Mother's Day, And Senator Harkin's Meth Treatment Bill

I just finished reading the “different kind of Mother’s Day” story from the Iowa Press-Citizen online page and wanted to make a few comments.
First, thanks to the Press-Citizen for running another nice story with good people instead of the usual bad people, bad things happening stories.
I recommend you all go to the story to read the entire text, but I shall give a brief recap of it.
A 31 year old woman named Maur-ine Orwa is not a mother. Miss Orwa is a sister who helped raise her three younger brothers after he mother died in 1995. Miss Orwa is from Kenya and was encouraged to come here for an education by her relatives right after her mother died, so she could do better in her life. Some time after that her father found he was too busy working to care for the three boys and they were sent to live with her in this country.
Her youngest brother was 6 and the oldest 11, so she had quite a lot to handle with taking care of them and with her continuing to attend college for her higher degrees.
Miss Orwa’s comments upon arriving in Iowa in 1999 were totally appropriate. She said Iowa is crazy cold and obviously a great difference from her homeland, but she stayed and continued her education and is currently in a doctoral program which was completed Saturday as she received a Ph.D in Community and Behavioral Health from University of Iowa’s College of Liberal Arts and Science.
She found the task of raising her brothers quite daunting what with trying to make rules and not go overboard between being a “mother” and a sister. She made sure they ate properly, did their homework and everything else one expects of a mother and from the story it sounds like she did a fine job.
Her father died in 2005 not able to see her receive her Masters degrees and was sad that he could not be here. Miss Orwa and her brothers can be proud of how well they have turned out and it is befitting to honor this young woman with this special story.
May we wish Miss Orwa and her brothers happy lives as they are truly people to be looked upon with goodness and respect for them having graced our fair city. Anyone who reads this story cannot help but be the better for having read and heard the message she leaves to think about others, sometimes before yourself. It is a good message in these times when it seems everything is about self, to know that there are others out there who want to help, whether it be a relative, a friend , or even a total stranger, if they are in need.
I know it is one of my strange concepts to think about others first, but what can I say other than it seems to work out pretty well. There is the occasional person who takes advantage of it, but that is part of the practice of believing that most people are good. Do a random act of kindness and see what a positive effect it will have on that person and what a positive effect it will have on you. After that you might even want to take the training wheels off and do it all the time. What’s the harm, the worst that can happen is that you do not like feeling good about yourself and then just go back to your old way of thinking and write it off as another bad idea.
I hope more people will write the press-citizen about positive people who have raised them, or helped them in some way and we can all share in the happiness that this kind of news would generate.
May everyone Mother have a wonderful Mother’s Day with their children and may all of the children appreciate their Mother’s whether living or dead. My mother is dead and I think how much better she should have been treated when she was alive and hope that others will read this and think about how they treat their mother’s. If you are not treating her well you still have time to change, because thinking back on it often after she is gone is no way to remember her.
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In another bit of light into dark corner thinking I just finished reading a story about how Senator Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, is promoting new initiatives in the fight against methamphetamine.
Senator Harkin introduced the Methamphetamine Abuse Treatment and Prevention Act in the U.S. Senate on Thursday, and was in Cedar Rapids and Des Moines to discuss his ideas with law enforcement and drug treatment professionals Saturday.
The premise of the Harkin bill is that every dollar spent on treatment and prevention of meth abuse will lead to a $7 savings in the end. His goal is to increase family- and
jail-based treatment, and disassemble barriers to drug treatment for individuals.
Senator Harkin said Saturday ``With proper treatment, meth addicts can recover and go on to lead productive lives,'' to a group of around 15 drug treatment and law enforcement officials. He added that the problem with current treatment programs is that individuals often spend less than a month there, when four to six months minimum is necessary.
Ideas were discussed to encourage treated users to stay off of the highly-addictive
drug, including making sure they receive professional training at places like Kirkwood Community College, or at least get a GED.
This is an approach which should be pursued as vigorously as law enforcement, because without treatment these messed up people are going to end up in a the revolving door of prison once they have gotten to a certain point in their addicted lives.
I am sure we all know or know someone who knows a person who has used or been used up by methamphetamine or other hard substance. You may even have tried to intervene with no success. These people get in such a state of mind that there is nothing else that they live for, but the rush that this drug gives them even as it is destroying their body and mind. I remember reading an article a long time ago about how methamphetamine works on the brain and that it creates a physical need more so that any other drug.
I think the heavy emphasis on law enforcement is necessary for the people who make methamphetamine, but I believe that treatment is much more essential than locking them in already over crowded prisons. If they need to be locked up it should be in “prison-like” treatment centers, but not in actual prisons were they are mixed in with other prisoners who do things to others. Many of the addicts do commit other crimes and should be treated accordingly, but many of these addicts are merely hurting themselves and those who care about them.
Good luck to Senator Harkin in pushing his bill through and having it implemented and the sooner the better. Let your politicians know that we need more treatment and urge them to vote for the bill. Thanks!!