However you interpret the Bible or whether or not you even believe it to be true, you have to admit we have fallen short in our role as earth’s stewards. Sitting here, writing this, looking at pictures, trying to get a “grip” on what I’m seeing; I just cannot fathom what we humans have done. There’s no one to blame, if you drive a car, own a refrigerator or have any “normal” existence at all, you use oil. I guess that means we’re all at fault for the disaster facing the southeastern coast of America.
My fear is that this tragedy, like others in recent times, will go by the way and lessons to be lear
ned will be lost. Dad use to have us pile into the car and take us to the most beautiful place you’ve ever seen. The road that led us there was unpaved and narrow, with only a few places to park without getting bogged down in the sand.
And oh, that sand! Sand as white as snow…so white it would hurt your eyes and water, so
emerald blue you could see thirty feet down. There were sand dunes as high as buildings with sea oats and wildlife scurrying about. We’d run up the dunes, slide down the other side and there it would be…the gulf... beautiful, pristine, our playground, and a wonderful gift from mother earth. We would be the only people for miles around as we rode the waves and played in the white sand. Somehow we thought it would always be there. I realize now it may not be there for me anymore and probably not for my daughter and her children. Mom still lives there…hope the fumes don’t affect her health, I heard the EPA is checking for toxic levels.
I grew up with an author named Thornton W. Burgess who wrote fables in the early 20th century. His stories were about Sammy Jay, Longlegs the Heron and others who lived near the Smiling Pond and Laughing Brook and had varying opinions about Farmer Brown’s Boy…their human. If the dolphins and sea turtles of the gulf could speak, I wonder what they’d say. “We saw you coming, watched from the sea as you began your assault on our home. We wondered as you took away the dunes, replaced them with towers so you could stay longer, look farther, drink harder and enjoy our home. We cried as you took our bounty, our sons and daugh
ters for food and sport and left us with cigarette butts and beer cans. And we mourned as you drilled, knowing one day we would have to leave. When God placed us in the Garden we were blessed by Him. He entrusted you with
naming and caring for us. You have betrayed that trust.” And they just might be right. I think that one of the lessons of the tragedy in the gulf is that we are entrusted; we do have responsibility whether from God or nature. That our actions with regard to the “little people” of the planet be they fowl, fish or mammal, have consequences for us and them.
I’m speaking of the wildlife of course, those little fellows that scurry when we come, don’t understand and just want to enjoy the life they have with us as the creatures entrusted with their care. I grieve for the turtles, birds and fish that will wash ashore, covered in something they didn’t understand.
The tragedy of the gulf lies in each of those creatures we failed to protect. We humans have a way of coming out on top…sometimes…this time it may be different, but we’ll probably find someone to pay, someone to fix it, someone to blame . Call me crazy but I still cannot figure out why people insist on mistreating their dogs.
North Korea to keep those people from starving to death! I suppose the Christian president of South Korea felt it his duty to support the poorer people of the North. The people of North Korea were misinformed about the source of the money so their leaders put it into the development of nukes and well, here we are. I recall a war we had between the north and south and it seems both sides were misinformed. According to a reliable source, (Rhett Butler, circa 1936) the North thought it could win in a few weeks and so did the South. The Koreans have been at it for sixty years, even though they’re all Koreans. You’d think that would help them get along, although it didn’t do much for us Americans back in 1860. You have to wonder if the two Koreas remember what the war is about, since most of the people who had all the information leading to the “conflict” are probably watching from somewhere in the clouds. Now there’s so much misinformation flying around about who did what and when, no one knows the truth. And there’s no language barrier! They all speak Korean, and still can’t get along! I’ll say this, if Hillary can keep up with all of it, she deserves somebody better than Bill.
There’s also a “war” going on here at home between MSNBC, CNN and FNC. The sad thing is that the folks in charge of these outlets think we’re not smart enough to see it. Easy to see how we could be 
misinformed on news issues listening to three different takes on every story that crosses the “wire”. It makes you wonder who’s out there keeping us informed as to the truth and not just trying to sell us on an opinion. Picking a network to watch is like buying a pre-owned (usually used) car. You know the guy bouncing out to greet you (Mr. news anchor) wants to sell his car at his price (the story) and 
convince you that your car (the other anchor’s opinion) will never get you anywhere. If you don’t stay informed you’re liable to buy any old junk. I try to stay informed by listening to my wife, who knows everything and has my best interest at heart. The other day she was watching Venus in the French Open and hollered at me from the living room. “Honey, come in here, you gotta see this! I think she’s wearing a nighty on the court!” I’m not much of a French Open fan but I am into fashion so I immediately tuned in. What I saw was indeed a fashion statement. The problem was Venus looked like she’d slept late and decided to wear what she had worn to bed to the tennis match, forgetting to check the mirror before putting on her tennis shoes. At first glance (a long one)it appeared she had forgotten another important item that would go under the nightie, but a closer look revealed a skin colored pair of tennis panties molded to fit her derriere. While we’re on fashion here I might as well add that the outfit clashed dramatically with the clay of Roland Garros, but that’s just me. I recovered quickly and said, “yes, well it looks like she might have a problem reaching for those overheads for sure, dear.” Victoria’s Secret comes to France? You be the judge.
Not a pretty picture. When your stomach’s as big as volleyball and your skin’s as dry as week old pork skins the four hour “whatever” is just not a major issue. I doubt that I could fish for four hours and my brother and I always preferred tinker toys to erector sets anyway. 
They used to teach this stuff (Drivers Ed) in schools but they stopped and now we have people who believe the car to be a rolling phone booth. I learned early from a guy named Paul Car…that’s right, I said “Car”, that the automobile is a potential missile on wheels that demands our utmost respect. The rear view mirror, often used to apply makeup in order to make the eyes and lips look larger for today’s late to work, grossly underpaid “supermodel”, is our best defense against surprises like nine irons. And the turn indicator, that foreign object protruding from the steering wheel, and usually used only at the last possible second, can be a valuable information tool when used in a timely manner and not while actually into the turn. 
