MY SISTER REPLIES TO MY FIRST POST

I went and read your post. I knew before I got to the last half that you were out in the demonstration. I knew you wouldn't be able to resist a little marching and shouting. Your photog friend is right, though. Demonstrations have become "trendy". God help us; they go and carry their sign (stop war, stop abortion, stop drug dealers- the message doesn't matter), then they go home to their big houses and have Consuelo serve dinner and think they have done a great service. They have no commitment; no heart. They want to stop a war, are they ready to go to Baghdad and help them rebuild? They want to stop abortion, but do they spend any free time in the hospitals rocking the unwanted Aids and crack babies?

I know why we have wars and Harry hates it when I say this, but, the truth is there is just too much testosterone in the world. Every war is a pissing contest. "Mine is bigger than yours and I can piss farther than you." Don't get me wrong, with young men dying every day and knowing one of them could be my son, I take war very seriously. This particular war would never have happened had we gone to Baghdad during the Gulf War and unseated this monster then. It would have been more justifyable then since they had commited an act of aggression against Kuwait. I think we were begged to come back and do this by people in his regime. In the end, I think it will be a better country for the Iraqi people, if we can keep France's fingers out of there. But, if we are going to police the world, why are we not marching into China where people are also being tortured and repressed? Instead of sanctions, we give them trade agreements and take manufacturing completely out of this country. Now our money funds the horrors being committed on these people. Then, we have North Korea to think about. The list could go on and on.

Bottom line, hate is the driving force for so many. There will never be peace in the world because hate is so prevelant. Think about it; Americans can't even get along with each other. There are those of one color who hate those of another, different religions at odds,etc., etc. Hussien and the Kurds, Israel and Palestine, Bosnians and Serbs........

We each have to reach out within our realm and make a difference where we can. Those opposed to abortion should start programs or volunteer for existing ones to educate and support high risk girls, at the elementary level, when they still have a chance. Standing in front of a clinic to confront someone who has no other options left is a pretty poor way to make a difference. And you are right, how many of these so called "activists" get out and vote each time the opportunity presents itself? Not just national elections, but local also. REALITY TV--they want to see their face on the evening news but don't really want to be engaged. We could teach them a thing or two about how this is really done, couldn't we?

I am laughing right now, thinking about that high school sit in when we tried to erase your pix on the front page so Daddy wouldn't see it. Remember?

This is getting to be a lonnnnnnggggggg letter, but the last thing ( now that you've got me started) is the drug war. What a joke! The profits are too lucrative, the temptation to accept bribes too great and the ports of entry, too many. In the 50's it was pot, in the 60's and 70's it was heroin, the 80's cocaine and now; pot, cocaine, heroin and all those designer drugs that have hit the street.

The only effective thing to be done here is to move all DEA agents into the roles of educators. They need to go to schools and present evidence of the negative aspects of some of these drugs. With all the money saved, there could be scholarships set up for inner city kids who don't use drugs. Forget about drug dealers (unless they are dealing to children, who should not be using any substance until they are old enough to make an informed decision) and the drug users ( unless they are committing other crimes to support their drug use). Actually, if you make it easy for the drugs to get here and there's no risk for arrest, the price of drugs will drop dramatically and then so will the crime rate. Those recreational users will get bored, some kids won't even bother trying it after it is legal and so drug use will drop also. Keep feeding the DEA money into scholarships and social programs and the country will be much better off.

Of course, this will never happen since too many people both in and out of government are getting rich off the drug trade. And I think there are those who believe they can control minorities with drugs and they don't want this little war to end either.

Kind of depressing, isn't it? Well, I do what I can to stay positive. I can't change the world, and there would be too many people who didn't agree with my vision to maitain lasting peace. You can't force your ideals down other people's throats. What you can do is help an old lady get something from the top self in the store, smile at the young mother in front of you with the screamming kids. Help a kid get the chain back on his bike. Give someone a hug that looks like they really need it. It's the little things we do as we go through life that sometimes has the most impact.


Love and Peace,

Annie