Venting
September 5th, 2005We’re back from our family vacation (and I do feel guilty that we had the luxury of a vacation, when there is still so much help needed down south).
Thank you all for commenting on my last post. It’s clear that there is a lot of frustration and strong opinion. I left comments up all weekend so venting and ranting could occur unimpinged. I did try to set a tone, but knew that once we left, I’d not be able to delete or ban. Perhaps it was better because of that? Dunno. I’ve only made it through about half the comments, but thanks for the URLs and the opinions, facts and sharing.
Heather did so much better on this trip than the one we took last summer. Medicine does work.
UPDATE: After reading some of the comments, it appears I misspoke in my last post. I wrote, “I fear that the death toll from Katrina will eclipse that of any other tragedy in my lifetime.” What I left out were a couple of qualifiers: 1) Natural disasters to hit U.S.; 2) Death from natural disasters to hit U.S. So the sentence should have read, “I fear that the death toll from Katrina will eclipse that of any other natural disaster in my lifetime to hit the United States.”
I hope that as you comment and read, you recognize my error as well as my acknowledgement that there are tragedies every day in other locations all across the world. I live in the U.S., and to see a region in my country hit like this is devastating. o
September 5th, 2005 at 11:54 am
I’m pretty sure most of us knew what you meant (the death toll indication). Perhaps others just like to stir sh*t up?
Medicine works? Are you sure? That’s not what Tom Cruise told me! I’m so confused now.
September 5th, 2005 at 12:07 pm
Yes! Medicine does work! Sure helps me. I’m glad Heather did better this time. She’s a wonderful lady.
September 5th, 2005 at 1:27 pm
I’m glad that you clarified that bit about Katrina being the biggest tragedy ever. I was thinking, ‘God, there the Americans go again, trying to be the biggst and best in the world’…as though life is one big episode of Larry King Live.
September 5th, 2005 at 1:49 pm
I don’t believe that you have anything to feel guilty about. It is terribly tragic that people around the worldhave to suffer on a daily basis. You are both warm, caring people who never hesitate to bring the plight of others to light, but where we can’t do anything tangible to help (donations are obviously different) then living and enjoying life and appreciating what we have is what ensures that life continues in a positive and productive light.
Your daughter will be proud to have such wonderfuk parents!
Alley
September 5th, 2005 at 2:47 pm
Jon I apologize for using your blog to air out dirty laundry. I can’t even begin to tell you the outrage and anger in my heart right now. This didn’t need to happen. It shouldn’t have happened and thousands have died becuase of it. Why am I taking this so personally? My cousin and her three small children still haven’t been heard from since the second day. They’re in Baton Rouge. My relatives have travelled down there to see if we can find her and bring her back here. She was wading in waist deep water (too deep for the children to walk in) to get to a pay phone and call us. She said that people from New Orleans were roaming the streets and breaking into homes. We haven’t heard from her since.
We are praying really hard for her safe return.
September 5th, 2005 at 5:15 pm
Good to hear you are wonderfuk parents, right?
September 5th, 2005 at 5:53 pm
it makes me physically ILL when people take the biggest natural disaster and human tragedy our country has ever known and use it for their own personal, political agenda. disgusting. really.
September 5th, 2005 at 6:50 pm
I think a lot of the emotional expression on your last entry is really heartening, even when I don’t agree with all of it. Just about everybody who posted cared *deeply* about the suffering of the people and animals of the Gulf Coast. We should all keep this in mind if future squabbles surface. Everybody cares. Political or other views aside, we are all venting our thoughts on the tragedy because we can do little else.
I feel relieved that the military has finally taken over and gotten things rolling in a somewhat organized way down there. I am glad that people are being taken out of the city, although I wish more could be done for the animals left behind
I feel great gratitude toward all the nations in the world that have offered their aid. Even countries like Bangladesh, who have nothing compared to us, are offering us monetary assistance as a show of solidarity. My mom just returned from England, and the hurricane aftermath is receiving nearly as much coverage over there as it is here. Knowing that people can look past the bad things to support one another in a time of great need is a very big relief to me. Especially in a time of constant war.
