Coffee With A View: "Who will save the ambulance service?" Part II

By Carol Harper

CarolHarper.com

Disclaimer: I am not writing this piece as a representative of Frontier Ambulance or any of the previous companies I've served with in the EMS industry. These are my own opinions, insights, perspectives, and views through my own experiences as a citizen of Fremont County, Wyoming.

Well, Fremont County folks...let's try this again! Another committee dealing with the ambulance service has been formed, and they are still serious about both provider and public input. Plus, we've finally heard a squeak from the county, as Mike Jones has stepped up to the plate as the new FCAG rep. Thanks, Mike. I hope you can be effective and bring forth some decisiveness in your new role.

As I read through, from beginning to end, Cowboy State Daily's piece on Shoshoni's ambulance "service", my first thought was...I get it. Shoshoni is a small remote town; it's 30 minutes away from the nearest (current) Riverton hospital...less by flight or if our current EMS can ground pound it. There are places out on the WRIR that can sometimes take longer, especially at night.

So I figure, if the town of Shoshoni can make it work, more power to them. However, possessing one BLS ambulance versus a fleet of ALS ambulances is like the difference between a TV dinner and a steak dinner with all the fixins. But does Shoshoni really get to decide what they 'secede' from, including dispatch and town-county borders? So many questions, so little time.

My next thought was...as I appreciate what SPD Chief Chris Konija is trying to do and achieve, law enforcement is law enforcement, not EMS. As it is true that all first responders work together when they arrive on-scene, there are so many factors at play where the best thing to do is to let everyone do their "thing"...let dispatch do their thing, let law enforcement do their thing, let fire do their thing, let EMS do their thing, let the Coroner's office do their thing. We all do the "thing", then go back to our agency silos until the next call rings out. All of our first responders in the areas and municipalities of Fremont County have worked together for many, many years, and it was a very good system when EMS was county-run. But in my opinion, now would be a terrible time to divide up into municipalities when there are so many unforeseen issues, costs, and scenarios that can greatly affect the flow of these critical operations and impede success.

However, now is the perfect time...in fact, it's now past time...for the public and our EMS providers to get involved and have a voice. When I gave a presentation to the JCFKS at their initial meeting on (ironically) September 11, I had hoped that it would kick off those beginning steps in bringing some elements and information on our EMS operations, and spur some awareness and actions of urgency on the issue. The JCFKS did, in fact, do this. The meetings were open to the public, in person and via Zoom, and progress reports were given. As I said in my previous blog piece, the committee did an excellent job on their final report to FCAG.

Here's the presentation:

Read the Recommendation Report:

https://cdn.county10.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/FCAG-Recommendation-Report_Working-Document_11.14-FINAL.pdf

Presently, I can't help but feel like we're going three steps forward, two steps back. I gave my presentation back in September! I know that's how things fly at the speed of government, but when something as critical as public health and safety, the public and all government leaders...municipal and county...should be alert and awake at their wheels and particularly wary about what they decide will slip through the cracks, or table for later discussion. Critical services such as EMS should not be one of them, especially when the fiscal year ends on June 30th. That's in a little over two months, folks.

I've been in a lot of trainings this past year, and between EMS and the Red Cross, I've become very scenario-based in my trains of thought and logic. A scenario where there is an absence of EMS services in this county would rapidly lead to a public emergency crisis, and we just cannot continue to put bandaids on gaping wounds any longer. Solutions need to be made and implemented now and fast. No more dinking around and dropping the ball. No more armchair politics via social media. No more apathy; no more coming to the table with complaints that are absent of ideas, suggestions or solutions.

But first, you have to actually show up at the table! I highly encourage you to attend these upcoming meetings (see below). If you can't make it in person, you can get the Zoom link and join in while you're eating your lunch. I've provided the information below, so there are no excuses that the public hasn't been informed or included. Now, being interested is a whole other roll of Kerlix, but whether or not you've been a patient in the back of an ambulance, the emergency scenarios and traumas that happen are very real...and reality strikes quite often.

YOU can be a part of saving lives in Fremont County, too!

