09.07.05
A Lot of Wind
In any crisis the primary concern should be to rescue those who are in danger. It is also important to provide food, shelter, and medical assistance for those who need it. In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, while people are suffering in the Gulf States, liberal Democrats have taken the opportunity to do some jaw-jacking and lip-smacking about who’s to blame. This isn’t the time for accusing people of ineptness, racism, willful misconduct, greed, or even a lack of concern for the environment. There will always be plenty of time to contemplate what went wrong. After all it’s a whole lot easier to look back and see what should’ve, could’ve, would’ve been done if only…
At the risk of doing the very thing I’m criticizing others of, here are some ideas of what I would have liked to see:
1) Mayor Nagin should have ordered an evacuation on Saturday when it was clear that a category 5 hurricane was headed towards New Orleans.
2) Governor Blanco needed to authorize the Federal Government to come in and assist rather than delaying. Thousands of troops were ready to come in but were not allowed. Imagine what people would have said if president Bush ordered them to go into a sovereign state in spite of the governor’s wishes.
3) It would have been more helpful for mayor Nagin to offer some strong leadership to the citizens of his city that were suffering tremendously. I don’t believe cursing and accusing the president and others of total failure was the answer. These type of tactics anger people and induce fear among those trying to survive and escape. I compare this to how Rudy Giuliani handled the tragedy of September 11, 2001. He did it with calmness, gave clear directions, and showed leadership that has rarely been seen in such horrific circumstances. It’s important to exude confidence and an optimism that everything will be okay. It’s also crucial that the facts are not held back but that they are presented in a manner that doesn’t terrify people.
4) There were 205 school buses that, according to the City of New Orleans own emergency response plan, were ready to go. I simply ask, why were they not used?
5) There should have been food and water at the Superdome since Mayor Nagin told people to go there.
6) President Bush should have commented sooner. That would have helped bring some assurance that help was on the way and perhaps even eased some of the fears. While I have a great deal of respect for this president, and he’s done many wonderful things, I do think he was a little late in this instance. Keep in mind that the disaster recovery was already well under way, so a speech from the president of the United States would have just helped people have a more positive outlook.
7) All the accusations about racism have done one thing for sure: they have further eroded one of the creeds of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. that we not judge people by the color of their skin but by the content of their character. The rhetoric that has taken place the last couple of days has only served to assure that we DO focus on the color of one’s skin. I prefer that we look at other human beings as people. To me it doesn’t matter what race someone is, what gender, what religion, or even financial status. If there’s a disaster I don’t say, “Oh, those poor black people.” Instead I focus on the suffering of them as individuals. My compassion extends to all people, and race doesn’t even enter my thoughts when I’m writing a check to help someone or in some other way offering assistance. The only reason race comes into the equation is from liberals labeling it as such. Isn’t it time we got past this?
How can you help?
1) Pray for the families in all areas. Pray that they will not lose hope. Pray that rescue workers will find people still stranded. Let’s not forget about all the animals that are still trapped with no food or water (that’s acceptable to drink). Also pray that officials at all levels make the right choices that will positively impact the greatest number of people.
2) Give generously to well-known charities such as The Salvation Army, The Red Cross, Convoy of Hope - just to name a few.
3) If you can, take some time off work and head down there. Maybe you’re retired or between jobs and can join the people helping out in the areas devastated by this hurricane. I would love to be able to physically go to the affected area and help. Just to be able to hand out supplies like food and water, help people get to safety, hug a kid who’s scared and maybe even give him a stuffed animal, would be a great honor.
BTW - I’m just getting started at this and hopefully I will get better. Thanks for reading.