We are all the same, in spite of the details.
September 5th, 2005 at 7:02 pm
I think it was very big of you to leave comments open and walk away - it shows an open mind. I appreciate all opinions, even those I disagree with, because by listening, I usually learn something
Glad you had a good family vacation.
September 5th, 2005 at 7:03 pm
Natural disasters aren’t political. Neither is helping.
September 5th, 2005 at 7:19 pm
there’s no need to apologise babe.
your last post was heartfelt, honest and very well written.
September 5th, 2005 at 7:19 pm
i just wanted to say a heartfelt thank you for yours and dooce’s posts on your two very popular blogs. stories down here keep coming in that haunt me, daze me, emotionally hurt me, change me. thank you for your words; i feel sometimes like we’re just forgotten down here (even though i know we’re not - but the suffering was *so bad*).
September 5th, 2005 at 8:03 pm
I’m glad that you were able to have a nice vacation. And yes, I feel thankful everyday for the power of medication…as does my husband I’m sure.
September 5th, 2005 at 8:25 pm
Thank you Jon for expressing what I feel.
When I read these comments I want to say to people–let’s do something! But really, can we figure out a way to do something. We have the power to relieve so much unnecessary suffering–here and everywhere. I think that we must, really must, work for change.
And Big Gay Sam…can you update us? I am praying also…Please let us know what happens.
September 5th, 2005 at 9:51 pm
Jon,
Thank you for a sane voice in a very insane world.
Its amazing seeing from afar how a country like America can go from world superpower to 3rd world in less than a week. Sobering thought. I hope that its another lesson in what we cannot allow to happen again (one day we will all “get it”)
best wishes from Australia and I am glad that Heather felt better this time.
September 6th, 2005 at 8:14 am
Don’t feel guilty… life must go on. You care, and that’s more than can be said for some people. We can only do so much.
As far as meds go - thank GOD for meds. ‘nuf said.
September 6th, 2005 at 9:06 am
i feel you blurb. i knew what you meant.
September 6th, 2005 at 9:33 am
I knew what you meant.
Nice new term, eh? Wonderfuk. I’m liking it. Reminds me of farfignewton… or whatever… but easier to spell.
September 6th, 2005 at 2:06 pm
I must apologise for my partner (Alley) abusing your site with her filth.
It seems that it was actually a typo. I must say, I kind of like it and agree with moose that its a rather nice new word. But she’s been very emotional these past days and every sentence seems to end in the “f” word.
Thankyou though, Jon. Both for your own and your wife’s words and for allowing your site to be an outlet for much of the pain and frustration that many of us have been feeling these past few days. If nothing else, perhaps one good thing that can come of this is the feeling that we can put our differences aside and care for our fellow man, whatever creed, colour, class or political persuasion he is. The outpouring from visitors to your site from all over the world is perhaps evidence of this.
September 6th, 2005 at 2:09 pm
oh dear!! I am really *really* sorry about that, I of course meant to say wonderful
Anyway, the sentiment still stands.
Alley
September 6th, 2005 at 3:24 pm
Jon,
I appreciate your sentiments in the past few posts, and for your willingness to create a space for us to put in our own two cents.
Here are mine:
1. First and foremost, we have a responsibility to help the victims of hurricane Katrina to put their lives back together, and that should be a top priority (if not THE top priority) of our government.
2. We must have a full inquiry into the failures that occured from the federal level on down to the local level that allowed innocent people to go for days without relief, and that failed to evacuate them to begin with. There is plenty of blame to go around–if you think that’s playing partisan politics, you would be mistaken. This should NEVER have happened. We can’t control mother nature, but we CAN prepare for natural disasters, and we should have systems in place that deal with the aftermath immediately.
