12:44 p.m. - 2005-09-02
now.
So, you know me...always up for a political debate, spiritual debate, debate over which is the superior breakfast cereal (which is clearly Honey Bunches of Oats with Almonds.)
But I'm really weirded out by how a hurricane that made lots of people dead and is still making lots of people desperate and hungry and hot and homeless and scared and thirsty and panicked and worried and helpless...a hurricane that devestated a significant part of our country...somehow, it has become a political debate.
What's the argument? How can you defend the resource controllers witholding the resources from the people who need it? How can you defend slow, lagging action that is costing lives by the minute? How can you not be critical that we don't have enough troops and helicopters and gas....because we're using them halfway across the world. Who would defend that? Because of loyalty to a party?
I know it's easier to day, being on the side that I am on....the side that doesn't fully support our president, I guess is what I'll call my side today.
But I've heard so many atrocious comments in the last couple of days.
"Why didn't they just leave when they were told to?"
(The issue of people not having resourced like we do has been adequately covered now, I hope.)
"Why don't they just leave now and go to a family members in another state?"
(Has it occured to this commenter that some people don't have relatives anywhere but Louisiana or MIssissippi? Has it occurred to them that even if they did, what are they doing to do with two small children? WALK there?)
"Why is the government responsible to save their asses now? People just shouldn't live near the coast."
(Remember that next time your family wants to visit the beach or any coastal town and consider how many service people living nearby it took to make everything during your vacation happen.)
When the Mayor or New Orleans, a first term Democrat, is begging and pleading and swearing at the President and Governer for help...when doctors beg reporters to "tell them to send us help now or we won't make it" in filthy hospitals with no electricity or running water, how can we just take the resource contorllers at their word that they are "doing everything they can" and that "help is on the way"?
I know help is on the way and that some has reached it's destination. But why not right away? Immediately? They knew this storm was coming for days. For years, there has been ongoing research on "what if" scenarios of big storms hitting the coast in this region. They knew. There should have been a plan enacted a week ago.
If reporters have been getting into these places the entire time...why not emergency workers? Why not water and food? Why not security? Why not generators? Why did babies have to be kept alive by nurses fighting exhaustion as they hand-operated life support systems as the generators waned and halted?
This hurricane is our fault, if you ask a meteorologist. Global warming raises water temperatures. Unusually warm temperatures in the Gulf are the reason for more and bigger hurricanes. One of the biggest contributers to the depletion of the ozone layer? Air Conditioning. Who has air conditioning? Rich people. Who is stuck down there, at the mercy of our government's inadequate response to this tragedy that may well have had a hand in causing...the poor people.
I admit my part. I live in a third story apartment that feels like sitting in a toaster oven during the hot summer months. And you can bet I blast that window unit all night long when it's really hot. The fact is, I didn't even know until recently that A/C contributed to this problem. But my response, once informed, was minimal, I admit. I don't have a good excuse here...I just felt I should admit my own selfishness in this case.
I guess I just don't see any side of this, except that anything less than full, immediate delivery of food, water, medical supplies, transportation to safer areas and shelter is totally unacceptable. It's not political. It's the only course of action. And demanding it on behalf of those in need is our duty.
Believe it or not, I do realize that there is information I am not privvy to and complicatins I don't understand. But you know what? I'd rather make a stink and collectively crack the whip to get that shit there faster and find out later there were some difficulties I overlooked. I'd rather yell and scream on behalf of hungry, overwhelmed, poor people than spend my time defending the president and his polished crew as they glide over the infested, diseased waters in their air conditioned, pristine jet. I'd rather be wrong in the end because I fanatically advocated for the helpless without all of the facts than sat back and trusted the administration with "doing he best they can." Maybe blogging about this is arrogant. I noticed a couple of bloggers have taken the "I am inadequate to address this topic" stance. The truth, of course, is that I am inadequate too. And maybe it's totally useless. I'd go down there but they don't want untrained volunteers, and I'm not sure I could afford the gas money. I am sending some money to The Salvation Army. Is there anything else to do besides send your thoughts to the president?
President George W. Bush 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Washington, DC 20500-0001 Phone: (202) 456-1414
