horror

Just when you think it can't get any worse.....

They say Karma only gives you as much pain as you can handle. Well, I thought the events of September 11th, 2001 were about as much as I, or the rest of the world for that matter, could take. But then, less than three weeks after the horror in NYC and DC, I received word that a good friend and fellow actor, who had been recently battling manic depression, in his despair, took his own life. This news had its own poignancy in that the weekend following his funeral was the 15th anniversary of Nevada Shakespeare in the Park, an event we had both been part for several years. Indeed, the last time I saw him, he was with his new wife, and they were happily pregnant. How did this all come to pass? Had it really been three years since we spoke? I felt like a horrid friend. How do we lose touch with those we care about? Could I have made a difference?

Now things seem to be spiraling down to even darker depths. Anthrax. Two cases for the first time in twenty-five years, yet the Administration is still attempting some bizarre kind of spin control. Why? There is the cryptic email from the Middle-Eastern intern, the letter that may have contained the bacteria, and if all that is mere circumstantial, how about the fact we haven’t had a case in almost a quarter century, let alone two in the same building?

The country, and the world are already in a panic. The only thing spin control does is create mistrust. Yes, prior to 9/11/01 there were many people paying attention; some of us even before 11/7/00 and the subsequent unbelievable events that followed, but after we all witnessed the unthinkable terrorism a mere month ago, you’d better believe we are all paying very close attention now. The last thing we need is our own government attempting to cover the truth.

Forget the spin people. We need action, and I am not talking about the air strikes in Afghanistan, I am talking about here, at home. There is a bill in Congress, which includes federalizing airport security, and giving relief to laid-off airport workers, yet the Republicans are filibustering it. This is something that should have been enacted on 9/12/01, and not something that should even be open to debate. This is a matter of national security, so why are the Republicans stalling? I guess it’s because they aren’t really affected since they are used to flying those private jets.

What about the Anthrax factor, or even worse, Small Pox? Just like the still ineffective airport security, (a good friend just told me of his remembering he carried a box cutter in his carry-on laptop, and it has made it through security five times since 9/11, never once being discovered – oh yeah, security sure is working alright), what are they doing about this new threat? In the constant barrage of media descriptions of Anthrax, they have shown how painfully easy it would be to infect people, and also how easy it would be to get. From what I learned yesterday the bacteria is held in many veterinary clinics.

Whether or not this outbreak in Florida is, or is not terrorist related, the clear and present danger of an immediate threat is alive and well, yet what is the government doing to insure our collective butts are covered? Are they actively shipping mass quantities of antibiotics so that every pharmacy will have enough on hand? Or better yet, making sure every household in the country has an emergency supply on hand in their own first –aid kits, and stepping up production on the vaccine? And what about Small Pox? Why aren’t we immediately getting back into universal Small Pox vaccinations, if we know this is a viable threat?

So, like the death of my friend, how can I make a difference in all of this? Do I refuse to fly or travel until airport security is federalized? Do I demand to be vaccinated against Small Pox and get my own personal supply of Cipro? Will my doctor give me a prescription for it if I have no immediate need and active Anthrax spores up my nose?

We know there are many things in this country that have fallen into disrepair or are completely broken, let’s stop bickering and fix them. And at the same time, let’s get on to the business of actively pursuing preventative measures before something happens, instead of waiting for a crime to be committed. You take your car for service checks before the transmission goes out. Why should the health and safety of the country be any different?