Although there are ample references for the rest of the assertions in
your post, Anonymous, I can't find any resource which lists anything near
the adult illiteracy rate quoted for Camden, NJ.  Resources, please?
 
That's not to say that improving literacy where needed is not a good
project.  It certainly is.  Like the good done when teens try to decrease
the market for fur pelts by educating their peers for the optimal impact
which only teens themselves can provide, literacy projects are also a
wonderful example of "Think Globally, Act Locally." and of how much
difference one person can make.  That is also true for those who educate
new ferret people to avoid common mistakes, those who make sure that vets
can access new health information for ferrets, and those who otherwise do
some good deeds in this world, those who work their tails off to make
fora available (like Bill Gruber does), those who provide very helpful
websites, those who advance fields of knowledge even when doing so is on
their own time and their own dime, etc.
 
Just because there are other needs does not lessen those people's hard
work; it just points out that others also need to devote some time to
helping try to improve things in this world.
 
Yes, I do agree that sometimes noticing things we find painful elsewhere
provide distractions from what we can do to improve conditions in our
own neighborhood.  Certainly, the topic of fitch fur farms and pelting
are not reserved for overseas anymore than any other painful topic is,
whether discrimination based upon a range of factors, substandard
education (Education is greatly worsening in the U.S.  in science in the
most of the nation, in math in too many places, in the arts in too many
places, and in range of resources which can be used in history and in
English in too many places, and teaching to the tests is only worsening
conditions.), the lack of medical care for large segments of the
population, humane legislation, mutilation, greatly restricted news
coverage in the most popular media and as a result under-informed voters
too likely to believe anything that gets repeated often enough even if
without truth, etc.  There are a lot of problems we need to tackle at
home.  The fitch fur market -- growing and killing domestic ferrets for
fur -- is one of the things we can tackle somewhat on a local basis
through peer education creating a disgust for the final product, and by
seeking to get domestic ferret pelts included with domestic cat and
domestic dogs pelts as illegal for garment use.
 
There are, of course, so many more things needing attention, too, which
is why the involvement of more people is needed.
 
Not everyone can devote a lot of time and not everyone will share the
same foci, but the first is expected and the second is a good thing.  If
most people would just do a bit -- just a little something each day or
each week -- instead of expecting more and more work from those who
already devote a lot of hours to doing what they can then so much more
could be achieved in this world.
 
It doesn't necessarily matter which project a person undertakes to help
the world as long as it is not intolerant, otherwise destructive or
violent.  What matters is that more people take on some of the work
themselves instead of expecting others to do so.
 
In our ferret community and outside it we can all learn from the words
of Margaret Mead who wrote
"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can
change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
 
A person can't set out to save the world, though, because none of us
can do that, but when we do a good deed, whether for another person or
another species, instead of just tut-tutting then we move things a bit
in the right direction and we inspire those who are helped or see the
help to also try doing something good.  Every good act creates a lot of
good the originator never knows about, and a number of heart felt thanks
which are never verbalized (though sometimes it sure would help the
cycle if they were).
 
So, from Steve and from me to all of the people here who devote time
every week or every day to help ferrets, to help ferret people, or to
help someone else: Thank you.
[Posted in FML issue 4816]