LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth |
The Way I See It |
by Steve Elkins, Editor |
A few days ago, Murray and I, and everyone else at CAMP Rehoboth were bubbling over with enthusiasm and excitement about the success of Sundance 2001. Then the unthinkable happened and the whole world seemed to turn upside down. We are still pleased with Sundance, and I will say more about it in a few minutes, but for now our feelings of optimism and wonder have crashed to the ground along with the twin towers of the World Trade Center. On Tuesday, September 11, we joined the rest of country in front of the TV, horrified, frightened, anxious, and with a deep feeling that the world had been changed forever. None of us can foresee all the long term effects of this disaster, but it does remind us that we have far more in common with one another than we sometimes believe. Gay, straight, young, old, rich, poor, men, women, black and white and every color in between; we share our cities, our nation, and our world. Together we ache for the dead and the missing. Together we mourn the change, not just to one of the most famous skylines in the world, but to our national psyche as well.
During those first couple of days of horror, I was encouraged to see Delaware Senator Joe Biden on National TV, speaking powerfully about how we cannot live in fear. On a day when we needed to hear strong leadership, he voiced assurance, strength and hope. He was the first person who made me feel a little bit more normal on that terrible day. At one point he said, "...this is the beginning of the end of terrorism." We all hope that is true. In these days following that terrible Tuesday, many stories of great courage have been recounted in the news. It is a time when we all need to be strong and united as we come together to face the unimaginable challenges that lie ahead. It was particularly disturbing, therefore, to hear the hateful and insensitive words of Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson blaming the terrorist attack on the ACLU, "the pagans, the abortionists, the feminists, and the gays and the lesbians who are actively trying to make that an alternative lifestyle." We have to question and challenge this kind of perverted thinking, for surely it stems from the same sort of fanaticism that powers many of the terrorist organizations around the world. To speak words such as these in the face of our national disaster, exhibits a profoundly sick and twisted view of life. Men and women of courage and faith reach out and minister to one another in times of suffering. Real ministers try to heal, not destroy. Once we get through this ordeal, we will, I think, remember these words of hate and see them as our own internal terrorism. Perhaps this too, is the beginning of the end of terrorism. The summer has ended in a way that none of us could have predicted, and though it seems hard to remember now, it was a great one. Sundance 2001 set several new records this year, raising over $165,000 for Sussex County AIDS Committee and CAMP Rehoboth. Murray's Sundance painting transFORMation, also set a new record for the auction, bringing an extraordinary $7,000 from Pennsylvania collector Michael Schlechter. I hope that everyone takes the time to look at the list of Sponsors, Supporters, Hosts, volunteers and auction donors listed on pages 7 and 9 of this issue. My heartfelt thanks to everyone involved. For more about Sundance, see page 8. Every few months it seems like someone, in the course of a conversation, will turn to one of us and say, "but what do you do in the off season?" The answer is, of course, "what off season?" Life in CAMP goes on all year long, and we have many exciting projects and plans in the works. Almost everything depends on the involvement and hard work of volunteers. We need you; the community needs you. Stop by, call or e-mail us to get involved. |
LETTERS From CAMP Rehoboth, Vol. 11, No. 13, September 21, 2001. |