"I didn’t become an EMT to get a front-row seat to other people’s tragedies. I did it because I knew the world was bleeding and so was I, and somewhere inside I knew the only way to stop my own bleeding was to learn how to stop someone else’s.”—Daniel José Older

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PUBLIC NOTICE OF RECURRING JOINT MEETINGS

JOINT COMMITTEE ON FUNDING KEY SERVICES

AND

REGIONAL AMBULANCE SERVICE EVALUATION COMMITTEE

NOTICE IS HEREBY GIVEN that the Joint Committee on Funding Key Services and the Regional Ambulance Service Evaluation Committee will hold recurring joint meeting sessions each Wednesday from 12:00 p.m. to 1:00 p.m.

The meetings will be held at the following location:

Wind River Transportation Authority Facility

2554 Airport Road

Riverton, Wyoming 82501

The meetings will also be accessible to the public by virtual means through the attached Zoom link.

These recurring joint meetings will be held each Wednesday unless otherwise canceled or amended by proper public notice.

Join Zoom Meeting

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87542789880?pwd=xlwKQ1Ae48DfObecpFkJcHoyP3CbU0.1

Unorthodox Christianity: The Prince of Peace

By Carol Harper

As most of you know (from the shares on my Facebook wall), I followed the 2,300-mile Walk for Peace by the Monks of the Vipassana Bhavana Center in Texas . I loved the messages of finding inner peace, compassion and non-violence. I am not a Buddhist, but I am a believer in Light, Life, Love and Truth. And as a believer in these, I have learned (and am continually learning) discernment between Light and darkness, Life and death, Love and hate, Truth and falsehoods. The latter of the two opposites...hate and falsehoods...have revealed much about the present state of the world.

Unfortunately, their walk was not without controvesy and opposition. I was surprised to see a certain brand of resistance from Christians that the monks had encountered along the way. I'm reminded of the story in Mark 9, how Jesus clearly defined how we should respond. His disciples said that they say saw someone driving out demons in his name, and "we told him to stop, because he was not one of us."

"Do not stop him," Jesus said. "For no one who does a miracle in my name can in the next moment say anything bad about me, for whoever is not against us is for us." (Mark 9:38-40)

In my opinion, the monks certainly did do a miracle in bringing millions of people together for one purpose: Peace. I was thinking of a "John the Baptist"-type in proclaiming "Prepare the way of the Lord." (Matthew 3) for the baptisms of water and fire (and what a fire season it's going to be this year!) I contemplated the attitudes towards the Buddhist monks from these 'Christians' who obviously hadn't learned the second of Jesus' new commandments: "Love your neighbor as yourself." And who is my neighbor? (Luke 10: 29-37)

‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth,

And honor Me with their lips,

But their heart is far from Me.

9 

And in vain they worship Me,

Teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’ ”

Matthew 15: 8-9

Doing it wrong.

This same born Prince of Peace cleansed the temple, overthrowing tables and driving out merchants who had made it into a "den of thieves", a busy marketplace to buy and sell. Well, that's not very peaceful, is it? But Jesus' anger was a catalyst for fighting the battle against greed and gluttony. His Seven Woes to the Pharisees was a battle against hypocrisy and injustice. His parables and teachings...oil in lamps, wise and foolish builders, the fig tree, the wheat and the tares...were words of warning.

Today, there are corporatized mega churches and religions that have (over) capitalized on their memberships with tithes, offerings and donations...building huge worship centers with coffee shops and bookstores, ornate cathedrals and temples adorned with gold...while the homeless and jobless still suffer. (Matthew 23:4) There are preachers and podcasters on the Internet and social media that make thousands/millions while the destitute still die and are dying. There are pharmaceutical companies and snake oil scams that bank on addiction rather than actual healing. So easy for them to profit off of the naive, ignorant, and desperate, all for one thing: Control.

But Jesus didn't tell us to build idols, statues and temples. He didn't tell us to invest in the stock market, 'buy low and sell high'. He didn't form a church like some conditional "members only" club, or to go out and preach for profit. He didn't tell us to take a pill or shoot up some heroin to "feel better". He didn't tell us to divide up by political persuasions and go to war with each other, or because someone or some other country has something the other doesn't have.

No, the King of kings told us what the kingdom of heaven was actually like! Jesus simply asked us to believe and follow Him. He told us to love each other, give to the needy, care for the poor and sick, be good Samaritans. He told us to beware of hypocrisy, of false prophets, of wolves in sheep's clothing. He told us that our dishes should be clean on the inside as well as the outside. He taught us to be discerning...wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matthew 10). So if you or your congregation is doing all that, you're doing it right! And even if you aren't a believer in Christ, the tenets of Light, Life, Love and Truth are common threads that God has joined us all together as human beings on this planet Earth.

