2 year Anniversary
I was going to do some sort of post on the anniversary of Katrina striking the Gulf Coast 2 years ago. But, I did not really have anything formed in my head and it would probably have come out in some twisted spew/rant. So, let me direct you to Starrlight, who did an excellent post about it that does a good job of laying out the embarrassment it was without sounding like a crazy liberal (like some duck you know)
Do You Know What it Means to Miss New Orleans
12 comments:
I'm remembering Katrina with a contribution to the Louisiana SPCA. They did a terrific job trying to save animals, relocate critters to other shelters across the country, and reunite pets with owners. They still haven't recovered from the devastation. But they are bouncing back bravely. www.la-spca.org (BTW, I admire the cats on your sidebar each day!)
Why thank you Sparks. I was happy I put together that post before I ended up in the ER. I am ALWAYS sick around labor day hence my viewing of Katrina as it happened. It really really impacted me. Next summers road trip will take kidlet and I to NOLA where I plan to spend a couple of days volunteering. Sadly, there are folks like you and I who have been there for two years. And are still needed.
Starrlight is entitled to her opinion, although I personally find it offensive to use a plane crash (and any ensuing deaths) to make a point. She touches on some important issues. But let's remember that it was not JUST the federal government's foul-ups. This entire thing was a cluster from the get-go. An inept governor, a joke of a mayor, the list could go on and on. Finally, and I can say this because I live here and I see it, many of these people are not doing much to try to help themselves. Yes, they need money and housing, but when you go volunteer, ask how many of the people out there working with you actually lived in that neighborhood. It's a sad realization.
This is a huge subject with deep feelings. yes, the screwups began at the top and went all the way down to the bottom, but in the end, I blame the dismantling of FEMA by W to put in place men and women who had no clue what crisis management even is...
As far as WORDNERDS comment about how many actually lived in the neighborhoods, well those people were displaced to other areas of the country and had no where to live, so how can they be there to help...and now they will lose their properties to speculators...
HEY SPARKY...
I meant to add this before... I did a post last June that you might be interested in (before you found a personal seat on THE COUCH)
http://bondsbigleathercouch.blogspot.com/2006/06/rise-fall-of-fema.html
I have not been to Starlight's blog yet, but I do have to wonder as two years have past, does Kanye West still think that George Bush hates black people?
I wasn't going to wade into this one, mostly because I just don't really feel like it but...
Michael-I have no idea how Kanye feels about Bush and black people, but I was a huge fan of Kanye's before all this, so I don't hate him.
This will invite debate for many years. I only hope that all of us can learn from it. I also hope that, in time, those who are so quick to judge also realize that truly, no one can be truly prepared for a disaster of this magnitude.
I agree that many were displaced. And I hope they can be made whole again one day. But many still live in N.O. (Or here, in B.R., where they relocated to.) They have the strength and numbers to march on the capitol but can't go lift a hammer and a prybar. That's where I have a problem, Bonds.
OOps. I meant 'Bond', not Bonds.
As I said in my post, if you are offended... deal. I'd still dance and drink. As for Kanye, I loved Kanye before the comment and I love him now. He, like everyone else in this country, is entitled to his opinion.
Not meaning to inflame anything, but how about the opinion that says it's not too smart to build a city below sea level along a coastline prone to hurricanes. Also figure it's not too smart to rebuild in the same place after a storm wipes it from the face of the Earth.
As a side note, there are billboards here in Atlanta that now say, "Atlanta showed you love, now LA wants you back." and gives a phone number for help returning people to LA.
Guess we ditch half of Florida, Texas and all of Calif too? Atlanta ain't on a fault is it? Guess it would have to show a lot more people a lot more love.
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