Norman's Whereabouts

Shortly before Christmas, nine Hispanic people were killed in a car wreck in Iowa. Though I didn’t know them, I wish had. I would have told the driver of one car to stop at a rest area and sleep, and I would have told the driver of the other car to slow down so that maybe the accident could have been avoided. It seems like everyone is always in a hurry. Why? Where are we going? But I know accidents do happen.

I believe that these nine people along with other Hispanics who come across the border from Mexico into the United States risk a lot. They come to this country for some of the things we have. No matter if we are rich or even poor, we are better off than people living in the poorest countries in the world.

These people who are referred to as aliens, often take jobs that a lot of Americans wouldn’t do no matter what the pay rate was. If we don’t want these people in our country as aliens, would it be better if they came to us as friends and tourists. I believe that we need to put an end to sweatshops where people are forced to work for low wages, in horrible conditions, and then go home to a place that might not be livable. They make products for America for low pay. Why don’t we try to improve other people lives by paying a living wage?

I believe we need to improve our economy, and we need to improve others’ economies which creates more goodwill. I believe that we need to put an end to war and what causes war. We need to find ways of turning people from aliens into friends.

What have I been doing? I’m still taking people to a couple of Iowa prisons to see their loved ones. I’m still working on my diabetes. I’m still working at the rest areas and working around the Catholic Worker a lot. I’m still helping a lot of people. I help deliver coffee from El Salvador for Bob Cook, pick up sewing machines from the Columbia, MO, Catholic Worker for Richard Flamer to take to Chiapas, Mexico. Well, I would like to say thank you.

Norman Searah

---