09.02.05

It�s funny how we as Americans sometimes think that we are impenetrable to the problems of the world.

We sit in our comfortable homes (and even the poorest of us have homes that are �comfortable� in comparison to 75% of the world) and watch CNN and watch stories on disasters and wars but somehow feel very far removed from it all�and certainly can�t imagine something like that happening here. Or even if we do imagine it, we see ourselves bravely weathering out the tragedy while working immediately to restore life to the usual state of affairs.

Then something comes along and shows us just how sheltered and delusional we actually are. Take 9/11 for example.

New Orleans, a thriving city of 1.5 million people, is essentially a ghost town today. The people who are left are in desperate, desperate need of help.

How many of us watched the Tsunami footage and felt relieved that nothing like that could happen here? Or that if it did happen, we (i.e. the Government) would have it all cleaned up within a few days? The truth is that we human beings are very much at the mercy of this great planet that we live on. Mother Nature doesn�t play favorites. So many people underestimated the magnitude of this storm. I hope that we don�t make that same mistake again.

As for helping those who stayed; we donated $350 million for the Tsunami and had boats, planes, helicopters over there in a day or so. Where is the help now that we need it back home? Louisiana is a state surrounded by other states full of millions of people and unlimited resources. Why are people dying in the streets right now from dehydration? This should NOT be happening. There should have been thousands of national guard and supplies pouring into the city hours after the disaster. So many things went wrong on this that it is hard to know where to start.

Most of the people left out there are living in poor conditions to begin with. Their lives just went from tough to unimaginable. I thought about that as I snuggled beneath my down comforter to sleep last night. As for the looting; tragedy brings out the best AND the worst in us; and the best usually only sticks around until things get really desperate. Laws only exist as long as the majority of the people agree to live by them. Then all bets are off.

A city in chaos. There is no excuse.

My prayers and thoughts are with the people of the South right now. We�ll make care packages, we�ll send money. Hopefully they will get the help they need.

before ~ after