Jennifer's Journal

 

Friday, September 02, 2005

Aftermath6

Another day has passed, and the situation here seems to be improving--in a manner of speaking.  Slowly, one by one, the small towns around New Orleans are regaining their electric power.  Our governor, who sounded for a day or two like a mom scolding her kids with gritted teeth, has now declared martial law and called out the big guns--40,000 plus National Guard troops--while giving them permission to use "all necessary force."  As the first of these military convoys roll into New Orleans under the command of a 3-star general, quiet is beginning to be felt.  Also, law enforcement in the smaller towns outside the city have stepped up their presence, regaining more control.  Yesterday, a unit of National Guard from Missouri came through our small town.  On hearing details of the conditions toward which they were head, they said, "Don't worry, ma'am.  We'll take care of it."  More power to them.  And a good thing is, our local unit of National Guard, which has been in Baghdad for the past year, will be coming home a bit early.  They may have to deploy at once to New Orleans, but at least they'll be on home ground.
 
In the meantime, the local community center, about 10 miles away, has been commandeered by the governor and will be opened by the Red Cross no later than Monday.  500 people will be accommodated in this facility.  This is in addition to several hundred now being put up in surrounding church camps and at the state park.  Our local Wal-Mart has begun taking cash donations at the door, and groups are gathering donations of personal hygiene items--soap, deodorant, sanitary napkins, baby wipes, diapers, washing detergent, dish washing soap, towels, bed linens, men's clothing, new socks and underwear, distilled water to mix with formula, also small toys.  All the comforts and conveniences of life lived in a dormitory style environment are required by these people who are coming with next to nothing.  Beyond these things is the urgent need for nonperishable food items.  In the meantime, all these very items are disappearing from the store shelves as the refugees who are living in RVs, motels, rental cabins or with relatives stock up for what looks like a long haul.  However, Wal-Mart, in particular, is doing an excellent job of anticipating future needs, and the situation may look entirely different after Labor Day.
 
We are told that schools throughout Louisiana will be required to take any and all of the school age children who have been evacuated to their area.  This is right and just, but will be a tremendous burden on schools that were, in the main, already overcrowded.  How it will play out, no one knows.   
 
I was at Sam's Warehouse yesterday.  In the parking lot were two buses labeled across the top, in place of their destination, EVACUEE.  I'm not sure whether they were waiting to be dispatched to New Orleans, or waiting for those they had brought from the city to shop for items they would need while displaced--since Sam's was working alive with people.  Either way, it's a sign of the times.  Back on the interstate, at this town nearly 250 miles from the disaster, there was a huge lighted and blinking sign: Next Exit, Evacuation Center.  This was, I knew, for the big civic center there, a center that has seen many concerts by Tim McGraw, Conway Twitty, Kenny Rogers, and so on.  So it goes.     
 
   

1 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Your remorseless lack of compassion is not surprising since objectivists make no secret that selfishness is the highest morality and altruism the most heinous heresy in the religious cult that trusts without scrutiny the "invisible hand".

However it is rather amazing that after some 30 years of government by radical individualists and free marketers that have virtually dismantled the structures of any socially conscious programs begun in the Johnson or FDR eras Tracinski and the Objectivists continue to blame their failures of radical invidualism on the media and the "socialists" Amazing!!! --

No better example of the failure of the philosphy of Rand, Greenspan, The Club for Growth, Cato etc. etc. than the culmination of failed policies exposed by the Hurricane Katrina

Human suffering aside If those 25% plus or minus of the citizens of New Orleans been paid living wages and tax money expended on environmental protection and ethical regulation of business practices the nation would not be facing expenditures that cannot be imagined -- simply to restore basic services feeding and supplying the country with food and energy and other essentials.

Face it -- it is good business to be good to the poor, the helpless and the land,

7:17 PM  

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