My daughter and her husband were recently married in a little small town church in the heart of Riverton, with just family and loved ones surrounding them. It was a beautiful wedding (and yes, the mother of the bride did cry!) It wasn't a big fanfare...no 200-person guest list, no elaborately flowered arches, no bridesmaids/grooms, no swans with ribbons on their necks gliding across a pond, no string quartet, no tiered cake or chareuterie tables, no band or DJ. It wasn't in a temple or cathedral. Just a simple wedding with the sun streaming through stained-glass windows as they pledged their vows and love for each other. In my opinion, they did it right!

"What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate."

Matthew 19:6

Still doing it wrong...

Historically speaking, the industrialization of America was a domino that set off a chain of destruction.  It brought inhumane working conditions, long hour days, child labor, poverty wages, unplanned urbanization, disease, pollution. It also brought about a time of opportunistic greed, setting the stage for what would bring out the worst in us. The push West murdered millions of Natives, slaughtered bison and wildlife, and defaced mountains, hills, and landscapes. Instead of looking up to the skies for the ultimate Source of life and balance, we've polluted the skies and keep running on age-old gerbil wheels that generate millions for those who don't really know or care about who or what they use and abuse.

"But that's the way we've always done it!" Well-known as one of the most dangerous phrases in the business world, I am astounded that we continue to have those in positions of authority when it comes to the business of war, and they still don't get it. War hasn't never been about peace, it's about conquest. And there never has been world peace; just the constant disturbing of it. There have been over 2,000 killed and over 26,500 injured since this U.S./Israel versus Iran war began, and I hear people just keep on complacently saying:, "Well, that's just the way war is." No sh**, Sherlock! Aren't we sick of this historical global cycle of abuse? Aren't we tired of the repetition of war? But that is what we've repeatedly chosen, regardless of the warnings.

The 'spirit' of antichrist has been thousands and thousands of years in the making. I had AI help me with its definition: "According to the Bible, the Antichrist is a future, end-times figure--often identified as the "the beast" in Revelation--who will rise to global power, oppose Jesus Christ, and persecute believers. He is characterized as a "man of lawlessness" or false messiah who demands worship. The term also refers to a spirit or anyone who denies that Jesus is the Christ."

There have been many antichrists in history who have been revered, cheered and worshipped. But none as huge as this last century's antichristic Beasts of political and religious corporatization surrounded by their own beasts who do their will and persecute believers of Light, Life, Love and Truth...all trying to separate what God has joined together from the beginning.

But shouldn't we have be doing what Jesus taught us to do, instead of cheering on yet another antichrist? Shouldn't we have been lighting our lamps, be in prayer, awaiting instructions, and preparing ourselves for the battles against the evils unseen? Then again, there are those who might celebrate the accomplishment of circular prophecy ("Jesus is coming, yay!") But then, just whose side are we on? Just who or what are we voting for and worshipping now? Perhaps we'll all be surprised when the time comes for the separation of the wheat and tares.

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’ (Matthew 27: 21-23)

The Prince of Peace

Every Holy Week and Eastertime, I'm reminded of how Jesus told us that there is tribulation in this world, but that we should "be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." (John 16:33). It's always been one of my top favorite scriptures; comforting words as I press forward, long after Easter Sunday has passed. Believe me, I know it can be difficult to be a 'freaking ray of sunshine' as we go back to that daily grind on those rickety gerbil wheels, or having to deal with all the drama, chaos, bottlenecks and roadblocks that seem to have this annoying way of distracting us from that inner peace we yearn for. Sometimes I think there's just not enough coffee in the world!

But those yearnings for peace and those personal walks continue forward and onward, and who better than the Prince of Peace, the King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the Light of the World...to lead the Way...to guide us with the Truth revealed through simple stories and parables...and a Life exemplifying how Love will always be the impetus that saves the world.

________

Worth the read:

Matthew 5-7, The Sermon on the Mount

Matthew 23

Deuteronomy 30

I put this article on my Facebook wall. A very good read...

Cowboy State Daily: Scott Clem: What we lose when politics becomes a religion

Coffee With A View: Who will save the ambulance service? "Not I," said the...

By Carol Harper

Disclaimer: I am not writing this piece as a representative of Frontier Ambulance or any of the previous companies I've served with in the EMS industry, nor my advisory capacity on the JCFKS which has since been dissolved. These are my own opinions, insights, perspectives, and views through my own experiences as a citizen of Fremont County, Wyoming.

