A reader responds...

That sounds a tad pretentious, huh? Like I have a readership. I mean, outside of the hardcore dozen or so I badger to read my blog. Anyway, I recieved a thoughtful email from one person who happened across the Coyote Chronicles, and I decided to post it. I am finding out that some folks are relunctant to leave a comment on a subject, perhaps because by the time they have determined their feelings about a given subject, it may no longer be topical. That is actually one reason I stopped going to certain blogs, the authors would put up 8-10 posts a day, and there wasn't time to digest what I read, much less respond with anything other than a "Ditto!" All that said, this is what I recieved, and I'd like to thank "Woody" for taking the time to email me.

Never accused of being a fast thinker, I have been mulling over and digesting what you wrote last week, I have finally come to this conclusion. The emotion you should be feeling (as if you have a choice) is sadness, not anger.

In the world today we have an Iraq war that has caused hundreds of thousands of deaths of innocent people, over 2,700 deaths of brave American young men and women, we have genocide in the Sudan, we have N. Korea developing nuclear weapons and an administration refusing to negotiate, violation of civil liberties at home, a Congress that has paralyzed itself by it’s inability to get along with each other and by selling out to Religious Fundamentalism and I could go on and on.

So change needs to happen and it need to happen now. Am I angry that change will probably occur because of a sex scandal? No. I am sad.

To millions of Americans the Foley issue is more important than the issues I have raised earlier. Life for Americans has become so complicated and varied that few people have the time or the energy to think of anything else, except taking care of their own. We have a society that pits us against ourselves. One example is, we are living longer thanks to chemistry and advancement in medical technology so we are all worried about our retirement, so we have 401-ks from our jobs, if the stock market goes up,

we have more money for retirement, if the stock market goes down we have nothing because social security will not be there for us. So what makes the stock go up? Profits. What makes corporate profits? Low costs. What is the best way to keep costs down? Low wages, outsourcing and cutting benefits like health care. So by investing in corporations to secure our futures we are betting against ourselves as workers. It is bewildering.

So we need a change. It is sad that it takes something like the Foley affair to motivate people to make that change. Now if not even that convinces people that a change is needed, then I will be furious and livid.

(emphasis mine)