As the days pass, it seems that more and more bloggers are writing about the heartbreak in New Orleans and Biloxi.
I confess to trying to keep my news watching on the subject to a minimum because a part of me feels like it can’t handle the horror. But Charlie has become riveted (and wrote quite eloquently about it today, go read it), and cannot bring himself to stop watching the coverage.
I’ve also just found out that a friend of ours is heading down there as part of his National Guard unit. He’s been primed to get called for a few weeks, and since I absolutely hated, but accepted, the idea of him having to go to Iraq (because I don’t think we should have ever been in Iraq, but now we have to clean up the mess we’ve made of someone else’s country), I’m so happy to hear he’s heading down to New Orleans instead. He’s a doctor, a medic, and it’s clear that there is a real need for him there. It makes me wish, in a way, that I was a member of the Guard and could be so useful (but the National Guard isn’t all that interested in fat old infertile ladies, so…). Good luck, Nick. I’ll be praying for you and everyone else down there.
Part of why I limit my news exposure is that I’m terrible at feeling helpless. We made our contributions of course (split between the Humane Society’s relief fund and the Red Cross’s), and I feel blessed to be able to make them because just a few short months ago during the Tsunami, we couldn’t afford it.
But I wish I could actually DO something. I mean, I can haul a bucket or use a shovel with the best of them. I’m an experienced Veterinary Technician (although a tad rusty) and I bet I could be of use.
Sadly, there is no “National Disaster Emergency Leave Act” so that I can drop everything in my life and drive on down there to help. I heard there is a huge animal shelter set up down in Shreveport, where my sister lives (I can't find a link to support this, does anyone know about it?). God! I wish I could go.
Another reason to avoid the news is the horror just grows and grows. Here is a brief rundown of things I’ve read about New Orleans today:
--Rapes are occurring in the Dome, mostly unstopped and unreported, according to the New York Times. One young woman talked about witnessing a rape and said “Lots of people saw it and did nothing.” This got me pretty fired up because, for God’s sake, if you are witness to a fucking rape, TRY TO STOP IT. I don’t understand being a bystander (and before you all accuse me of not knowing what I’m talking about, I’ve leapt into the fray of several crimes, including a brutal mugging—the guy was hitting the woman in the face with a pipe—and a brawl where two guys were beating up another). I’d rather get injured than stand by doing nothing.
--Sharks. In the streets. In New Orleans. This one is a mostly rumor, but still.
--President Bush took money slated for repairing the levees and spent it on Iraq. Apparently, the Army Core of Engineers has known since 2001 that the levees couldn’t withstand an onslaught of this magnitude, but didn’t have the funds to make the necessary repairs.
--The media won’t discuss the racial or class element of this story at all (most of those that stayed behind in New Orleans were poor and/or black). I identify all too well with those that didn’t evacuate. If you have no car, no money to stay in a hotel, no relatives you can afford to go stay with (if you had transportation to get there), what the fuck DO you do? You stay put and do the best you can, is what. And some of the best you can do involves breaking into stores to provide for your family. Judging those people, calling them “looters” instead of “survivors” is easy when you don’t know what it’s like to be poor.
--People are killing themselves in the Superdome because they have nothing left.
Is it any wonder I’ve avoided the news?
Let’s all pray and do what we can. Everyone knows to give to the American Red Cross, and I already mentioned the Humane Society. Any other suggestions?
