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YourHub.com \\ Vero Beach \\ Stories \\ Sound Off \\ Letter to the Editor

Breaking our addictions to oil and power

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Contributed by: Gregory Wilson on 2/13/2007

Letter to editor

I have been working professionally in the field of addiction recovery (as a Pastoral Counselor/Psychotherapist) for over 20 years. When President Bush admitted to our country's addiction to oil, I felt a faint glimmer of hope, because we can only begin recovery after realizing the addiction exists.

The addiction that the President identified becomes clearer as the cost of our dependency results in debt that interferes with the well-being of the citizens in our society. The federal deficit amounts to each household in the United States being $440,000 in debt. When a person goes into debt and risks losing home, family, and everything else that is characterized by a sober way of life, loved ones will intervene. If intervention does not work, responsibility is taken away from the person so that injuries to others will stop. We disguised our dependency on oil as manifested by our presence in Iraq as a fight for democracy. That veil has become very thin. The Iraq Study Group Report was an intervention into the addictive the way of life. President Bush has put people around him who reinforce the addictive thinking and behavior, strengthening the addiction, putting more lives at stake, going into greater debt, and forfeiting the welfare of the nation. We do not see any response moving in the direction of the interventions suggested by Baker and Hamilton. "If you keep doing the same thing expecting different results..."

Our tax dollars are being spent to enhance this addiction, rather than investing into the lives of the people that pay the taxes. It is like a crack addict standing in front of the teller machine with unlimited money. The crack addict will lose everything they've worked for, including their way of life. The way of life that is at stake when our nation is an addict is our democracy. When we see an addict becoming more controlling, we know that pain is great and something tragic is going to happen. The governing body for the last six years has put control into the executive branch as never before. Signing statements release the president from any boundaries that Congress tries to impose. Intensifying the war robs the people of this nation of well-being which the president, under oath, swore he would not do. Each citizen needs to join in some type of intervention to our government. The transition from addiction to abstinence to recovery is painful and sacrifices are made. We must be ready to sacrifice and experience the pain of withdrawal from the addictions of our government and our nation. Some laughed when President Bush called our nation an addict, because we know it is true and we cannot bear our own shame. We need to begin recovery. Secrecy needs to end, and the addictive behavior needs to stop. Each of us needs to be of sober mind and be part of the effort to bring well-being back to our communities and our nation.

Dr. Rev. Gregory Van Wilson

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