I've been observing several social media comments and threads on the subject of the 3/4 cent sales tax that is being proposed for transportation, airport, and ambulance services. There seems to be a great lack of knowledge and understanding as to the definition of 'economic development'.

AI provided a short answer for me: "Economic development is the intentional process of improving a community's economic well-being and quality of life through job creation, business retention, infrastructure investment, and skill development. It goes beyond simple growth by fostering sustainable, inclusive, and diverse economies that increase tax bases and support public services." (Bold added.)

When FCAG's Joint Committee on Funding Key Services approached the task before them last October, they took the time out of their busy schedules to research, pour over numbers, and come up with solutions for what they were tasked to do: find a way to fund these key services. Under the very definition of economic development; the services before them included air and ground transportation, and ambulance services. They also understood that the airport and ground transportation (including SafeRides) are important to those who use them, but also understood that the ambulance service was the most critical of the three, and in the end, the proposed sales tax option reflected such.

People really don't know or think about how these three services are connected. Who transports the flight crews from the airport to the hospital, loads them all up, and takes the patients from the hospital to the fixed wing that is waiting at the airport? Ground ambulance. Who transfers patients to other facilities when rotors are grounded due to wind/weather conditions, or are down for maintenance? Ground ambulance. Who takes drunk folks home so they don't drive and get into an accident? WRTA's SafeRides. Who takes patients who don't have a car or cannot drive to their medical appointments? WRTA. It is all connected!

You might have your own car to drive, but there are people who don't or can't drive, and rely on public transportation. You might not use the airport, but there are people and businesses in Fremont County who do. You might think you don't need an ambulance and can just drive someone (or yourself) to the ER, but a lot can happen on the way where you have no control and can cause further injuries to you or the patient. The day can end very differently from when it began with that morning cup of coffee.

"Not I..."

I've run into so many opinionized critics these days who know absolutey nothing about the EMS industry and infect the public with their ignorance, bringing no solutions forward. Then there are folks who actually do ask the questions, genuinely try to understand, and attempt to bring sustainable solutions to the table. That is what this Joint Committee did, and I appreciate FCAG's foresight in forming such a committee that was willing to spend time bringing those solutions forth with transparency, which is more than I can say for the county commissioners who have dropped the ball and basically driven this service (and please excuse the pun)...into the ground.

But is it their fault entirely? No. Not many may think about or even know how we got to this point in the first place, the need to fund key services. There seems to be this pitch forks and torches “throw the baby out with the bathwater” bandwagon pulled by elephants and donkeys when it comes to taxes...as if we still live in some sort of “Read my lips: no new taxes!” fantasyland from the 80s-90s that politically whitewashes the reality of karmic debt cycles.

Enter the story of the Little Red Hen: Who will serve on the JCFKS? "Not I..." Who will weigh in during public comment? "Not I..." Who will do a ride-along and experience a day-in-the-life of an EMT? "Not I..."  Who will hold the county commissioners accountable for where the funding of critical programs and services go? "Not I..."

Who weighed in with public comments in March 2016 when the Fremont County Commissioners decided to privatize the ambulance service (signing incremental 5-year contracts with Guardian Flight and AMR/GMR)? Who understood the difficulties and challenges that operations and EMS providers had to go through with each transition? And now it has been five years since Priority-Frontier took the service over…who is asking the county commissioners what the plan is now, as our EMS providers and staff wait pensively to hear their fate? If you can get through to them, let me know. I've tried contacting my own commissioner. Crickets.

FCAG and Joint Committee meetings were open to the public and had public comment sessions. Where was the public when these issues were being discussed? So it's only now that we are doing this "kick-the-dog" blame game, on social media??

Some municipalities might think they can have their own ambulance. But that is not a 'service'; it's a BLS (Basic) ambulance. You still have to staff it (pay a sustainable, competitive wage!), stock it, fuel it, maintain it, pay insurance, licensing and dispatch fees, employ staff to bill. One ambulance...just one...can range in cost from over $350,000 to over $700,000 annually. And once that BLS ambulance reaches the town boundaries with a patient, what ALS (Advanced Life Saving) ambulance is going to transport that patient to the hospital? Flight? Those costs can skyrocket from $25,000 and up, up and away. And if the patient has no insurance, or can't cover even a portion of the flight?

