Death in holidays, including Rev. Greg Garmer

Death during the holiday season carries an extra weight of tragedy. The gunning-down of the health insurance CEO in NYC has had the surprising result of picking off the scab of discontent so many of us have with health insurance. My, how this has bubbled to the surface over the past few days. 

So much of news is predictable. But occasionally we're surprised by something that raises awareness in a particular way. And of course we could have elected Bernie Sanders back in 2016. That option was clearly out there. Not only was that not followed, we went the completely opposite way. And then we did the same thing again this year. But now we're seeing an uptick in public comments on how health insurance companies are hosing us? Next we'll read the Pope is Catholic? 

And of course the most surprising thing are the people who unabashedly think the killing was good and appropriate. You'd expect such people to be shouted down in the arena of public comment. I mean, because of civility. The most significant thing to be noticed now is that this is not happening. Obviously there has been some condemnation of the gleeful voices. But not overwhelming, not enough to intimidate a lot of the people who it would seem "stepped over a line." 

No, the gleeful response has been countenanced by a great many. If you're among those who take seriously the factual claims about all the suffering and even deaths caused by insurance companies being cold and callous, well I think some understanding is called for. Understand the resentment that can be so bitter, many of us shrug and become glib addressing a cold-blooded murder. 

I can fully understand such thinking. May God have mercy on the guy's soul? Well, maybe those are the words that should be spoken. 

But we the public could have demanded changes to the system long ago. Don't we have the power through voting? The V.A. system provides the kind of health care that all Americans should get. Some of us even have trouble dealing with Medicare sometimes. While our government sends billions overseas to interests like Israel and Ukraine. I wish Israel would just dissolve. Think of the relief that would come for all of us. No more religious state of Israel. 

But it looks like no one is more pro-Israel that our incoming president. And why? DJT's own religious zeal? Make me laugh. A key base of his support is from the evangelicals who consider Israel the fulfillment of Biblical prophecy. 

Now, DJT could well add eggbeater to troubled waters over there. Americans do not want their country drawn into another foreign maelstrom, I assure you. But we vote for the strangest things. We have now elected a president who not long ago called for the repeal of "Obamacare." Republicans were actually caught off guard by that, like Senator John Cornyn. 

But Republicans do not drift away much from anything their leader proclaims, their leader who has been found responsible in a legitimate legal proceeding for sexual assault. And God knows how many other infractions. 

This is our choice: someone who we all know is not going to be a friend to make health care more accessible and affordable. Even "normal" Republicans would not do this for us. But "normal" Republicans may have faded into memory.

 

Pastor Garmer

The Rev. Gregory Garmer

I'm writing this post inspired by death this morning (Sunday) because of sad news I heard at Caribou Coffee just now. We have lost a former pastor at Faith Lutheran Church of west Morris. I hadn't thought of Rev. Greg Garmer for some time. Warm memories come back now. 

I also remember his wife with whom I worked when I put together the "Voice of the Villa" flyer which you periodically found with your Morris newspaper. I like to remind people how active I once was as a journalist here. I left the paper in 2006 which in my mind seems not that long ago, but it surely is. I had the pleasure of knowing nearly all local pastors in my "halcyon days" as it were. 

Since 2006 I have made so few new friends, sad. My Christmas list for email greetings has become considerably shorter because people have left us for the hereafter. It used to be so fun exchanging emails with friends like Dave Wente, for example. 

I heard about Rev. Garmer's passing from Kelvin Tschetter at Caribou this a.m. So tragic how he died: ice skating in a bay along Lake Superior, falling through the ice. We must never underestimate the danger of water. And to have this happen so close to Christmas: especially tragic. 

Sometimes when you hear of an sold friend's death, your first thought is about some trivial little thing that happened between the two of you once. So I'm remembering a Glenwood Waterama parade. For years I'd take a few photos of Morris people there, publish them in Morris paper. I had a habit of walking along the parade route, looking around. So I came upon Pastor Garmer and we exchanged friendly greetings. Then he said with gimlet eye, "well Brian, I see you're workin' the crowd." 

Rev. Gregory Garmer, RIP. Season's greetings to his family and friends.

Pastor Garmer had such a breezy and relaxed nature, put you at ease.

  

- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com