Page 16 THE VILLADOM TIMES II • December 19, 2012 we can all delete, however, is the wanton cutting of trees that provide shade and take water out of the soil and use it for the photo-synthetic process that takes in carbon and turns it into wood and pretty leaves and expels oxygen. I just came up with an answer for people who think “green” is “red” -- in other words, that some kind of commie plot is behind the environmental movement. Tune in the Time Battleland website and check out the attacks on John Koster for having exposed a real commie plot, America’s entry into World War II once Hitler turned on Stalin. You will notice that most of my detractors do not understand how to use a definite or indefinite article and not one of them seems to know the difference between “it’s” and “its.” They take contempt for all Asians for granted, and they think Stalin won the war himself. To believe this you must forget “Saving Private Ryan” and think “Omaha Beach Party” with Frankie and Annette. I am now a card-carrying anti-communist with a full deck of cards, and I believe global warming, fracking, and the avoidance of sensible recycling measures are worse threats to America than the silly bunch of Web junkies over there in winterland. My consolation is that these blokes share a continent with China and that the contempt they feel for Asians is mutual. My advice? Not a single American soldier should be sent to either side when they go at it. Let them duke it out. It’s not our problem. Another body blow to our sense of well-being came toward the end of the year when the United States, Canada, and Israel were the only major nations to vote against upgrading Palestine to non-member observer status in the United Nations. Maybe this is part and parcel of the U.N. plot to drag down our standard of living. Maybe, on the other hand, it is a wake-up call from Europe and Asia that the United States no longer makes their foreign policy. The United States should not abandon support for Israel. To do so would not only be disgraceful, but embarrassing. Some years ago, we quietly seemed to be writing off Taiwan -- Nationalist China -- and incredibly enough they survived anyway, partially by affiliating with Japan. The United States needs to use whatever influence it has left to get both sides in the Middle East to sit down and work out an equitable peace that guarantees Israel’s security without writing blank checks for any future expansion. The fewer checks we write to anybody outside the United States, the better for Americans. The collapse of the Soviet Union and the commercialization of China mean that, once the sideshow is over, we no longer need to keep garrisons in South Korea or Japan. We should preserve our nuclear umbrella in case things really go bad, and other than that, we should bring the men and women home and save some money. The locals other than the night-time professionals do not want them there. The same is true of Germany, which feels such a diminished threat that they stopped military conscription two years ago. The 21st century is not the 20th century, when a massive U.S. presence in central Europe and the Pacific Rim was vital to prevent the Soviets from taking over any more countries than they already had. The American military machine should consist of elite forces to deal with terrorists -- the real threat today -- and not expensive combat divisions ready to fight the wars of the Hitler-Stalin era. Both of them are dead. We should remember the incredible extent of their evil deeds and let people who were not there write about “The Good War,” but we should not act as if the demonic duo were about to emerge from a cave somewhere and ask for a replay of World War II. That fantasy could leave us bankrupt. Speaking of bankrupt, here is another issue. This would be a great time to make the private sector somewhat more attractive -- raise the minimum wage and cut taxes to people in all economic brackets -- rather than use the public sector to invent jobs that do not do people outside the system any good. The first thing I heard when Wall Street collapsed was that everybody wanted to be a teacher or grab some other government job. We are already a bit top-heavy. The system we have now taps the taxpayers to make them cover the expense of feeding people who cannot possibly afford to live without government help because their wages are low or nobody wants to hire them. Rome had the same system. Subsidized food and free entertainment did not allow the maintenance of either a republic or an empire -- but allowing employers to exploit the working poor is not the way to greatness, either. Last but not least: Save the National Park system. The trees and shrubs produce oxygen, the tourists produce money, and the scenery produces awe. America has not engendered a William Shakespeare or a Ludwig van Beethoven. Europe and Asia have never produced a George Washington or an Abraham Lincoln, but residents of the globe can enjoy the Grand Canyon and the redwoods and ponder Valley Forge and Gettysburg and Antietam and the Little Bighorn without renewing conflicts long since settled. Perhaps they can even learn to get along. America is still the greatest country in the world. America is no longer the only great country in the world. We can expect that some time in this present century we will be surpassed economically by China and that Japan and Germany will soon reach parity or near-parity through greater efficiency while other countries continue to phase out our light industrial base. They will never take away the redwoods. Let us hope nobody gives them away. As 2012 winds down, we should reflect on what the year brought us as individuals, citizens of the United States, and occupants of the planet. The hot button topic here in Bergen County is still Hurricane Sandy, with repairs still being paid for with bonded money and still generating recriminations -- some