Blizzard of 2011

Well, I've survived the blizzard of 2011, or what might be called the
Groundhog Day blizzard. I had very few problems dealing with the storm, and
here are some reasons why.

First, this storm was predicted, so I and everyone else had a chance to
prepare for it. My workplace allowed us to leave early yesterday, when the
snow was to start, and announced yesterday that we would close today. For
me, I didn't lose vital services such as electricity and telephone service.
I stayed tuned to news coverage and heeded the warnings to stay inside at
the height of the storm. I used common sense in how I did things which
helped too.

This storm ranks right up there with other big snowstorms I remember. There
was the blizzard of 1979,, which I remember because my brother was one of
those people out on snowmobiles in our home town helping rescue people.
There was the Valentines Day storm in 1990 or 1991 in which it took me an
hour to travel a distance that normally takes 15 minutes. There was the
blizzard of 1999, which this one is being compared to that I don't remember
having such a dramatic impact because it happened on a weekend.

I'm glad that storms like the one we've just come through are a very rare
occurrence. I certainly hope not to see another one like this for a long
time.

Senseless Tragedy in Arizona

Yesterday, January 8, 2011 we witnessed a senseless tragedy in Tucson, Arizona. Congresswoman Gabriele Giffords was shot at point blank range, but appears to be a very lucky person. Six other people, including a Federal judge and a nine-year-old girl were tragically shot and killed. A dozen others were injured.



First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to those injured and their families, as well as to the families of those who are no longer with us. I pray for the Medical teams who are administering to Congresswoman Giffords and the other injured victims, that God will grant them wisdom as they minister to them. Also, Dear God, be with the families of those who were killed. Hold them close to you as they mourn.



There are many things we don't know right now. One thing that appears to be the case is that the suspect was mentally disturbed in some way. There are many advocates for those who are mentally ill that say such individuals should be given the chance to live independently in the community. Certainly, by far, most people living with mental illness can live out in the community and be contributing members of society. However, it's tragedies like this which remind me that there are some who live with mental illness that need to be institutionalized. Can we always predict who among that population will act out in the manner that the suspect is alleged to have done? Probably not but we have to use the best knowledge we have to try so we can protect the public as much as possible from things like what happened yesterday.



There is at least one person who has already placed blame for yesterday's incident on the tone of political discourse. The Pema County, Arizona Sheriff in my opinion irresponsibly placed blame on talk radio and certain things we see on television. First, Sheriff, it's far too early to place that kind of blame. Secondly, tragedies like this should remind all of us that politically when we disagree with each other, we must do so without being disagreeable. I've heard references to Congresswoman Giffords being targeted due to her stand on Health Care reform. If the creep who committed this heinous act did so because he disagreed with Congresswoman Giffords on issue A or issue B, there is no excuse for acting out in this way. From a political viewpoint, this tragedy should remind us that the best way to let our feelings about how our representatives vote is at the ballot box. This should also remind us that it's essential that we be able to debate with each other in a civilized manner.



Again, my thoughts and prayers go out to the families of all injured or killed, and the people of Arizona. May we come to some conclusion about what happened and why, and may it be soon. May God bless everyone involved, and may he continue to bless the greatest nation in the world, the United States of America.