Disclaimer: The following article is the sole opinion of Arthur Helms. ZWN and it's affiliates do not influence, endorse nor are accountable for Mr. Helms opinions.

The holiday season is a time where we like to hear, nay, need to hear, good news. Miami is coming under control again, with many residents reportedly able to return to their homes and try to pick back up with their lives before ringing in the New Year. The situation could have turned out a hell of a lot worse had it followed the pattern of outbreaks in other countries. Thankfully, with the steadfast, consistent reaction of Florida authorities, Guardsmen, civil services and the patience of the populace, they’re almost home. We’ve been tested here, folks, and America has proved to itself and the rest of the world that it has the intelligence, technology and resolve to deal with a dangerous outbreak condition in a heavily populated urban area. And that, to me, is a Christmas gift to us all. But, did we learn anything else from 2007? Let’s review, shall we?

We learned that we are not immune to irrational fear as evidenced by the emergence of Necro-terrorists not only in the Middle East but right here in our own backyard. We learned that not all of these terrorists operate in clandestine cells wielding Necro-Mortosis along with their bullets and bombs in the name of religion and hate. Sometimes, they guise themselves in suits, ties and pancake make-up, wielding Necro-Mortosis along with their own preferred weapons of video camera and microphone in the name of ratings and money. Hopefully, we’ve also learned that we can stop that kind of terrorist easily and simply just by changing the channel.

We learned that no matter how terrible any size outbreak we may have experienced was to us, there are places in the world, Romania being but one, where dozens, even hundreds, of infected human beings lay strapped to gurneys or locked in cells with nothing more to look forward to than a slow and lingering death and un-life. And through this we learned there are people in those facilities that must, daily, destroy these innocent victims of the plague, perhaps losing a small bit of their souls and humanity each time they must let the hammer fall.

We learned that Necro-Mortosis can strike anywhere, any time on land, air and sea. We learned that when we fail to plan for the plague, we plan to fail. We learned that some of our favorite vacation activities like hiking, skiing and ocean cruises can become death traps if they are not properly safeguarded and planned for. And maybe, just maybe, we learned that we need to make our plans and strategies for such worst-case scenarios before they happen.


We learned there are people in this country that give of themselves every day to help those grieving the loss of loved ones to the plague, and we learned there are those that give tirelessly of their time and money to fund outreach and education programs.

We learned there are brave men and women out there that are willing to give every ounce of themselves to bring you the real story of the plague. Not just the sanitized, clinical definition of the dead but the real human story of perhaps the greatest challenge we as a race have ever known. Sadly, we also learned that sometimes they give all to the cause, their lives sacrificed so the world will know just how great that challenge is.
But as the old year winds down and the new toddles its way into being, I hope everyone will take away at least this one lesson of 2007. In 2007, we learned that the plague takes no prisoners. It gives no quarter, and it doesn’t care who you are. It is my sincerest hope that along with that, we learn from our enemy, adopt their rules of engagement and make 2008 the year we go after it with everything we have. If we can pull together and do that, maybe my column for the close of 2008 will have only one lesson to learn, to remember; How to win.

Wishing you the best of the season,

Art

Arthur Helms is a syndicated columnist who has dealt with a host of social and political issues. His previous syndicated column, “Logic, Please?” offered commentary on a host of world-view issues as seen through the cold yet bright light of plain logic, demonstrated fact and simple common sense.

While the academic and political elite often dismissed his commentary as “too simplistic” for our complicated times, his books of collected columns and hundreds of national speaking engagements each year attest to his connection to a readership yearning for simple answers to complex issues. Helms recently ended his syndicated column to sign on exclusively with Zombie World News, providing a fresh, logical,
plain-English view of the plague and to bring some common sense to what many perceive to be a senseless situation.

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