""OUTRAGED""

This letter was sent to the Wall Street Journal on August 8, 2008 by Alisa Wilson, Ph.D. Of Beverly Hills , CA . in response to the Wall Street Journal article titled "Where's The Outrage?" that appeared July 31,2008 Really. I can tell you where the outrage is. The outrage is here, in this middle-aged, well-educated, upper-middle class woman. The outrage is here, but I have no representation, no voice. The outrage is here, but no one is listening for who am I?
I am not a billionaire like George Soros that can fund an entire political movement; I am not a celebrity like Barbra Streisand that can garner the attention of the press to promote political candidates I am not a film maker like Michael Moore or Al Gore that can deliver misleading movies to the public.

The outrage is here, but unlike those with money or power, I don't know how to reach those who feel similarly in order to effect change.Why am I outraged? I am outraged that my country, the United States of America , is in a state of moral and ethical decline. There is no right or wrong anymore, just what's fair.

Is it fair that millions of Americans who overreached and borrowed more than they could afford are now being bailed out by the government and lending institutions to stave off foreclosure? Why shouldn't these people be made to pay the consequences for their poor judgment?

When my husband and I purchased our home, wewere careful to purchase only what we could afford. Believe me, there are much larger, much nicer homes that I would have loved to have purchased. But, taking responsibility for my behavior and my life, I went with the house that we could afford, not the house that we could not afford. The notion of personal responsibility has all but died in our country.

I am outraged, that the country that welcomed my mother as an immigrant from Hitler's Nazi Germany and required that she and her family learn English now allows itself to be overrun with illegal immigrants and worse, caters to those illegal immigrants.

I am outraged that my hard-earned taxes help support those here illegally. That the Los Angeles Public School District is in such disarray that I felt it incumbent to send my child to private school, that every time I go to the ATM, I see "do you want to continue in English or Spanish?", that every time I call the bank, the phone company , or similar business, I hear "press 1 for English or press 2 for Spanish". WHY? This is America , our common language is English and attempts to promote a bi- or multi-lingual society are sure to fail and to marginalize those who cannot communicate in English.

I am outraged at our country's weakness in the face of new threats on American traditions from Muslims. Just this week, Tyson's Food negotiated with its union to permit Muslis to have Eid-al-Fitr as a holiday instead of Labor Day. What am I missing? Yes, there is a large Somali Muslim population working at the Tyson's plant in Tennessee . Tennessee , last I checked, is still part of the United States . If Muslims want to live and work here they should be required to live and work by our American Laws and not impose their will on our long history.

In the same week, Random House announced that they had indefinitely delayed the publication of The Jewel of Medina, by Sherry Jones, a book about the life of Mohammed's wife, Aisha due to fear of retribution and violence by Muslims. When did we become a nation ruled by fear of what other immigrant groups want? It makes me so sad to see large corporations cave rather than stand proudly on the princiles that built this country.

I am outraged because appeasement has never worked as a political policy, yet appeasing Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is exactly what we are trying to do. An excellent article, also published recently in the Wall Street Journal, went through over 20 years of history and why talking with Iran has been and will continue to be ineffective. Yet talk, with a madman no less, we continue to do. Have we so lost our moral compass and its ability to detect evil that we will not go in and destroy Iran 's nuclear program? Would we rather wait for another Holocaust for the Jews - one which they would be unlikely to survive? When does it end?

As if the battle for good and evil isn't enough, now come the Environmentalists who are so afraid of global warming that they want to put a Bag tax on grocery bags in California; to eliminate Mylar balloons; to establish something as insidious as the recycle police in San Francisco. I do my share for the environment: I recycle, I use water wisely, I installed an energy efficient air conditioning unit. But when and where does the lunacy stop?Ahmadinejad wants to wipe Israel off the map, the California economy is being overrun by illegal immigrants, and the United States of America no longer knows right from wrong, good from evil.. So what does California do? Tax grocery bags.

So, America , although I can tell you where he outrage is, this one middle-aged, well-educated, upper middle class woman is powerless to do anything about it. I don't even feel like my vote counts because I am so outnumbered by those who disagree with me.

Alisa Wilson, Ph.D. Beverly Hills , California

There are a lot more out there who think just like Alisa Wilson, the only difference, she put her thoughts out front and I agree.

the Sting of Death

I need to Apologize for my Lack of attention here the last few days. As I was called upon to play a very small part in the funeral of a family member. And in doing so, I was once again reminded of the devastating effect death still holds on us. The day before the death occurred at least 12 to 15 individual people, or at least those I was aware of . Had busy lives, plans that filled their week. Happily moving forward with hopes n dreams all laid out to form at least a short Itinerant into their lives. Then, in the space of a few hours their lives are irrevocably changed. Burdened by a heaviness of both shock and sadness as they try and grasp this new knowledge and absorb its meaning . And life, as it was known just a few hours before, Becomes different and more complicated. the tragedy, is that if we were honest folks, and talked to each other out of love and respect, giving God His place in our lives, most of this would be avoided.
As a younger man, and sporting a very healthy fear of death, I spent some time with the lord asking for a better understanding of death. If this thing was created by God then why did I fear it so much. I'm always amazed by His timely responses, and in a very short time the fear I had was replaced with knowledge that bridged that gap for me in an incredible way.
We "condition" ourselves by our lack of knowledge to believe "life' is the 70 yrs we spend here, and forget Gods plan. The word of Gods law sets the number of our days here because He says we are only to be here but a "season". That life as He has designed it goes much farther beyond this. And that Death is but a doorway to that which He has provided. So the big picture holds much more promise if we care to check it out.
Emotions run high today with this family who have lost both need and opportunity to say the I love you's and the goodbye's. But most of the regrets are because we are not honest or comfortable enough to see it for what life really is.
I try to share in the discussions on weather there really is a God. And the dispute will last until all hear the trumpet that signals Christs return. But the indisputable issue is death. For no matter which side of that discussion you stand on Death has stood the test of time. For me there is no dispute. The experience of getting to know the King of Kings leaves no room for a fear of anything He has designed. And It's my wish that all would give Him the chance to share the secrets of life with you. The answers are all there, followed by a peace unmatched with anything offered here.
Gods best ssnuffy