Back to the drawing board. FCAG saw those ripple effects, saw the critical need, and formed the JCFKS who did a lot of drawing on that board...and the question still is asked: "Who will save the ambulance service?"

"Stupid is as stupid does..."

I know! Forget the definition of economic development; how about the definition of stupidity? How about a full 1-cent sales tax on the stupid sh** that people do every day that require EMS services? If you don't want to fund an ambulance service, stop doing stupid sh**! Stop overdosing on drugs and alcohol. Stop drinking and driving drunk; stop texting and driving. Stop assaulting, beating, stabbing, and shooting each other. Stop speeding and losing control of your vehicles, motorcycles, and ATVs. Stop running stop signs and stop lights; stop hitting pedestrians and cyclists. Stop abusing and neglecting your kids and the elderly. Stop allowing kids to go without a life preserver on lakes and rivers, or not knowing how to swim. Stop eating sugar and junk food, and going into DKA. Stop having heart attacks and strokes. Stop burning during high peak fire season! Stop taking unnecessary risks. (Man, if I had a dime for every...)

So many critics these days who know absolutely nothing about what our first responders have to see and deal with every single day...yet when it comes to folks actually having to take responsibility for all the sh** they do, there's resistance??

If you don't vote for this 3/4 cent sales tax initiative, that's on you. Just don't be surprised when you dial 911 and an ambulance doesn't show up. You don't know what you've got until it's gone.

If you want to know the truth about your community,

Ask a First Responder.

Visit my website for more writings!

carolharper.com

Coffee With A View: "You don't know what you have here..."

Carol Harper

Many years ago (in the 90's) I worked for an electronics company in the Silicon Valley. It was near the airport, so the commute was crazy, but it was my first job after going through a divorce, and I had to get on my feet in the workforce. I didn't even have a resume, but a really good temp agency was able to help me and land the job.

One of the outside sales representatives was from Russia, and had been in the process of getting her U.S. citizenship. Lisa was beautiful, one of the best sales reps, had a really cool (fast!) car and a real go-getter personality. We were all so very proud of her, and had a party for her when she finally got her citizenship. I mean, a real PARTY party! Food, cake, DJ, the works. When we all clanged our champagne glasses for a toast and a speech, she got up and the room went silent. She thanked everyone, and proceeded to tell a story I will never forget.

She had been able to come to America as a young girl, due to a lottery draw. It was another family member (her grandmother?) who actually won the 'ticket', but gave it to her because they wanted her to have a better life. She told the story about when her plane landed in San Francisco and before taking her to her new home, her hosts had stopped at a huge Safeway store on the way.

That was the first time she had ever seen the inside of a grocery store. In Russia, she and her family had to stand in line for food and even then, it was just basic rations. As she walked through the doors of the brightly-lit mega-Safeway (which was kind of like a Costco at the time)...her eyes popped open as if she were at her first carnival. She walked through the aisles and her hosts watched as she took items off of the shelves, one by one, and examined them, asking questions. She did that throughout the store, down each aisle, the departments - meat, dairy, deli...her wide eyes filled with wonder.

Scrolling back to the party...it was at that moment that her eyes welled up with tears as she described attending and graduating from high school, getting her degree, landing a job, and the rest was history. As she concluded her speech, she said "You don't know what you have here. None of you. The freedoms, the choices, the opportunities..."

After her speech, I looked around and there were a lot of smiles, tears, and a rounding applause as everyone went over to give congratulatory hugs. It was an amazing night.

Running down a dream...

There was also a sales rep (same company), Christine, from Ireland, and she was a master marathon runner. One day, she passed around a flyer and sent out an email about the Chase-Manhattan 5K (JPMorgan Corporate Challenge) in San Francisco, and was recruiting runners. I had already been running recreationally about four miles a day, but never in my life did I ever think of running competitively, and I wasn't going to enter. But she kept pushing me and pushing me, saying "You can do it! I'll train you!" And she did, and a group of us met up (I believe it was twice a week, and Saturdays if we could) to train. It was tough, but she was an awesome trainer; very patient and kind, starting slow for us beginners ("If you're tired, stop. We'll wait for you!") She taught us how to properly stretch, what it feels like when you hit your stride. My running shoes were an old pair of Nike runners that I loved; they were in pretty good condition, but I didn't think they'd be good enough for the race. She said, "They're perfect! You don't want to buy a new pair of runners, because you'll have no time to break them in."

