American Views Abroad

 
The US Consulate's Christmas Tree Lighting took place early yesterday evening in a pensive, somber mood. The Consulate here has a long history going back to 1790 and the buildings it owns are exquisite ones on a lakeside in the middle of the city with an interesting history as well http://hamburg.usconsulate.gov/hamburg/history.html. Americans residing here long term recalled last evening how much has changed over the years. Placing a huge tree on the enormous balcony started in 1951 as a sign of peace and light in duster times following the Second World War. Some years saw huge crowds standing till the edge of the lake to watch the lighting. Enormous security and barriers now keep the Consulate at arms length from the general public and yesterday about 650 people were there. A rough personal estimate would put the crowds immediately following 9/11 at the very least three times that number. In 2001 it took well over 45 minutes to make one's way into the building, yesterday it was about 15 minutes. The ceremony that year was an intense and emotional one www.aca.ch/acan110.htm#itemC.

Children, more to the point, those children suffering from life threatening illness were the center of attention at the Lighting this year and rightly so. Each year a prominent citizen is invited to switch on the lights and this year there were three representatives from the children's hospice, Sternenbruecke. www.sternenbruecke.de The director of this hospice was one of them and she recalled how the Consul General spent an afternoon with the children there and welcomed the opportunity to return his visit on this evening and to have an information table set up at the reception afterwards.

Children are so often the forgotten victims of illness, war and politics. Parents confronted with an extremely ill child with little to no chance of recovery are often so devastated by the reality and overwhelmed when left alone caring for the child. Yesterday, however, other children came to mind as well. There are the thousands of Iraqi children who have been killed or seriously injured as well as all the children of the 16,000 single parents now serving in the US military in Iraq. www.truthout.org/docs_2006/112406X.shtml. Too, too many children are being forgotten and traumatized in this season nominally dedicated to peace and good will.
- posted by Gloria @ 6:02 PM