Jul. 19, 2004 - 19:23 MDT

THE WONDERING JEW

Raising The Kids ?

Sidebar in this morning's Rocky Mountain News. The first item is the Explosive growth in the demand for small-caliber ammunition during the past four years. This brought on by by wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in increased training requirements -- has forced the Pentagon to look to Britain and other countries to help supply the ammo that overtaxed U.S. producers can't supply.

The second item is in two parts. "34.9 million -- The number of people in the U.S., according to the Agriculture Department, who are "food insecure," meaning they lack the means to ensure themselves of healthy meals and are vulnerable to at least a mild form of chronic malnutrition.

The second part: 17 percent the increase in demand on food banks in 2003, according to a U.S. Conference of Mayors survey of 25 ciies. Denver and Trenton, N.J., experienced the biggest surge in families seeking help.

And then there is an article about two houses in Greeley, almost finished being completely burnt out. The tragedy is that they are Habitat For Humanity homes being built for low income families.

The article is by Clayton Woullard of the Rocky Mountain News: "Dreams to Ashes"

" -- Volunteer-built homes in Greeley destroyed by fires"

"GREELEY -- The scent of charred wood lingered in the air Sunday where two homes, two dreams have gone up in flames. One of those dreams belongs to Valerie Hernandez, who stared in disbelief Sunday afternoon at what was left of her half-finished Habitat for Humanity house." "How could it give somebody joy or power to do something like this ?" asked Hernandez, 35, whose home burned Saturday morning. Investigators suspect arson."

"Two houses down the street, a charred frame is all that stands of Tomas Landin's dream. The home he said he worked on every day for the past four months burned Tuesday morning, only a month before he was going to move in."

"Sylvia Salinas, 30, who knows the Landin family and lives in house adjacent to their nearly completed home, said she and others in the community feel for the families but are also scared." "It's been so painful," Salinas said. "We've felt so scared; we feel so unsafe I know my house could be the next one."

Those houses are two of the 61 homes to be built in Greeley over the next ten years by Habitat For Humanity.

"Jeff Gale, A Habitat board member and volunteer who has worked on the houses, said he's angry and a bit scared for the families. "They just don't deserve this kind of heart ache, "Gale said. "The people that we help are at risk, they're vulnerable." "He said this is the first known case of a Habitat house in the United States burned by suspected arson."

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People in our own country who, "Lack the means to ensure themselves of healthy meals." 34.9 million of them, and 17 percent the increase in demand on food banks in 2003.

I have been with someone who was going to the food bank and saw what they could get. Certainly it was food to keep people living, but not of such a good quality and its age a bit doubtful to my eye. But it is survival for poor folks. Wish some of our felonious CEOs had to live this way -- seeking shelter where it can be had, hoping there is room. Going to food banks, if they can get a ride in able to get something to eat and stay alive."

But, you know, our economy is going full bast, on the steep upward curve -- so it is said.

I wonder how many of those oncoming Habitat houses will be burnt out in the next ten years ? All of them ? Or enough of the oncoming ones burnt out to cause Habitat For Humanity to choose another area to help volunteers build homes.

I personally suspect it is more than arson for the thrill of it, maybe I am wrong but doubt it. I hope they catch the miscreant and put him to work building homes for the poor to the end of his days.

I read all this jazz and then come upon a gem of thought. "It's not only children who grow. Parents do, too. As much as we watch to see what our children do with their lives, they are watching us to see what we do with ours. I can't tell my children to reach for the sun. All I can do is reach for it myself." Joyce Maynard

Examples we read about in the papers today makes me wonder the kids quality of life and who's Raising The Kids ? . . . . . .

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