TheBanyanTree: Out of Whack

[Margaret R. Kramer]

It seems like things are off kilter, out of whack, off balance, and out of
control.  The riots in France are frightening.  What’s going on?  Are the
have-nots finally getting tired of having nothing?  I was in Europe thirty
years ago, and even back then there was a heavy reliance on immigrant
workers to do the “dirty jobs” that the Europeans didn’t want to do.  The
prejudice that these people endured shocked me.  It was the first time in my
life that I had really seen prejudice that blatant.

I’m surprised we haven’t had more riots here.  The gap is growing between
who has and who hasn’t.  Something will rip soon, I fear, and some cities in
the USA will be torn apart.  I think we saw a preview of that when Katrina
hit New Orleans.

We have bird flu.  What’s up with that?  Is it a real threat or just
something the Bush administration wants to latch onto in order to avoid the
press scrutinizing the other Bush messes?  There was a good article about
bird flu on the October 2005 National Geographic.  This article was written
long before bird flu became a front page item, so it isn’t as alarmist as
the shrill administration headlines.

But to go along with that, there was also an article in the paper this week
about the poor health care Americans receive.  We have the worst health care
of any developed nation.  We will put off doing what we can’t afford,
because our health insurance is paying less and less of the bill, whereas
people in countries with national healthcare programs, will get the
treatment they need.  So, along with getting fatter by the minute, Americans
are not utilizing healthcare they way they should.  What will happen to us
if a bird flu pandemic really strikes?

The planet is rocking and rolling from hurricanes, earthquakes, and
disruptions in weather patterns.  Heating costs are going to escalate, but
they said that about gas prices, too, and at least, in Minnesota, they’ve
dropped to acceptable levels again.  Maybe the heating prices won’t rise as
much if it stays warm this winter.  But the high costs of energy should be a
warning to buy smaller cars, smaller homes, and use our resources wisely,
rather than wasting them.

And then there are the protests in South America.  Obviously, Karen Hughes’
public relations campaign for Bush hasn’t worked on the international level.
Maybe George thinks Karen has great skills, but I guess she hasn’t really
impressed anyone else.  Unfortunately, the protestors are right about the
USA.  We do torture people, we do have isolationist economic policies, and
we did start the war with Iraq with no premise except to go to war, and in
the process, totally destroyed their country.  Our armed forces are
stretched too thin.  Our country is battered from three major hurricanes.
We will be burdened by a huge debt for generations to come, since Bush keeps
spending, but has no provisions to collect money.

My world view is kind of skewed right now.  The vibrations from the force
are choppy and uneven.  Ramadan has ended and the Christmas season has
begun.  The candles from our pumpkins have been barely gone out, and already
I’m looking at the calendar to plan our family’s holiday events leading up
to Christmas.  I love the time leading to Thanksgiving and Christmas, and
the planning that goes with it, but this year, I want to scale back, to
think about the people who have lost so much, and not in just the USA, but
the people all over the world.

I want to the world to find its balance again.

Margaret R. Kramer
margaretkramer at comcast.net

http://www.bpwmn.org
Business and Professional Women of Minnesota

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true
measure of our thanksgiving.
~W.T. Purkiser