What a week, huh? Fear, grief, sympathy, joy, frustration, relief, gratitude, anger, exhaustion, I think the entire spectrum of emotion has been run. In fact, at moments it has felt like running a gauntlet.
Well, first things first here. So I have to ask a question, have you done anything for Haiti today? We really need to keep this at the forefront. Americans can be very generous when their compassion is aroused by tragedy, but sometimes they tire or forget in a fairly short time frame. Let us make sure that Haiti is not forgotten in the way some other disasters have been. Let us make sure that the aid for Haiti isn't just given in the first moments of the nightmare, but in the long, sometimes tedious, recovery process that will stretch so very far in front of us. We need to set a standard here that can be followed in the future when another disaster will inevitably occur. Special kudos to DallasDoc and TexMex for all their fabulous, stunning efforts for Haiti. Talk about role models!! It would be great if we all keep recc'ing those diaries and keeping them up top.
Also, my son-in-law the Army medic is currently in Haiti with the 82nd Airborne. Many kind Kossacks asked to be updated. Unfortunately, we have heard nothing from him yet; however, my daughter was informed that he will be there at least six months, not the one month originally stated. The lack of communication so far is not a big surprise due to the chaos and communication problems there. I want to assure you though, when we hear some (hopefully good) news, I will share it.
I was able to attend a Rotary meeting this last week. There were some terrific highlights where the Rotarian efforts to help Haiti were discussed. I tell you, it made me feel warm and fuzzy inside to be associated with this. Water, shelter boxes, and cash sent to Haiti with more to follow soon. I have to admit, the first half of the meeting, I was feeling ashamed that I had been so reticent to get involved with Rotary. What swayed me to join was a recent massive blood drive and providing textbooks to hundreds of children, and the Christmas food drive and toy drive really appealed to me as well. These were the reasons I agreed to join when my good friend pressured me to do so.
My friend and I met in college where we were study partners. We bonded tightly, like family. Having been unable to find more than part-time work in this economy, we have decided to try and make a go of a small business of our own. I know it sounds crazy in this financial environment, but heck, at this point there isn't much left to lose. I have serious chronic health issues and I'm in my 50's. Despite my skills and education, that does not make me a plum prospect for the few available jobs that arise. I burned through my life savings a long time ago, trying to keep my health insurance as long as I could so I could keep taking my necessary medications, but I lost that war a while back. Things have been terrifying since then, so I assume that is why I'm not too frightened to throw caution to the winds now and try to reach the impossible dream. I literally have nothing left to lose.
Anyway, my friend felt it would be a good idea to join this service organization. Helping others often makes one feel better when they are down and she and I both agree that it is very good social policy as well. Since I recently had to move to a new town, I left the agency I had volunteered with for many years and haven't yet checked in with the local branch, due to the frantic pace of trying to move and put together a small business from practically nothing. She also thought Rotary might be a good way for me to meet people with similar interests in my new "hometown" and she had a valid point there. So, for many reasons, we joined.
We've been to a handful of meetings so far. I've signed up to work on a few fund raisers and to help at a local school event. These Rotarians really do try to give back to their communities. I was getting that warm tingle at being a part of something beneficial to others, as I usually do, and then in the second half of the meeting ice-cold water was thrown on me.
Each meeting has a guest speaker as part of the program. It's been very interesting until this week. For instance, a terrific woman from a local agency explained their program to us for getting at-risk teenagers from low-income families into internships in local businesses, with the agency helping pay the wages during the training, so everyone is helped by the program, very impressive. One week, we had a gentleman talk about his participation in peace talks between Armenia and Turkey, quite inspiring. Honestly, until this week, the speakers have been uplifting and make one feel like instantly rolling up her sleeves and getting to work for others. I was looking forward to this week after my past experiences, but that anticipation shriveled quickly.
You know, I'd never seen an actual "Tea Party Patriot" before in person, only raging on the media. Now, I think I preferred it that way. She was there with a prepared lecture and slide show of data to destroy any Health Care Bill that raises its head. And these people mean business. I was working hard not to writhe in my seat while she lied and my friend kept shooting me those please-keep-your-mouth-shut-because-I-know-you-and-your-Liberal-beliefs-and-you-will-get-on-your-soa
pbox-and-alienate-everyone looks. Yes, she knows me well. I ended up clenching my fists and staring at a spot on the table, softly muttering until she kicked me. I did not interrupt the presentation, which I consider to be a surprising strength of will, considering how agitated I was.
