A "friend" recently informed me that I am getting gray hair.  "No," I scoffed, "I’m still young and all of the hairs on this beautiful head are strawberry blonde."  To which he responded by plucking a hair from my head and presenting it to me with a certain amount of self satisfaction.  Bastard.  I still claim that hair was blonde.  

And this is my life…

Supervisor:  Come quick and look at the owl!

The kids and I, curious, go outside to see the commotion.  In my naiveté, I initially believe that my supervisor is pointing out the owl as an object of beauty, as it is not a common bird in Otavi or Namibia for that matter.  You would think that in these past three months that my innocence in such matters would have been shattered but my unyielding faith in man blindsided me yet again.

Me: Where is the owl?

Supervisor:  See, there… (Pointing) He’s sitting on the roof of the food program shed.  I hit him with the slingshot and now his leg is broken.

Me: What?!?  Why would you do that?  Owls are a positive attribute to the ecosystem and some species are endangered. 

Supervisor’s Wife: Yes, we do have an endangered owls in Namibia. 

Me: Then why are you trying to kill it?

Supervisor: It’s too loud at night.  It keeps me awake.  Plus I thought it was going to try and eat the chickens.

Me: It’s not a vulture; owls don’t eat chickens. 

Supervisor: (Walking closer to the owl, takes aim, and hits the majestic white feathered creature again with a rock from the slingshot.)  You might want to go back inside, you probably don’t want to see how this ends. 

Me: (Mouth agape, unable to process the horror of the situation) In the back of my mind a constant refrain kept playing a discordant tune, ‘Happy 3 months at site.  We killed a defenseless woodland creature for you’.

Fortunately the owl managed to fly away, probably to his slow, painful, and untimely death at the hands of my supervisor.  I hope my supervisor rests easy knowing that he won’t have the gentle coos of the owl to keep him awake tonight. 

The following email is from Senator Leahy regarding the Peace Corps Expansion Act funding vote.  Though the bill didn’t pass, his office’s response to those who contacted him encouraging him to get the bill moved forward is definitely interesting and worth a read. I’ll refrain from sharing my opinion and let you draw your own conclusions from Senator Leahy’s statement.    

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: <Senator_Leahy@leahy.senate.gov>
Date: Thu, Jul 16, 2009 at 1:26 PM
Subject: From Senator Patrick Leahy
 
Thank you for contacting me about funding for the Peace Corps. As Chairman of the Appropriations subcommittee that funds foreign assistance programs, I have recommended $373,440,000 for the Peace Corps for fiscal year 2010, which is equal to the amount requested by President Obama and is $33,440,000 above the fiscal year 2009 level.
 
I strongly support the mission of the Peace Corps, which can be as relevant today in promoting American values abroad as it was when it was founded almost a half century ago. But the world has changed significantly since then, and the Peace Corps needs to adapt to the 21st Century. However, past efforts by the subcommittee to encourage the Peace Corps to reform and make better use of resources have been ignored. A new Director with a new vision, who recognizes the need for reform, supports transparency, and seeks a constructive relationship with Congress, is urgently needed.
 
I am aware that some have called for a large increase in funding above the amount requested by the President for fiscal year 2010 in order to send volunteers to new countries. Very few of such countries are safe enough or otherwise ready to host volunteers, and there are hundreds of volunteers currently serving in countries with little if any strategic importance to the United States who could be used more effectively. At a time of intense pressures on a limited budget, each volunteer costs the U.S. Government $50,000 a year. Each dose of vaccine for measles, a virus which threatens hundreds of millions of children in poor countries and needlessly kills 200,000 children annually, costs a few dollars. This is but one of the many difficult funding choices our subcommittee faced, yet the recommendation for the Peace Corps is the largest percentage increase in the Peace Corps’ budget since 1993. I and other members of the subcommittee believe that reform, not dramatic increases in funding in a single year, is the Peace Corps’ most urgent need.
 
I expect to recommend additional increases in funding to support the goal of doubling the Peace Corps, including sending more volunteers to countries with large Muslim populations, once it is clear that a new Director is providing the leadership that the Peace Corps needs.
 
Again, thank you for contacting me.
 
PATRICK LEAHY
United States Senator