When the day came for the race, I was excited, but very nervous. Thousands of runners (I was told over 10,000) had assembled on the Wharf at the starting line. As I walked and scrunched my way through the crowds, I was thinking, "How the heck does this work?" LOL But once the horn blasted, I saw that all of the runners were doing exactly what we had been trained to do...starting out slow, finding their pace.

The thing I didn't expect were all of the hills! (Duh, it's San Francisco, Carol.) But after I found my pace, that 'runner's high' kicked in and I simply enjoyed the run, seeing parts of San Francisco that I hadn't seen before. As I came around the bend back to the Wharf, I saw the sun, just above the bay beyond the Golden Gate Bridge, about to sink into the water. I came in somewhere in the low 3,000s (not bad out of 10,000 runners...our trainer finished in the top 5!), and as I crossed the finish line, I felt fantastic. I could have "Forrest Gump"ed it for longer, but as I found my team, we all cheered, and Christine was smiling from ear to ear. She only said one word to me though her smiles: "See?"  And of course, she had to take us all to an Irish pub afterwards!

_____

Looking up and around...

It's been years, decades since being a runner. Today, my hip and knee injuries from the accident prevent me from running, but I can still stretch and walk, and had wonderful physical therapists at Wind River Health Care that put me on the road to recovery. I had a few moments where I wanted to give up; it was too hard, it hurt. But then I heard the words of my trainer whispering in my ear: "You can do it...if you're tired, stop...See? You're doing it!"

I try to take care of myself, eat healthy, exercise...but there are some days where I think, "Man, it sucks getting old! Why does life have to be so hard?" But when I walk around the station, or when I drive myself to the store, I look up and around, and remember the blessings in my life: I have a car; I can see well enough to drive now. I have a home, a job, enough for my needs. And as I walk into the store with my list of grocery items glowing on a cell phone, look up and around at the bright lights and all of the items on the shelves, the workers in the store as they load and stack, I hear the humbling words: "You don't know what you have here."

Two strong women impacted my life in a way that will stay with me for the rest of my life.

America is great. We could do a whole lot better, and well, it seems everyone's a critic these days. But the freedoms we have to do the things we do, say the things we say, and the rights to do them...makes me reverently grateful for what our troops do and sacrifice for us. Freedom isn't free. It comes at a cost that our veterans know all too well, and it should never ever be taken for granted.

Visit my website for more writings!

carolharper.com

History Lessons: "Sticks and stones may break my bones..."

By Carol Harper

(Not generated by AI)

"Do not think that I have come to bring peace to the earth; I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law--a man's enemies will be the members of his own household."
Matthew 10:34-36.

As this definitely became my 'Scripture of the Week', I was relieved when it all died down a fraction, and we could get to what I was really yearning for: The Truth. My journey through the soup of turmoil and confusion led me to the conclusion that I couldn't rely on anyone or any source, and ended up using Grok as a sifting tool. Not a perfect one, but nevertheless another tool in my arsenal on my quest for the 'holy grail' of Truth. (Minus the coconut shells.)

What have I learned from the Past?

I've learned that very few want to hear the Truth rather than face it. Or fear it, and cover it up. This has been the pattern since the beginning of Time, and has grown into a beast that I personally think cannot be slain. Too large, too crafty. Dirty deeds done dirt cheap, even for free! Our complex system of laws and legislation have evolved to where someone can lie under oath, get away with a myriad of crimes, and the judgments of "felon" or "offender" are rendered useless. Used to be that when kids asked what they wanted to be when they grew up, most would say a policeman, a fireman...or a mailman. Now I wonder if anyone wants to be president!

In my quest, I am actually glad my approach has been largely through the eyes of a child. Some might call that "naive", but I call it a deprogramming process. I've already been through the hits of taking the good with the bad, the truth with the lies, already experienced several of the abuses this world can dish out. I can forgive...but can I forget the truths I've learned through my own history lessons? Never.

Because of the government shutdown, I couldn't tour the National Museum of the American Indian. But my tour of the United States Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C., impacted me (sometimes to the point of tears) with many truths I never expected to see or hear. I wasn't even born when WWII happened, so as I walked through the Timeline that wove throughout the museum, from beginning to end, it taught me that people can be so blinded and programmed by wolves in sheep's clothing that the infiltration of that evil can destroy entire flocks. (Matthew 7:15) Genocide. Slaughter. Point blank rape and murder. The definition of what "a great nation" actually is was shattered when I saw what just one person, Hitler, had done.

