This was sent to me some time ago - but tonight I just finally got to see it all the way through. I guess there was a glitch in my media player. I just sat here and sobbed. I don't mind telling you I am very frightened of going home. Our mayor, whom I have supported strongly, seems to be hell bent on losing the remaining voters he has. I am seriously worried about his mental health. I am afraid for my beloved city, crippled and broke. And for the first time EVER, Bob and I actually discussed moving - but we have no idea where.
My love for New Orleans is deep and strong as is my commitment to her. As you will see by the images on this slide show - it was not all that CNN presented - Yes, there were many poor blacks but in almost every photo you will also see whites who stayed behind. This is not a racial issue- it was poor planning by the government and poor decisions by the citizens. Frankly, it was not my first decision to leave. These could be photos of my family.
New Orleans is being left behind by Washington, D.C. as well. Never mind that the Port is one of the largest and busiest in the country. Never mind that the cultural, architecture, arts (including music), not to mention culinary contributions to America have been amazing, we are, none the less, being left behind. Ray Nagin came home to NOLA after the senate hearings and announced to our city that we have to fend for ourselves... do not count on our government to help us.
Never mind that pleas for money to build a better levee system and to help our wet lands have fallen on deaf ears since the 1930's and 40's. YES, that long. WE knew what we were facing, and Washington just turned their backs on us. The levee outside my house has been raised twice in the twenty years that we have lived in our house, but that was a spit in the bucket compared to what we were asking for.
People characterize New Orleans as a place where we shun outside interference. Well, why the HELL should we count on anybody else? Our pleas for help have fallen on deaf ears for decades - not to mention AUGUST when no one listened to our cries for help - so we have learned to only rely on ourselves, with our very little resources. Let those people sit back and be arm chair quarterbacks - they are the very ones that disregarded our pleas for help before. And I say SHAME ON YOU - SHAME ON YOU ALL.
And you ALL have the nerve to question if MY HOME TOWN should even be rebuilt? HOW DARE YOU. You piddly ass little elected officials - what if this happened in YOUR STATE? YOUR TOWN??? Just look at these photos, and tell me if they don't break your hearts.
This is not about black or white. This is about a city in desperate need of help - on all levels. I am so glad I sat down to write this, because even though I am afraid of the future right now, and what we face, I CAN NOT leave my city. No matter what my fears are, I have to be here to help rebuild. I will say I hope Ray Nagin gets some Meds - because we are going to be in deep doo doo if he just doesn't settle down. There is honestly, no place I would want to live. And trust me I have lived in most corners of America.
Watch this slide show - and then make sure you read the information at the end of it. Very enlightening. Someone needs to do something about FEMA and something REALLY needs to be done about the Red Cross.
I'm going to go have dinner - try to think productive thoughts and hopefully come home to write something happy- cause right now, well this is just the pits.
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