European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 31, 1994, Darmstadt, Hesse Volunteer Lisa Fie Mam serves Patron at a soup Kitchen in Portland Maine. Tries to up its mess. By Leslie Dreyfous the associated Pressa Guy named stubby starts off America s a mess he says. And quickly the rest join in. Just look at the headlines. Haven t you seen Geraldo or Oprah lately what about Washington useless. The Media out of touch. The Economy sour. The social fabric frayed perhaps beyond repair. Kids Don t have values today. Parents Don t care for their kids. I m not to blame but someone is. Not you or me maybe. But someone. It s about 9 . And the round table regulars at Roy Trimble s place the Little Castle in Paducah ky., Are at work assessing the world. The smells of biscuits and Gravy which Roy has been prepping since 3 30 ., Drift off his griddle like a whiff of Home. Outside the parking lot is jammed with assorted police cruisers pickups and american cars. / Mcneil has come in a Little late this morning but quickly catches up with the discussion offering a theory he Calls coming of a few of the older round table regulars Roll their eyes. I m 39 and people my age and younger Are maturing he persists. We re becoming citizens. What j happened in the i want it All for me / and the hell with you years when we were younger can t work in America today. We re growing up. The question people have started asking is Are we going to take the Bull by the horns or not Are we going to turn things around or sit and watch the country die pick up the Formica table at Roy s diner and drop it just about anyplace in America conversations like this one go on everywhere. B it the voices Are isolated separate pieces of an enormous quilt stitched with frustration and despair. In each of these Small squares though lies Hope. For All the horror to be seen on the news for All the apathy each election year highlights for All the negativism and anxiety the great majority of americans still hold in them the most vital ingredient of All. They care. You re seeing a renewed interest a commitment among people to address Caylen Kilton sorts bottles at a recycling Center in Oregon not problems in their area. And i think it s a feeling out across the country. But the state and Federal governments Are not in tune. At every turn there s something. Saying no Mcneil be got to ignore the institutions. And i think people Are ready to do a county commissioner City fire marshal and father of two Young kids Mcneil has both political and personal stakes in Paducah s state of affairs and the affairs of the nation. He s got a Union background and voted for Bill Clinton mainly in Hopes of change. But like a lot of americans he s come to doubt that the big political players can really serve him the taxpayer. The average person in this country is too Busy these Days trying to earn a living and support a family to be concerned with what s going on in Washington d.c.," he says putting Down his cup of Coffee. But that s not entirely bad. People blame the government blame society for the majority of their problems. But who is society people Are realizing the answer listen closely. There Are Many Many voices millions of people in big cities Small towns and bedroom communities. They Aren t special people. They May be you. Listen closer still. Can you hear the rumbling one. Of the problems is that we be lost the language to describe what we yearn for says Richard Louv a family columnist and author of father love and 101 things you can do for our continued on Page 16 closer look Good Community is an attitude not place a subdivision was not what gae and Barry Bomier had in mind. Through years As military tumbleweeds they d dreamed of building a place out in the Woods near a Lake. Something unique and cozy with roots custom made. Along the Way though the finances did t quite work out. And with the school year fast approaching the bombers two daughters needed a stable base. So they went with a priced to move builder s Model in the kind of place we said we would t be caught dead living in gae says with a chuckle. But the bombers have found Here All they truly sought a sense of Community. They be got an acre and a half on what used to be a Farmer s Field in Clarkson mich., their property marked by where the Lawn abruptly stops and the unsold unmoved parcel beyond begins. A few kids ride by out front trailed by a dog. From the Back porch it s easy to spot neighbors unloading groceries on this Side drawing blinds on that. As night arrives lights blink on. It looks like a place to raise kids does t it says gae who at times has been both a working and stay at Home mom. But i think it s hard whether you re in a sub like this or in a City. People get disjointed separate from that close knit this is a traditional nuclear family and like most in America it is not. Gae 43, is teaching special education these Days so she and Barry who works for data systems company Are dual earners. Their marriage is gae s second which puts them in another Large club of families blending children Index spouses. They Are close to relatives but find a Large part of our family is not the bomiers1 commitments to civic " improvement Church children schools and Volunteer activities Are matched in Man households. It is perhaps the deliberate Ness f and degree of involvement that sets them slightly apart. I be thought a lot about Good citizenship the concept of giving to Community says Barry 42, who retired from Active duty after operation desert storm. Beyond terms these things have to be understood in the heart. It s what marriage Counselor talk about the be Njg there the like Many people the bombers Are frightened for the future the world their two / school age daughters will know. They re often fatigued sometimes angry at politicians the Media the Economy. They Are also determined. This is about survival no less than it was for the pioneers on the Plains or the immigrants in Wood hulled boats says Barry his Blue eyes liquid. What we do now in our communities will Tell our gae continues his thought we need to sit Down together. We can t just say i feel this void and a yearning to fill it but Well this is my lot in life no it s a process of teaching of learning of nurturing and caring for one another instead of me me the associated press monday january 31,1994 the stars and stripes 25
