As I sit here - two years after Katrina, I am amazed at the reaction of "Compassionate Conservatives" to the victims of that disaster. The level of such hate and animosity is stunning! It's almost as if that we - my family were victims also, were also responsible for 9/11!
We were more fortunate than most. We lived in rural Mississippi, I sent my wife, daughter with her two children to our older daughter in Dallas. I stayed behind; as did my daughter's husband. He was a senior police officer in Hattiesburg. He performed his duties with courage.
Even though we were 100 miles from the coast, we lost the roof of our dream house.
Businesses shut down, police and fire protection were non-existent, food, water and gasoline did not exist.
Guess what happens when businesses shut down? The local tax base disappears! Communities
had no money to spend to help restore minimal services. Employees have no paychecks to buy
necessities. Guess what happens when there is no electricity? ATMs don't work, credit cards don't work - so how do you pay?
I was lucky. I worked for a man that was a senior VP for a major corporation. He refused to shut
the mill down even though Katrina destroyed the county. He kept it running through out the storm and during recovery. When the local hospital shut down and could not support the critical ill, he converted the training center to support them. He supplied gasoline to us to keep 600 employees on the payroll - because if you can't get to work - you don't get paid and the city emergency vehicles, he supplied food packages to needy - I don't know he how got them but he did. He supplied gasoline to loggers to clear the roads. He had the credit union opened to supply cash - to my knowledge no one stiffed the credit union.
If ever there was an American Hero - he's the guy! He stood up when there was no FEMA, no
government agencies - there was nothing available. It did not matter whether you were white,
black or American Indian - he was there!
I will not name him, or the corporation, because there might be some kind of legal action that might be attached to his actions. But he did it and I was there!
So, "Compassionate Conservatives", before you condemn us, where were you when it counted?
I urge the all of you to buy "The Beatitudes", by Lyn Lejeune.
It's a great story about New Orleans. Lyn is a coonass gal and plans to
donate the proceeds to rebuilding the New Orleans Public Library.
2 comments:
This is a great blog and much needed. We need more journals about and for those who have suffered not only from katrina but from the neglect of those who were elected to help and profess concern for this country.
Great Job OP, Glad to see you taking the plunge.
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