We Are With You, Big Easy
All of America is in pain at witnessing the tragedy that has unfolded in New Orleans, "The Big Easy". The city of interesting repute, a city of unique culture in our country, the product of French, Spanish, Caribbean, and Native settlement; New Orleans now suffers through the worst natural (and partially man-made) disaster in our history. If anyone has questioned the ineptitude of our president, there should now be no question as to the pitiful response to this tragedy by our befuddled leader. We have supposedly prepared ourselves for disaster in our cities, waiting for the attack by Al-Quaeda or by its allies. Well, disaster has struck a great American city, and the world witnessed the lack of response to immediate needs, or even any sort of pre-planning for disaster,by our leadership.
What if Al-Quaeda had blown open the levees which have now flooded 80% of the city, instead of the levees being overwhelmed by storm surges? You see the response preparedness that currently exists in the federal government to national disaster, and I would say that you can expect the same amount of preparedness in your own locality, should disaster befall there. People are dying, on a daily basis, due to the lack of response and aid on the part of authorities and government entities. It seems that we have only ourselves to rely upon if disaster should ever visit where we live, and perhaps hopefully each other, as federal assistance will be late to never in coming to the rescue. I sincerely hope that George W. Bush will be impeached and removed from office, upon a congressional investigation as to his derelict and despicable lack of leadership and response to this tragedy. Why does it take several days for the man to visit the helpless and homeless in the Gulf area? Is it because many of those affected, those too poor to escape the area, and especially those of the city of New Orleans, are lower class, and are black? I cannot imagine a predominantly white, upscale community being hit in this way, being ignored in the same fashion. Simply not fathomable.
We pray for you, New Orleans, as well for Biloxi and Gulfport, and the rest of the Gulf area. Those of us who cannot get there to help have sent our money, and I believe that Americans (that is, the people) will do whatever it takes to get the Big Easy and the Gulf region back on its feet again.
posted by Frank at 5:14 PM
3 Comments:
I dont know if I can speak on this, Im so upset, it doesnt come out coherently. I wrote about what is happening on the gulf coast in my journal, but I ended up with pages of...anger, and disbelief and I just dont understandness. The lip flapping, the- "tell you what Im gonna do". The aid that is coming, and coming, and almost there, and... nothing.
There's not even anything to fake. There's just nothing.
Well, let me not be totally ungrateful, I did see soliders handing out bottles of water to people who havent eaten in 5 days, so, that should be commended right? How spoiled am I to be complaining?
The people and things that are being turned away because no one knows what to do with it.
The fact that there was no plan for this, is what shocks and scares the hell out of me, because I finally realized how unprotected we are here. A flood comes, and more than half of a city is almost completely wiped out, and...no one knows what to do. What the hell?
There is enough authority to have people searching my bag to enusre I am not carrying a bomb to blow people into smithereens, yet God sends some rain, and everyone runs around like chickens with no heads. This doesnt make sense to me.
People living and dying in the streets, and no one knows what to do with aid?
You know...the problem is that there arent enough mothers in government. Moms would know exactly what should be done here, and how to take care of those people.
Have you heard from your tia?
It is so shocking, to find that no organization, no plan, existed for this tragedy, which everyone new would hit New Orleans someday. They knew the hurricane was coming days in advance, yet no preparations for evacuation of a predominantly poor and minority population seems to have been in place. I'm hearing a lot of stories about how FEMA has been "privatized" in recent years (essentially awarding the big bucks contracts to the Bush cronies, once again), so that we now have Bush's "bidness" buddies, with no disaster training or backround, running (or not) the show.
My tia called and lft. a msg. at my place the other day, and later that day she reached my mom. My aunt happened to be on vacation in Florida at this time, but she told my mother that they had lost everything in New Orleans. I'm not sure how she knows that, but apparently, she does. It seems that my tia's kids made it out ok also, and are safe, but I don't know too much more about that.
This is so numbing; it seems like one of those disaster movies, where you watch and say, that could never really happen, but yet it has. We need change in this country so badly; I only hope that eyes will open, and changes will come.
Im glad you heard from her. Looks like this is going to be a very long road ahead...for everyone.
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