No, We Don’t Deserve This

By Evelyn Larsen

While on a long road trip for work, I stopped for lunch at a diner. As I had not brought my book with me, I picked up a magazine from the rack and started thumbing through it while waiting for my meal to arrive. It was one of those women’s magazines. I don’t recall which one, but it helped pass the time.

An article caught my eye in the “Your Health” section; it was titled “But I Never Smoked So How Could I Have Lung Cancer?” By Regina Sullivan, as told by Melba Newsome. It wasn’t the article itself that made me want to write this political blog entry, but one of the paragraphs struck me as applying to the real life situation not of lung cancer but of the political cancer we as a nation are spreading in our own country and through out the middle east, Europe and the rest of the world.

The woman in the article was diagnosed with lung cancer but had not smoked. So she was trying to promote awareness. This was her comment after she had gone through surgery and chemotherapy and had come to terms with her disease:

“In the beginning, I wanted to scream, “No I don’t smoke, and I don’t live with a smoker, and I don’t have radon in my house, and I never had contact with asbestos.” But I’ve since realized that dividing lung cancer sufferers into smokers and nonsmokers is counterproductive and promotes the notion that there are innocent and guilty victims. No one deserves this brutal, unforgiving disease. I also believe that the lack of sympathy for the 87 percent of sufferers who either smoke or have smoked has led to less funding for research for the leading cancer killer of both men and women….”

When the United States had planes hijacked and used as weapons on our own people in the World Trade Center we all said “NO, I don’t deserve this.” “I didn’t do anything to cause this to happen to me”, just like the woman in the article.

And when OUR President convinced congress to let him take our military into Iraq, because of nonexistent weapons of mass destruction, why didn’t anyone at that time ask “Why did they attack using our planes and not their WMD’s?” Who are the smoker and the non-smoker of this conflict?

Our own nation is being divided into two groups: Republicans and Democrats, smokers and nonsmokers. “This is counterproductive and promotes the notion that there are innocent and guilty victims.” As both political parties continue to in-fight, and try to point fingers at who is to blame for this disease that is ravaging the United States the bombing and shooting is still killing the truly innocent Iraqi women, children and fathers. “No one deserves this brutal, unforgiving disease.” The invasion of their homes, their country, their lives, their politics and their religion, needs to stop now. Until that happens neither they nor we will heal.

“I also believe that the lack of sympathy for the 87 percent of sufferers who either smoke or have smoked has led to less funding for research for the leading cancer killer of both men and women….” That leaves 13 percent who never smoked suffering with lung cancer. Our congress people, senators and Presidential Officers are supposed to represent ALL of their constituents. Not just the ones that agree with them. The voice of that 13 percent is not being represented.

It is my feeling that if we simply had sympathy for all 100 % of the PEOPLE of Iraq and funded the rehabilitation of the infrastructure of the country instead of the occupation and destruction, then and only then would the cancer of hate stop being the leading killer of both men and women in Iraq.

The liberals and conservatives alike are actually asking for the exact same respect as the Iraqi people, “Let me live, let us live our lives the way we want.” Some who claim to be follows of Christ say “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays” claiming to be more “inclusive” or “Stay the Course” again claiming to do this for the betterment of our nation. When in reality what they are saying is, what they believe and want is more important because they manipulate the power. And yet others that are accused of being Godless say “be more accepting” or “tolerant”. Now we as individuals, a nation, and a world need to decide together that hate, death and invasion is unacceptable. And we the people need to uphold our constitution, and disavow those who choose to separate our country internally and from the rest of the world.

We need to heal this cancer that is taking over the minds of those who proclaim they work for good by doing bad. To find a cure to the disease that is encouraged by those who claim to follow Jesus and yet do not follow his teachings of peace and prosperity for all people not just the rich. This is my hope for this season of joy and new beginnings for the New Year’s Holiday and through out the years to come, that we all might not only be survivors of a horrible disease but also be the cure.

Puppies not Phosphorus

Meet the newest member of the family--Biscuit the Biscotti Terrier (half Boston half Scotty). We got him for the kids. And watching the kids play with the puppy, I realized that most things worth doing are done for the kids.

If we would simply think of the kids first our lives would be simpler, more beautiful, and more full of joy. You don’t scream or use your fists when you are thinking about the kids. You don’t pollute the air or the water when you are thinking about the kids. You don’t put yourself or the country into decades of debt when you are thinking about the kids. And you don’t invade countries when you are thinking about the kids.

Amazingly enough, the kids get no official recognition in our government. They can’t vote. Yet every policy we enact impacts the children directly, our children, our neighbor’s children, and the children in other countries.

Let’s put the kids at the front of all of our personal, business and government debates, decisions and policies. And let’s see if life does not change for the better.