Rev. Martin Niemoller, commenting on events in Germany 1933-1939
Hello,
So much is going on in our world today; Kosovo, Columbine High, little Christy Ryno disappears from her home in Irving, Texas and her body is later found in the Elm Fork of the Trinity River not far away, two as yet unidentified children found murdered in Hutto, Texas . . .
A little paraphrasing on my part, yeah; but tell me it's not true!
Should NATO be bombing in Kosovo? If not, What Should they(we) be doing about Slobodan Milosevic's ethnic cleansing of Albanians? Stand at the borders and offer our consolences to anyone lucky enough to manage to slip thru?
What was going on in Littleton, Colorado that the school allowed students to come to school daily . . . wearing long, black trenchcoats and play war in the school building with toy guns? A group of kids in their school were calling themselves "The Trenchcoat Mafia," and nobody was made uncomfortable enough to seriously investigate these kids? Oh yes, excuse me, that might have been violating somebody's civil or privacy rights. Right? Sure!
Don't get me wrong; but, just how do babies get stolen out of their own beds without their parents knowing? Yes, I have always kept a very close watch on my kids; but, somehow I always understood that was part of the job description. (Even tho I have caught hell for 30 years from family and acquaintances who expressed their opinion that I was too "tight" on my kids.)
I can only imagine the torment these parents are going through over their loss; but so unbearable are those imaginations that I can't allow myself to go there for long. I am what is called an empathetic, which means that I truly do feel the pain of others; in particular mental and emotional anguish [unlike one who laughing heartily can in the blink of an eye drop and wipe away a tear in the face of a camera!].
Who is grieving for that little boy and girl found in the river last week in Hutto, Texas? There have been no children reported missing in Hutto. The police say the children were murdered at the site. How long have they been missing? Where did they come from? How long and for how many miles were these poor children freightened and tormented before they were so fouly murdered and dumped like waste in their isolated hiding place?
Well, I've gotten 2 emails within 24 hours concerning a new email computer virus. Since it was being called ""It Takes Guts To Say Jesus," I have sort of ignored it as there has been a hoax out there for years by this name. BUT, on the evening news now they are warning about a new virus called the
[ "CIH1.2" ]computer virus and the media is warning also that it is more vicious than the Melissa virus as it will crash your entire system. It is scheduled to start on Monday, April 26, 1999, and will/can affect anyone using the internet. The only protection, according to the news media, is to run your anti-virus program. Their warning, folks:
Update: Sat. April 24, 1999.
Follow the 4th link below to find and download the CIH1.2 VIRUS CHECK/CURE listed in Saturday's newspapers. Be sure to read all the instructions and install this program to MSDOS.
Was cleaning out my Juno In-Box and came across the following. Felt it was real appropo to my comments above. Since it came in my email, and was listed as Author Unknown, don't guess I am violating anybody's copyright.
Subject: Fw:
To Whom It May Concern:
I hereby officially tender my resignation as an adult. I have decided I would like to accept the responsibilities of a 6 year old again.
I want to go to McDonald's and think that it's a four star
restaurant. I want to sail sticks across a fresh mud puddle and
make ripples with rocks. I want to think M&Ms are better than
money, because you can eat them. I want to play kickball during recess and paint with watercolors in art. I want to lie under a big Oak tree and run a lemonade stand with my friends on a hot summers' day.
I want to return to a time when life was simple. When all you knew were colors, addition tables and simple nursery rhymes, but that didn't bother you, because you didn't know what you didn't know and you didn't care. When all you knew was to be happy because you didn't know all the things that should make you worried and upset.
I want to think that the world is fair. That everyone in it is honest and good. I want to believe that anything is possible.
Somewhere in my youth... I matured and I learned too much. I learned of nuclear weapons, war, prejudice, starvation and abused children. I learned of lies, unhappy marriages, suffering, illness, pain and death. I learned of a world where
men left their families to go and fight for our country, and
returned only to end up living on the streets ... begging for
their next meal. I learned of a world where children knew how
to kill ...and did!!
What happened to the time when we thought that everyone would live forever, because we didn't grasp the concept of death? When we thought the worst thing in the world was if someone took the jump rope from you or picked you last for kickball?
I want to be oblivious to the complexity of life and be overly excited by little things once again. I want to return to the days when reading was fun and music was clean. When television was used to report the news or for family entertainment and not to promote sex, violence and deceit.
I remember being naive and thinking that everyone was happy
because I was. I would walk on the beach and only think of the sand between my toes and the prettiest seashell I could find. I would spend my afternoons climbing trees and riding my bike. I didn't worry about time, bills or where I was going to find the money to fix my car. I used to wonder what I was going to do or be when I grew up, not worry about what I'll do if this doesn't work out.
I want to live simple again. I don't want my day to consist of computer crashes, mountains of paperwork, depressing news, how to survive more days in the month than there is money in the bank, doctor bills, gossip, illness and loss of loved ones. I want to believe in the power of smiles, hugs, a kind word, truth, justice, peace, dreams, the imagination, mankind and making angels in the snow. I want to be 6 again.
I will try to get back to this page a little sooner next time.
Ya'll be good now. Take care and come back soon.
