Some took our advice last weekend. Many enjoyed Thanksgiving dinner with friends and family. Christmas decorations came out and began to be displayed. Oklahoma University fans were pleased and Oklahoma State University fans dismayed by a regional football game.
On Sunday, as the weather turned cold, fireplaces were stoked and good books were enjoyed. Another great overtime football game was available nationwide on Sunday night. All in all, for some, a great weekend with a few timeouts sprinkled in.
But not for all. We saw several homeless folks huddled under blankets in Spiva Park as the temperature dropped. We heard of huge crowds scrambling for bargains on Black Friday and of overwhelmed store clerks. At a few gatherings, we heard some intense political debate over a variety of things, most of which are out of our individual control. Afghanistan, health care and Sarah Palin (pro and con) seemed to top the list of those topics.
Certainly the world will continue to move, forward or backward depending on our politics, during the next 25 days until Christmas. People will continue to be cold, hungry, get sick without sufficient health insurance, some will die, and some will be born. Life on life’s terms will continue unabated. The alarm clock will also continue to sound as we begin another day.
We wonder if it is possible or even a good thing to try during these next 25 days to take the focus off of politics.
Today, we will hear the pros and cons related to the president’s speech on Afghanistan. Later in the week there will be yet more shrill cries related to health care reform. These are important issues and deserve our thoughts and attention.
It would also, however, maybe warm our own hearts if we took some hot soup to those folks huddled under blankets in Spiva Park and elsewhere or dropped more than loose change in the Salvation Army buckets around town. As individuals we can make a much bigger difference in doing so than more arguments about which party or individual is doing the next right thing for all Americans.
At least during the next 25 days.
Opinion
Related Photos
Discussion
In our view: The next 25 days
- Opinion
-
-
Our View: Victims should come first
Millions of dollars in donations have poured in from around the world since the May 22, 2011, tornado. Those donations represent money from lemonade stands, charity auctions, corporate gifts and celebrity checks, just to name a few. In fact, one year later donations continue to come to Joplin.
-
Beth Meeker, guest columnist: Same-sex marriage battle a quest for equal rights
I would like to take a moment to reply to guest columnist Anson Burlingame’s, “The Marriage Debate” (Globe, May 13).
-
Sunday Forum: 2012 graduation speakers key on tornado, mall school and president’s visit
Editor’s note: In addition to speeches by President Barack Obama and Gov. Jay Nixon, Joplin High School’s top students addressed graduates, faculty, parents and other guests packed into the Leggett & Platt Athletic Center on the Missouri Southern State University campus. Following are the text of those speeches.
-
Geoff Caldwell, guest columnist: Pack mentality takes truth as a casualty
President Obama’s Joplin graduation speech Monday showed that while there’s the political “right,” there’s also a very active “rabid” political right.
-
Your View: ‘Study’ can mean anything
A few evenings ago, I watched a television program on the science of marriage.
-
Our View: Support for museum
How can you tell the story of Joplin without the accounts of its mining history?
-
Our View: Finding middle ground
The G-8 summit held last week in Camp David ended as expected.
-
Anson Burlingame, guest columnist: Class of 2012 upholds character, hope
My oldest granddaughter was part of the class of 2012 from Joplin High School, and I attended the ceremony on Monday night.
-
Scott Charton, guest columnist: 'Deadline in Disaster' film a story about storytellers
Local newspapers are at their best when they help their communities confront, understand, endure and overcome shared challenges.
-
Our View: Make voting easiser
This year’s ballot will not include a proposed constitutional amendment that photo identification be required at the polls in Missouri. Good.
- More Opinion Headlines
-
Our View: Victims should come first
Beryl Makes Landfall on Florida Coast
UN Blames Syrian Forces for Shelling Houla
Raw Video: Gay Protest Blocked in Moscow
Vatican in Chaos After Butler Arrested for Leaks
Jimmy Carter Endorses Egypt's Election Results
Biden Addresses West Point Graduating Class
Dozens of Children Killed in New Syria Attack
Raw Video: Activists Allege Massacre in Syria
NJ Man Charged With Murder in Death of Patz
Support, Fun for Kids of Fallen Soldiers at Camp
Fugitive Penguin Caught, Returned to Aquarium
50 Years Later, Underground Fire Still Burning
Light Show Transforms Sydney Opera House
Raw Video: Unruly Passenger Restrained in Miami
Raw Video: Robber Uses Drive-thru Window
Raw Video: Dragon Arrives at Space Station
Calif.'s Coronado Named Nation's Best Beach
CEO Salaries Become Sore Issue in Labor Disputes