justified, some not -- against the utility companies that could not keep up with the power failures. This is one of those cases like the death of Marilyn Monroe or the assassination of John F. Kennedy. It is easier to say we are all guilty rather than look for plausible perpetrators. We are supposedly all guilty of the death of Monroe because of our sexist attitudes, and we are supposedly all guilty of the death of Kennedy because of our racist attitudes, right? Wrong! Attitudes do not lead to murder convictions unless you have witnesses to the shooting or a plausible confession without coercion by torture. Similarly, the massive power failures and the sometimes lethal flooding were the results of Hurricane Sandy -- a natural event. How do you cope with hurricanes? Generators and solar panels for independent electric power could help. Underground power lines could also help. Failing that, areas not in tidal basins could raise the electric lines above the level of most of the tree branches and hope for the best. Having sump pumps that dump your sump on the lawn and not illegally into the treatment sewage lines would also be a good idea. It should be added that the land-line telephone is now going the way of Western Union deliveries by boys on bicycles. I call my cell phone tomoguchi, after a pocket toy popular when my children were very young. My son gave it to me at the first hurricane warning. For those who do not remember the 1990s, a tomoguchi is a simulated electronic pocket pet that needs to be taken care of just like a live pet or a small baby, but only by pushing buttons. My tomoguchi cries when it needs to be fed, and I feed it as long as the power to my house works. Otherwise, I feed tomoguchi at the service station or the copy shop. I feed it whenever it tells me it is hungry. During the last two storms and their aftermath, I was able to keep in touch with family and friends as necessary when the land lines were numb and dumb, though they came back shortly after the electricity did, and only flopped on me a couple times during heavy rains. Other than that, my wife and I read while it was daylight and slept when darkness fell. Life in a cave with upholstery is not insufferable, but I know some small businesses that may not recover from the many days without power. I shop there whenever I can, because if they fail, eventually we all fail. Tomoguchi’s cries must be heeded because tomoguchi is needed. Cries for anything that impacts the environment in a way that increases the carbon footprint must not be heeded, because global warming definitely contributes to the ocean’s flooding potential, and may or may not contribute to the fury of hurricanes. Impacts to the environment include asphalt on roofs and parking lots, artificial turf on sports fields, and lawns. Perhaps the most serious impact The future we need to face Our hat’s off to the wonderful people who are helping us this holiday season. Our drivers were thrilled to deliver turkeys and food to our grateful families. Special thanks to the fifth grade CCD group for their terrific hat, mitten, and scarf drive. These kids did a great job! The group consists of James, Sara, Abbie, Kayleen, Taylor, Kaitlin, Serena, Emily, Grace, Patrick, and Zach. Holiday needs: Our thoughts are with our families who have been affected by Hurricane Sandy. They will continue to have many needs long after the repairs are done. Please call us to see how you can help. Currently we need “Christmas in a Bag” to be delivered to families. Please feel free to drop off stuffing, cranberry sauce, muffin mix, gravy, and any other popular food items. Hams and turkeys are needed, too. This will be our last issue until the New Year. Thank you to all our readers who make a difference to our families. We are amazed by your generosity. We wish you all a happy and healthy holiday season. Meet Paige: In May, Paige was just a carefree, two-yearold girl who enjoyed Mickey Mouse, Tigger, and dancing to the music of Justin Beiber. She loved to eat hotdogs and play with her cat, Jag. In June, all those pleasures were taken away from her. During her bath, her mother noticed that her stomach was hard and distended. She was rushed to a local hospital and then sent to Philadelphia, where she was diagnosed with a malignant tumor that was connected to her stomach. The tumor had ruptured, requiring immediate surgery. She awoke from surgery with a scar that cut her body in half. She cried to her mother, “Take this thing off of me! It’s ugly!” She became traumatized not only due to her illness, but also because of the pain and physical changes that occurred in her body. As a result, her temperament has changed, turning her into a scared, tearful little girl. Paige has lost interest in playing, and she is having difficulty sleeping and eating. She also recently lost her greatgrandmother, and when her mother took her to the grave and Paige began to dig, she told her mother, “I can get her out of the dirt.” Her grandmother, who lives close by, also has cancer. Paige’s family has been struck by tragedy on multiple levels. Both her parents have been unable to find employment, causing much financial stress. This young couple struggles to have the everyday items we take for granted. They currently live with Paige and her siblings in a relative’s home. This family can really use some new beds for the girls, who are quickly outgrowing their toddler-sized beds. The family could also use a couch and a kitchen set so they can all eat together. They have no chairs in their dining room. The stove, vacuum cleaner, washer, and dryer are all on their last legs. Finally, the kids need a good supply of 8th Continent Milk, and clothing, especially pajamas in size 3-4 and 4-5T. You can also help families like Paige’s by making a special gift to the Emmanuel Cancer Foundation. Your contributions will enable us to continue to support this family (continued on page 27)