And the dominoes fell ...

And the dominoes fell …

A volcano erupts in Iceland. Air traffic is stopped. Three hundred farmers in Africa, who depend on selling their produce to an importer/exporter who in turns sells the farmers goods throughout Europe cannot find a buyer since the planes are not flying. These 300 farmers are dependent on the daily income from selling the harvest from their labors … and the dominoes fall …

An oil rig explodes off the coast of Louisiana. Eleven workers on the oil rig are lost. 42,000 galloons of oil is leaking into the Gulf of Mexico’s waters – every day. The oil slick is 1,800 square miles and is threatening the economic mainstay of Florida – its beaches. All of this for the precious black gold in order to supply our ever increasing need for a domestic source … and the dominoes fall …

Twenty-nine miners are remembered after losing their lives working miles underground mining coal so that our homes might be heated and our power plants might continue to supply us with the energy to run our cities … and the dominoes fall …

An anti-immigration bill passes and is signed into law in Arizona which in turn threatens the major fern industry in Florida. Known as the Fern Capital of the World – an area stretching from DeLand to Palatka – an industry which supplies 90% of the world’s ferns used in floral arrangements – an industry that is dependent on Hispanic workers – legal or illegal – because the farmers cannot find American workers who are willing to do the hard, backbreaking work and often dangerous job - thanks to the poisonous snakes that seek out the cool, damp areas under the ferns – of a fern cutter. And the dominoes fall …

And hope looms on the horizon for the country of Haiti which is trying to emerge from the horrific earthquake which destroyed much of the country. Textiles with the label: Made in Haiti could/should be hitting our stores in the near future. 200 – the estimated number of jobs created in Port-au-Prince to fill an order for 50,000 “Choose Haiti” T-shirts; 70% - estimated unemployment rate in Haiti; and 69% - percentage of Haitian exports sold to the U.S. And the dominoes COULD fall …

The world in which we live is rather small. What happens in part of the world does effect – often drastically – what happens in the rest of the world. The biblical question is asked, “Am I my brothers (and sisters) keeper?” and the answer is … YES! It really depends on us which way the dominoes will fall …

Quote for today: “Toomey's Rule: It is easy to make decisions on matters for which you have no responsibility.” Source unknown