secretary of state, in remarks he made to the columnist Peggy Noonan (who writes for the Wall Street Journal). Every one should put these on the refrigerator and reflect on them each day:
“There is ingenuity, flexibility and strength” in the national economy.
“We are so blessed with human talent and resources” in our labor force."
“The American people themselves have intelligence, integrity and honor”
“We should experience ‘the current crisis’ as a gigantic wake-up call. We've been living beyond our means, both governmentally and personally. We have to be willing to face up to our problems. But we have a capacity to roll up our sleeves and get down to work together."
As Schultz reminds, people everywhere in the world want to come to America. The richest people in the world want to be treated by American doctors when they could go anywhere. Parents from around the world want their children educated in this country.
Even in the current situation we remain the strongest and best and we are guided by ideas of brilliant men who gave us a plan, a Constitution that has served us well throughout our history.
If we are true to those principles and refocus on the eternal verities of life we will survive to see America reach new pinnacles in history.
As another Christmas song suggests, we want to be people of good will!
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Show Our Heels to Iraq
Show Them Our Heels!
The President of the United States went to Iraq to say goodbye to the American troops who served so valiantly there trying to free the Iraqi people and to try to prop up the Iraqi government.
A well-known newspaper man, who was permitted to attend the president’s remarks, rose from his seat and threw two shoes at Mr. Bush.
Now iraq is hearing from many of their citizens and from other middle eastern countries who want them to release this man from prison. Many say they saw it as an ideal parting gift to the unpopular US president.
“Colleagues of Muntazer al-Zaidi, who works for independent Iraqi television station Al-Baghdadia, said he "detested America" and had been plotting such an attack for months against the man who ordered the invasion of his country.” (Breitbart news).
I find it interesting that mr. al-zaidi would be dead if he tried such a stunt when saddam Hussein was in power. And before he died, he would have been tortured in ways too horrible to mention.
America tried to help mr. al-zaidi and his pals from such treatment. Their memory is very short and their gratitude non-existent.
The Iraqi government could not secure a small room for president bush. The shoes mentioned in this article could just as easily have been a gun or a knife. This speaks volumes to me about their readiness to take control of their own government. They are ill prepared, ill advised and loaded with ill will.
I wish President Bush, prior to the end of his term, would show the Iraqis the heels of our shoes by ordering an exodus of American troops from that country.
I have long opposed a retreat in iraq. I know the consequences of such an act. But I have tired of the lack of appreciation of the Iraqi leaders in particular and friendly arab states in general for the sacrifices of so many American families.
Let them go it alone. They deserve one another.
The President of the United States went to Iraq to say goodbye to the American troops who served so valiantly there trying to free the Iraqi people and to try to prop up the Iraqi government.
A well-known newspaper man, who was permitted to attend the president’s remarks, rose from his seat and threw two shoes at Mr. Bush.
Now iraq is hearing from many of their citizens and from other middle eastern countries who want them to release this man from prison. Many say they saw it as an ideal parting gift to the unpopular US president.
“Colleagues of Muntazer al-Zaidi, who works for independent Iraqi television station Al-Baghdadia, said he "detested America" and had been plotting such an attack for months against the man who ordered the invasion of his country.” (Breitbart news).
I find it interesting that mr. al-zaidi would be dead if he tried such a stunt when saddam Hussein was in power. And before he died, he would have been tortured in ways too horrible to mention.
America tried to help mr. al-zaidi and his pals from such treatment. Their memory is very short and their gratitude non-existent.
The Iraqi government could not secure a small room for president bush. The shoes mentioned in this article could just as easily have been a gun or a knife. This speaks volumes to me about their readiness to take control of their own government. They are ill prepared, ill advised and loaded with ill will.
I wish President Bush, prior to the end of his term, would show the Iraqis the heels of our shoes by ordering an exodus of American troops from that country.
I have long opposed a retreat in iraq. I know the consequences of such an act. But I have tired of the lack of appreciation of the Iraqi leaders in particular and friendly arab states in general for the sacrifices of so many American families.
Let them go it alone. They deserve one another.
Friday, December 26, 2008
ADVERSITY
December brought a terrible ice storm to our home. It felled five trees on our property and they, in turn, pulled down all the wiring for electric, heat, telephone, internet etc. While we were understandably concerned about our property, similar destruction was to be found all around us. Fortunately, our home was not structurally damaged and for this we are grateful.
Three weeks after the ice storm and the two subsequent snow storms that dropped 20 inches of snow, all of our things are in working order except for television, telephone and internet. These three are all provided by the same company and we haven't seen anything of them. I made all the usual inquiries on line and by mail. When they did respond, they failed to keep their appointments. After three weeks I have reached the chairman's office at COMCAST and his executive assistant informs me she is now personally handling the effort to repair our damage. After all the false starts, I will be skeptical.
I am not unmindful that everyone engaged in repair work may well be attending to damage greater than my own.
The storms provided an opportunity for us to realize how much we depend on basic services that we can lose overnight.
It was a teaching moment. I bought a new generator, a big one, and I am ready for the next storm Mother Nature sends my way. However, I have not figured our how my generator will keep the trees in place!
Three weeks after the ice storm and the two subsequent snow storms that dropped 20 inches of snow, all of our things are in working order except for television, telephone and internet. These three are all provided by the same company and we haven't seen anything of them. I made all the usual inquiries on line and by mail. When they did respond, they failed to keep their appointments. After three weeks I have reached the chairman's office at COMCAST and his executive assistant informs me she is now personally handling the effort to repair our damage. After all the false starts, I will be skeptical.
I am not unmindful that everyone engaged in repair work may well be attending to damage greater than my own.
The storms provided an opportunity for us to realize how much we depend on basic services that we can lose overnight.
It was a teaching moment. I bought a new generator, a big one, and I am ready for the next storm Mother Nature sends my way. However, I have not figured our how my generator will keep the trees in place!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)