On politics:
Re: the effect of the war on Iraq/National guard comments…I don’t think that’s playing partisan politics, either. If the entire Louisiana and Mississippi National Guard had been at home, would there have been a quicker response to this crisis? Of course! Did the war in Iraq divert spending away from domestic issues? Of course! It is very clear to anyone who has done research into how tax dollars have been spent on the war in Iraq that it has compromised spendings on a number of federal programs that were essential for the safety of America, not to mention the social welfare of the nation. It is clear from how money is allocated that the priority of our government is on foreign policy issues like pre-emptive war on possible terrorists and securing oil resources, not domestic issues. You can only stretch a budget so far before it starts to break, and the fissures become apparent.
(My perspective as a non-profit employee) It’s lovely to think that private charities, corporations and individuals will pick up the slack for reduced government spending, but that is NOT the reality. Charitable giving is just a drop in the bucket compared to the capacity that the federal government has to support social programs. In addition, because non-profits do not have reliable funding sources (like taxes), they must rely on the work of development/fundraising staff to raise money to support programs. Most organizations spend up to 25% of their budget on fundraising, and up to 40% on administrative expenses. If they were fully supported by the government, imagine how much more work they could do? I personally think that instead of implementing programs, the government should operate as a foundation and make grants to charities. This is overwhelmingly NOT the case, today. Fewer than 10% of charities budgets come from governmental sources.
For interesting data on how the war affects you and your community, go here: http://www.nationalpriorities.org/
September 6th, 2005 at 3:47 pm
I’m frightened. Our President frightens me. I see him on the tv today, talking about educating the children affected by the hurricane and it went something like this. “Uhhhhhhh (sentence mumbled) Uhhhhhhh (more mumbling) Uhhhhhhhhh, Uhhhhhhhhh (mumble mumble). Does anyone realize that there are people from previous hurricanes, who were provided with FEMA sponsored travel trailers,,,in Florida and beyond, that are STILL living in them? Years after the fact. Houses that are still not rebuilt? Months and months after. I wonder how those people feel, as money and supplies are pumped into this disaster (and rightly so) as they sit, forgotten and abandoned. How many of us, with children, could survive for years in a travel trailer? Everything is so incredibly wrong. The balance, the priorities, the “uhhhhhhh” factor in the white house. I want to wake up from the nightmare but it just seems to compound. The more facts that get exposed, the more I tremble at the idea of being “protected” by my gov’t. Never mind global warming and changing weather patterns that will keep spinning these storms at the South East in ever increasing numbers. What IS the long term answer? I want to contribute financially as much as is possible to this relief effort. I want to get off my babbling ass and take the disaster relief training that will enable me to actually go with the Red Cross teams from Michigan to help in future tragedies. I want to keep voting with as much wisdom as possible. I want my children to not see their peers on the television, dehydrated, starving, and being treated worse than dogs in a shelter. I am just heartsick and damn afraid.
September 6th, 2005 at 3:49 pm
Some great things were happening as parents got involved just like at MommyCool. The neighborhood got together and got some things done!
September 6th, 2005 at 4:01 pm
Charitable donations help after the disaster strikes, they aren’t collected in advance to keep levees in good repair. New York learned that lesson four years ago - you can’t rely on the federal government to protect you.
September 6th, 2005 at 4:46 pm
I agree that charitable donations help after the disaster strikes, and I certainly wouldn’t want to dissuade anyone from giving to charity. Charities often ARE some of the first responders in a crisis. Small grassroots organizations and larger national organizations can address some of the minor (but crucial) issues like emergency housing, food and clothing, but in the grand scheme of things, they will not be an effective long-term solution to this disaster, nor would they be for ANY disaster. People look at how the Red Cross raises a hundred million or more for relief, but that’s just a drop in the bucket. Donations to charities and even the $1B campaign by Bush Sr. & Clinton will be less than 5% of the overall cost of the recovery from this disaster. It’s a crucial 5%, but not a tremendous percentage of the effort.
Re: the levees–they are the under the jurisdiction of (and therefore are the responsibility of) the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. The federal government should have allocated and spent the money needed to keep them in good repair and to reinforce them if category 4 and 5 hurricanes were a threat.