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Joanne
Thursday, September 01, 2005
Reports from Lousiana and Mississippi reinforce to me something I've known for a long time: Americans are completely out of touch with the rest of the world.
Millions of people are without power, water, food, shelter, and clothing. They are stranded in what are essentially refugee camps in stadiums and convention centers, where access to basic sanitation is limited and conditions are deplorable.
They are hot. They are hungry. They are thirsty. They are frustrated.
Just another day in Congo, India, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Haiti and scores of other nations, where poverty and a lack of access to basic sanitation and fresh drinking water are a daily reality.
In America, we're used to having our needs met immediately. Hungry? You eat. Thirsty? Turn on the faucet. Hot? Fire up the air conditioner. Unhappy where you are? Get in the car and go somewhere else.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, millions of Americans are learning that they've taken for granted too long the blessings of living in America.
Or they should be. Instead, many have resorted to looting and violence, creating chaos and making it more difficult than it already is for agencies like the Red Cross or Salvation Army to deliver what aid they can to the area. The news reports from the South look like stories from Third World countries.
As Americans, we're not used to wanting for anything, and thank God for that. But real help cannot come when anarchy reigns.
Let's be thankful that the mighty power of the American government, which so many in this country scorn on a daily basis, has put every resource at its disposal to come to the aid of the hurricane victims, that the American people mourn the disaster and are willing to open their pockets, homes, and lives to their fellow countrymen.
Let us also remember that President Bush is not a magician. A natural disaster brings with it very real limitations on disaster relief - no access to roads, lack of power, no communication system. Aid can only travel as quickly at the environment will allow.
It is not anyone's fault that the disaster happened. President Bush could not have prevented the hurricane, could not have held back the levy (which, let's not forget, has kept the mighty Mississippi in its place for decades), cannot snap his fingers and make everything right again.
Oh, that he were that powerful.
And in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, let us remember that we are now one with the needy all over the world. Soon, trucks will arrive in Lousiana and Mississippi with water and food and clothing, and before long cell phone towers will be in service and power will be restored and homes will be rebuilt.
But let us take away from this sympathy for those who cannot hope for that which they have never had.
Millions of people are without power, water, food, shelter, and clothing. They are stranded in what are essentially refugee camps in stadiums and convention centers, where access to basic sanitation is limited and conditions are deplorable.
They are hot. They are hungry. They are thirsty. They are frustrated.
Just another day in Congo, India, Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Haiti and scores of other nations, where poverty and a lack of access to basic sanitation and fresh drinking water are a daily reality.
In America, we're used to having our needs met immediately. Hungry? You eat. Thirsty? Turn on the faucet. Hot? Fire up the air conditioner. Unhappy where you are? Get in the car and go somewhere else.
In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, millions of Americans are learning that they've taken for granted too long the blessings of living in America.
Or they should be. Instead, many have resorted to looting and violence, creating chaos and making it more difficult than it already is for agencies like the Red Cross or Salvation Army to deliver what aid they can to the area. The news reports from the South look like stories from Third World countries.
As Americans, we're not used to wanting for anything, and thank God for that. But real help cannot come when anarchy reigns.
Let's be thankful that the mighty power of the American government, which so many in this country scorn on a daily basis, has put every resource at its disposal to come to the aid of the hurricane victims, that the American people mourn the disaster and are willing to open their pockets, homes, and lives to their fellow countrymen.
Let us also remember that President Bush is not a magician. A natural disaster brings with it very real limitations on disaster relief - no access to roads, lack of power, no communication system. Aid can only travel as quickly at the environment will allow.
It is not anyone's fault that the disaster happened. President Bush could not have prevented the hurricane, could not have held back the levy (which, let's not forget, has kept the mighty Mississippi in its place for decades), cannot snap his fingers and make everything right again.
Oh, that he were that powerful.
And in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, let us remember that we are now one with the needy all over the world. Soon, trucks will arrive in Lousiana and Mississippi with water and food and clothing, and before long cell phone towers will be in service and power will be restored and homes will be rebuilt.
But let us take away from this sympathy for those who cannot hope for that which they have never had.
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