The turkey at my doorstep.

I have a sick wild turkey that hangs out in my yard.
She has lost her left eye, and has what appear to be tumors on one leg, making it difficult to walk.
She also has restrictions in her throat, making it difficult to swallow.
She’s been hanging out at my garage lately.
This scraggly turkey, is all alone in a threatening world.
Likely she was blinded during her expulsion from the flock.
She is especially vulnerable to prey, the other turkeys have shunned her because she will attract predators.

She pecks at the corn kernels I have thrown out for her, then flops down, to sun in my driveway.
She drinks rainwater out of a upturned garbage can lid (pictured).
Why am I writing about this pitiful turkey?
Because I know what her future holds.
The world is a cruel place for an ailing animal.
It is the nature of things in the wild, the weak and ill, get eaten up.
My sick hobbled turkey will not survive this winter.
This makes me sad to see into her future plight.
I only hope her death comes relatively quickly, by some adept predator.
It feels odd to think of this as merciful.

We all have something in common with this turkey.
We are all vulnerable in our lives.
We all need safety and security.
We need the ability to feed ourselves, and take care of our bodies to keep from getting sick.

I have empathy for this turkey’s life situation.
People can feel the pain of others pain.
Here’s something I don’t understand….
There are 45,000 people dying every year in America because they didn’t have affordable health care.
Many of these deaths could have been prevented by readily available treatments and proper health screening.
One would think we humans could do a lot better than just a “survival of the fittest” ethic.
Where is our own sense mercy?
Where is the humanity in human?
If we want to, we can all see our future plight.
Death is at the end of the road for all of us, but it is always more tragic when it is unnecessary and preventable.
Sadly…
There are people fighting against making health care affordable and available in America right now.

The health care industry is spending nearly $700,000 a day fighting health care reform.
Misguided ideologues who would rather spend tax dollars on wars, than health care for their neighbor or themselves, are fighting against their own basic self interest.
It is unfortunate that we have the medical skills, the means, and obvious needs, but not the will or the compassion to get basic health care to every American.
Is this the way we want things to be?
Who out there should be shunned because they are sick?
Who out there should die because they cannot afford health care?
Who should decide that fate?

Please contact your state Representative by clicking here.
Tell them you want them to have the guts to stand up for REAL health care reform.
My turkey has no choice in her fate.
We do have choice in ours…
Let’s not be turkeys.