Ranting and Raving?

Blogging time is going to be scarce for us for a few days. There is so much to be done to get ready for my surgery Wednesday, then I'll be away from the computer for a while, then I can get back.

So let me get this said while I have some computer time.

Cheri, one of our followers, sent me a "forward" of a short video that pointed out how relatively small is the $100 million that President Obama has said he will try to trim from the budget. And yes, it is miniscule when compared to the entire budget.

A short time ago, the Arizona legislature passed a bill that Governor Jan Brewer signed. This bill says that Arizona's law enforcement agencies and officers are to enforce the Federal law that prohibits illegal immigration, the influx of "undocumented aliens" that is polluting the Arizona border area with discards, human waste, dirty diapers, etc., abandoned along their route into this state. State and local law enforcement is to enforce the Federal law, since the Federal government seems to be unable to do it.

While cities in California and other states have decided to boycott Arizona, and even one of our own state representatives has called for a boycott of our tourist and convention industries -- something like 17 other states are considering laws with similar intent.

And now President Obama has announced he will send 1200 National Guard troops to help defend the border. And Arizona Senator John McCain complains that it isn't enough. He's right, of course. To patrol the entire border between Mexico and the US would take several thousand troops. And the good senator was honest enough to admit that the 1200 troop deployment would be a start in the right direction.

And there is yelling and yammering and ranting and raving on all sides of the various issues. Not serious, constructive debate -- yelling and yammering and ranting and raving.

This all brought back to our minds a mantra we learned many years ago:

   I am one.
   I am only one.
   I cannot do everything,
      but I can do something.
   And because I cannot do everything, I must not refuse to do the   
      something that I can do.

If every one of us did the "something" that we CAN do, we would all benefit. And if those of us who pooh-pooh the little somethings that others do would instead line up behind the person who is doing the something he can do, and give a cheer, and support that person and encourage him, maybe, just maybe he'll find a way to do just a little bit more. And maybe, just maybe, that encouragement and support and recognition will give others the courage and the will to do the something that THEY can do, and look at all the somethings that will be done. Is it ever everything? No. Is it enough? No. But because we can't do everything, we must not refuse to do the something that we can do.

We will try to do those somethings that we can do as we live ... Our Life on Wheels.