Yes, we don't need Health Care Reform. We need Tort Reform, the poor to stop abusing emergency rooms, women over 40 to stop taking anti-depressents and just deal with their hormones, to deny health care to anyone who is overweight because they chose to forfeit that privilege, to stop the government takeover and big brother running a nanny government, to lower our taxes, to cut Medicaid and even reduce Medicare, to stop paying for scooters and similar medical equipment because "they" just get them to sell them for cash, to stop allowing those who cannot pay into the emergency room, to refuse emergency care to anyone who isn't a "true" emergency, to vote out the Liberals who want us to pay for all these horrid excesses and even had the nerve to pay for the vile stimulus and bailout, and... well, you can imagine the rest of the litany and I don't have the stomach to cover it all, stop abortion, blah, blah, blah.
I mean seriously, this was a woman who believed that overweight people wanted unlimited knee replacement surgeries throughout their lifetime just so she would have to pay for them. This was a woman who said that Canadians despise their health care system, she knows this because a couple of them told her so. This was a woman who engaged in crazy math on her charts and offered a total that the government is already spending over $990 billion a year on health care, but she quit counting there so it really must be more like the government is spending $3 trillion a year. She didn't spare SChip, nor prisons, nor health clinics, nor any program essentially except the VA, because veterans earned health care but no one else has. Yes, she even brought up death panels.
My friend said the way my eyes were bulging and I was hissing made her wonder if I was about to be deflated or shot out of a cannon. She put a hand on my arm thinking I was about to launch at the self-righteous judgmental viper at the podium. But no, I would not interupt a presentation. Then, the so-called speaker asked if their were any questions.
I quivered. I shook. I prepared to leap to my feet. My friend grimaced. She braced herself. And then as I started to push my chair back, a gentleman down front stood up. He pointedly asked her why if the US spends such exorbitant amounts of money covering all these people so that no Health Care Bill is needed, why is the US ranked 38th or so among developed nations when it comes to health care. He wanted to know why we can't learn from some of these nations with successful plans. She responded that it is because we don't have portability of insurance, after all, we have the greatest health care in the world. The gentleman continued in the same vein, but she stonewalled and even lied in response, cutting him off. When she finished, she cut off the rest of the questions also. While everyone else applauded, I clapped for the gentleman.
Then, she and the crew that came with her tried to herd everyone to the back of the hall to sign their petitions to stop HRC and handed out lists of Senators and "vulnerable" politicians for everyone to call and pressure to stop HRC. One of her team grabbed my arm and started to push a pen in my hand and my look must have become venomous, because he recoiled briefly, then surged forward again. He told me that even if I don't support it, I should support them getting on the ballot and sign their petition. As I snarled that I refused to be an accessory to murder, bias, and prejudice, my friend pulled me outside and we left.
I was livid, offended, outraged that I came here for community service and someone abused that to try and make us a tool to worsen the lives of those vulnerable citizens who have too little already. It took me a couple of minutes to calm down and evaluate my friend's response. After all, I love this woman like family, but hey, she gets some odd ideas. The last time we talked about HRC, it was clear that she was convinced if it passes, she and her husband will no longer have the choice of keeping the insurance they have and like but will be forced into a government plan. My attempts to disuade her were futile in the face of her fear. I mean, she's bright and kind, but clearly imperfect because she voted for McCain, being worried that now President Obama would be too soft with the terrorists and turn us all into Socialists if we survived. Sigh. Fear is the opposition's most powerful weapon and they use it without hesitation and employ misinformation to bluild that fear.
Incredibly, despite the fear the media has put into her, that even I have not been able to breach, the lunatic at the podium was successful where I was not. The "Tea Party Patriot" told so many blatant lies, was so offensive and judgmental, was so callous about the plight of the needy and the ill, my friend was repulsed. "So, the Republican alternative to health care reform is just to let everyone die if they aren't good enough by Republican standards to be saved?" I responded, "well, yeah, that is what I've been telling you all along." She looked at me with a level gaze, "but I never heard them admit it before."
This week was a rollercoaster of emotions. Grief for Haiti. Pride for the American response. Grateful that my son-in-law and his military brothers and sisters will be making the right kind of difference. Joy at the flow of generosity of Kossacks, Rotarians, and Americans. Comforted that I voted for the man who is doing his best to make sure this disaster is handled differently. Anger that I had to listen to Tea Party spew. Fear about the future. Hope that this new business is the key to me being able to work and afford to live. Relief that my dear friend is seeing the light. Frustration that the Tea Party nuts are organized and out doing instead of just complaining. Exhausted from it all.