It will not be Al-Qaida, the immigrants, or the bird flu that will destroy us. It will be negligence and the lack of participation by our government, and our communities. Do not look for help from your city, or your state, or your national government in times of crisis. You are on your own.

We have been told time and time again that we are to pull ourselves up by our bootstraps. Well that is fine for those with discretionary spending. Those with money have no fear of taking care of their daily needs and that of their households. No problem! Money to spare.

What is terrorism? Well yes, it is bombs falling on innocent people tens of thousands of miles away. What about a little closer to home? Is terrorism having your water shut off, no food in the house, no roof over your head, the fear of losing your healthcare when you are laid off? What does your community have to do with this?

When humankind first emerged from the wilderness, they found that banding together raised the levels of survival. Why are we unable or unwilling to do that in our communities? I am not talking about those intrusive "missionaries" that come to your front door. I am talking about really helping others without strings attached or having to pass a "means" test, or having someone trying to save your soul. A means test is a way of proving to the benefactor that you are "worthy" of their benevolence. Is not the instinct to stay alive enough?

The house next door may be experiencing some form of terrorism. They get up everyday and go to work like the rest of us. They bring home a paycheck that has not increased for ten or more years while the cost of living has soared. Maybe some are making that miserable excuse called a minimum wage that does not provide for a respectable living in these times. Maybe it is due to failing health or a catastrophic accident that their income has suffered. For whatever reasons, none of which matters here, they are unable to meet the living standards set by their communities. Their homes are falling apart, there is no money, and they are living in despair.

People need help from time to time. They own their homes, they pay their taxes, their mortgage, they pay their home and car insurance, and all seems well. Then disaster strikes and they go to the companies to which they have paid their hard earned cash and they still get stiffed. The insurance adjuster put on a mournful look as he tells you, " Sorry, the policy for which you have been paying for years does not cover anything that happens to your home. We are soooo sorry. " Like Shakespeare said, " To show an unfelt sorrow is an office which the false man does easy." (Macbeth, Act 2, Scene 3).

So America, when is enough, enough! We are all being picked off one by one. Are we are too ashamed to speak up because we are too embarrassed that our neighbors will think we do not meet the "means" test?

We are all at risk for these misfortunes. Bad things happen to good people. Ask the people of New Orleans. And shame on us for not demanding justice for the people of Louisiana. We sat watched as the victims of this crime where repeatedly abused and relocated against their will. Now families are missing and for all practical purposes, they are banned from ever living in New Orleans again. This was the purposeful whitening of a once great city. The people of New Orleans are now someone else's problem. Do you know how this looks to the rest of the world? Welcome to America!

Calling charities and writing letters asking for help to the offices of our officials who claim to speak for we the people is like letting a feather loose in the wind. You and I are nonexistent without money. Voices with money are the voices heard. Election time is money time. You may pay your taxes, but do not expect a fair hearing.

What keeps us from helping others? What happened to the barn raisings, and helping a neighboring farmer to harvest his wheat, and to help paint the old woman's house at the end of the road? When we all joined in to shoulder the burdens, we reaped the benefits. All of us were able to share the harvest and none starved.

By our sheer numbers, we have the power to create a powerful voice in our communities. House by house, community-by-community, and state-by-state, we must get involved. Infrastructure is not just roads, bridges, and schools. It is also neighborhoods and, yes, even the house next door. We cannot afford to let our infrastructure crumble.

Are we looking at our neighbors as too dark, too foreign, too south-of-the-boarder? Oh, here is a good one. An acquaintance of mine said she would never do business with someone with a foreign sounding name. I guess she will be waiting a long time to get things accomplished in her lifetime. This is exquisite xenophobia. I have no time or desire for this reasoning. Diversity is a gift and we need to use it well. It may be the key to our very survival. Are we the ones who will save us?

Thus we play fools with the time; and the spirits of the wise sit in the clouds and mock us.
- Henry IV, Part II, Act 2. Sc. 2

Barbara Hensley is a citizen of Camarillo, CA.

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