Friday, September 02, 2005

Still dumbfounded

I just cannot believe the hurricane damage. It does put my root canals in perspective, if there's a siler lining at all. I've been listening and watching news, and it just breaks my heart. It sickens me, I mean the vomit is right at the back of my throat.

I don't know if anyone I know's heard the desperate interview the mayor of New Orleans gave a radio interviewer, but it was really dead on and moving. He said he needed help not news conferrences. He said while people are trying to spin the situation and appear that they're doing something, people are dying on the street. He also put looting in perspective, saying there are some "knucklehead" taking advantage of the situation, but most people are looting to get water, juice, food, diapers... I mean, is this America?! The mayor also talked about the drug use in his city and that now he has people jonesing and breaking into hospitals and pharmacies to get a fix. Those are probably the freaks shooting at doctors trying to evacuate.

That mayor was so candid and REAL it really touched me. He said people needed to get off their asses. He even went on to say he just didn't care if he pissed off the wrong people or ruined his political career, he said he was beyond caring for himself. By the end both he and the interviewer just broke down when they faced the fact that New Orleans as we knew it was gone.

Jolene remembers my last New Orleans trip (flying benets), and I'm sad that Mike had never gotten to go. But the reality is that this could happen anywhere. If it wasn't Mother Nature, it could be a terrorist. And people are not wanting to blame people, and while I agree we gotta save people, but there had better be blame and they'd better fire some people for this fiasco. If this country's too proud to face up to the decisions that made this natural disaster and unnatural catastrophe, then we'll be doomed to repeat the mistakes.

I'm just praying that we learn our lesson now.

2 comments:

Jolene said...

I had almost pushed that Spring Break out of my mind... Almost.

Regan said...

I've never taken that much benedryl since then! (or have run over anyone else's toes...*whistles*)

Well, when they've rebuilt New Orleans, maybe we can grab the guys that did work out for us and meet up there :)