Even if you're not a believer in Jesus Christ, the warning signs and consequences of choice is scientific. Prophecy is like an "if/then" flow chart: If you touch a hot stove, you risk getting burned. If you climb to the top of a wobbly ladder (or walk too fast on ice) you risk falling. If you ingest alcohol or harmful substances, it will affect your brain, body, and behavior. If you say or do something bad, the ripple effect will be bad. There is risk in everything, and you can choose wisely or not. But you cannot choose the consequences, or the effects.

As I look back in history, I often wondered: What if those with evil intentions weren't even given the opportunity to play them out? What if Abraham Lincoln, JFK, Martin Luther King, Jr., John Lennon, etc. (insert your own martyr) weren't shot and killed? Love is a choice. But so is hate, greed, and hypocrisy. We cannot go back in time and right the wrongs.

There will always be bad and evil in this world, regardless of who sits in the the seats of power. But choices made for us before we were even born have brought us to where we are now, where the scales have drastically tipped. Choices that were made by the one or few, affected (and infected) the many.

There is no balance...and the suffering continues.

"I know not with what weapons World War III will be fought,
but World War IV will be fought with sticks and stones" 

Albert Einstein

What have I learned from the Present?

I've learned that nothing has changed.

I may be pro-life, but I also have friends who have had to make the difficult choice to have an abortion or D&C. I also know there are many irresponsible women and men who never, ever should be parents in the first place, because then it is the children who suffer. I may be pro-law enforcement, but I also know that there are good cops and bad cops, and know there's corruption and grave injustices in our legal system. I may be pro-military, but I also know within those ranks are those who have been sexually assaulted and are silent. I may be sober, but I know that there are those who suffer deep hurts inside that they don't know what to do with, and choose to drink them away. They may not want to hurt others in the process, but end up doing so. I may not agree that war is the answer, but I have every right to question the strategy and approach, how we get to the point of conflict again and again, and how it affects the planet we live on.

I didn't come to my present beliefs and convictions blindly. I have to face the harsh truths of the past and present in order to make wiser choices for the future. Sometimes I don't get a choice; I didn't choose to go blind, that was a God-thing. When decisions are made behind closed doors, we don't get to choose whether we go to war, whether we get affordable health care, whether there will be food sustainability, or whether there will be a future where we call 911 and an ambulance will arrive.

But we can choose with the one thing we have left: Our vote.

That is what makes America great. That is what can change the course of history. We the People.

Is there hope for the Future?

I love Star Trek!

"Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me."

We're all survivors of something. Proof? We're still alive! Resistance might be futile, but resilience? Ah, resilience is love, faith and hope! Everyone, regardless of their religious beliefs, has faith that the sun will rise and set. (Matthew 5: 43-48) But I've learned, often the hard way, that not everyone has unconditional love in their hearts. There is division, partiality, jealousy, gossip, bigotry, greed, abuse, bitterness, anger, and rage that impairs discernment and clouds wisdom. Sticks and stones that break bones; names, labels and words that do hurt. What is the strategy against these kinds of things?

The past is the past; we cannot change it. Both good and evil have evolved together. All the wars and conflicts, the lies, the cover-ups; the polished, partisan memes and narratives, the media and entertainment junkets, meetings behind closed doors...those who are doing the thinking for us might not think we can even handle the Truth. Try me! The complexities and obstacles I've experienced in merely searching for it hasn't panned out too well, which made me resort to Grok. But nothing has been more effective in my search than learning from history, living in the present, and being resilient enough to hope and fight for a better future.

But even still, there is no "magic wand" that can shed the scales from one's eyes. Only the truth can do that. So my advice? Visit a museum and learn from the past, and in the present chaos, remember those lessons. Live and speak in truth. See the good that is being done in the world, surround yourself with people who really know, love and care about you; join and build those teams! (Matthew 6) Don't make time...take time for the things that bring you joy, peace, and reflection; enjoy the moments of silence. Teach the children and our youth to do the same; teach them to stand up and say "no" to the bullies on the playground. Learn to forgive so you can heal and move forward in strength, not weakened in bitterness. Pray unceasingly. Then vote wisely at the polls and make the right choices about the Nouns--the people, places and things--that can change the course of history.

“I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace.

In this world you will have trouble.

But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

John 16:33

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