A surprise visit
from California from Perth, one of my former Honduras Peace Corps colleagues,
was the occasion for a reunion with still another Honduras volunteer, Lourdes,
who came with her young son to meet us at the neighborhood Eastern Market, where
the above photo was taken inside. Perth was not well-clothed for the weather,
but put on as many layers as she could.
Still another artic
vortex is now threatening to assault us. I don’t remember ever experiencing
such repeatedly cold temperatures in DC since moving here in 1969. This time,
walking gingerly on an icy sidewalk, my foot slid right out from under me and I
fell down hard, experiencing some strains and bruises, but nothing drastic. Makes
me seriously consider moving to Hawaii near my kids living there! At least in
Honduras, where I will be going soon, even in the colder parts, it’s never nearly
as cold as here in DC. Of course, they don’t have indoor heat, so even 40 F can
feel fairly frigid inside. Last year, at night it went down to the 30s F in La
Esperanza and I had trouble sleeping even wearing all my clothes and with
blankets on top. Just now, I looked at the Esperanza weather report showing a
high temp in the low 70s, very nice, and in Choluteca, it was predicted to
reach 98 F.
Three dead on
Saturday in a shooting in Maryland’s Columbia Mall, in a quiet planned suburban
community outside Washington, DC. Surely the second amendment doesn’t prevent
background checks and other commonsense measures that would protect us all when
we go out in public places, though that’s considered a slippery slope by
gun-rights’ advocates. I can only hope that the slope does get a lot slipperier.
My great-niece Morgan, a college student with a part-time job at the mall, was there
when the shooting started and was locked down, but not injured. That’s a little
too close for comfort.
The United
States has seen a recent rash of shootings and gun killings at schools and colleges,
as well as in homes and workplaces. The Navy Yard, thought to be a secure military
campus located in walking distance from my house, was the scene of a mass
shooting just a few months ago. Of course, part of our increased sensitivity to
these events is due to instant communication and the 24-hour new cycle. Many seem
to be vendettas for perceived slights. Others may be perpetrated by individuals
with mental aberrations. Whatever the circumstances, it is high time for
greater control of access to firearms, including registration and background
checks for buyers, something that apparently a majority of Americans support.
The right to bear arms shouldn’t trump every other right, including the right
to life. A fanatical minority of gun-rights advocates is holding the rest of us
hostage and threatening our very lives by fighting to prevent any curbs on gun
ownership and use. Responsible gun owners don’t object to some curbs—in fact, apparently
even a majority of NRA members don’t object to registration and background
checks. The actions of a few are giving most gun owners a bad name.
A Spanish-speaking nun
at a local hospital has asked me to lead a support group for
Spanish-speaking bereaved mothers. Despite being way overcommitted, I couldn't
say "no."
I'm very glad for a
ceasefire in South Sudan, though I don't think the rift that led to fighting
has been solved.
I’m getting
excited and also a bit nervous about my upcoming trip to Honduras, about which
you will read on this blog on my return. My schedule there is very tight and
transportation is difficult and somewhat risky. However, I am scheduled to
participate in two medical brigades, IHS (ihsmn.org) and Operation Smile, along
with a number of other commitments.
One reader has
commented regarding the Honduras presidential inauguration
announcement below:
“...wish we'd boycott this on the
basis of their nonfunctional government, nonexistent civil society.”
President
Barack Obama announced the designation of a Presidential Delegation to Honduras
to attend the inauguration of His Excellency, Juan Orlando Hernández Alvarado,
President-elect of the Republic of Honduras.
The Honorable
Thomas E. Perez, Secretary of Labor, will lead the delegation.
The Honorable
Lisa Kubiske, United States Ambassador to the Republic of Honduras
The Honorable
Roberta S. Jacobson, Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere
Affairs
The Honorable
Ricardo Zuniga, Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for
Western Hemisphere Affairs, NSC staff
According to
our local Spanish-language press, Honduran president-elect Hernández is going
to take a page from the neighboring president of Guatemala to launch a program
to reduce malnutrition, especially among children.
An article
about the challenges and failures of the drug war in the eastern Mosquitia
region of Honduras appears in the January 6 issue of the New Yorker, “A Mission Gone Wrong.” The region is a wild jungle
area with few roads, making surveillance difficult. The article’s author
mentions young men paralyzed from deep-water diving without gear. I’ve met some
of them, young lobster and pearl divers who surfaced too fast being fitted for
donated wheelchairs. I’ve also heard them speak the Miskito language, which I
can’t understand.
It’s mind-boggling
to consider that North Korea’s current young leader, Kim Yong-Un, is even more
blood-thirsty than his father and grandfather before him, reportedly not only having
executed his uncle, once his key advisor, but the man’s entire extended family,
including children. One of those eliminated was North Korea’s ambassador to
Cuba, who had been ordered to return home for consultations. It’s even
speculated that the young leader killed his father’s sister, his own “blood”
relative married to the executed uncle.
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