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HURRICANE KATRINA HAS BROUGHT THE WORST OF TIMES, THE BEST OF TIMES
To quote Charles
Dickens: “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” He
could have been talking about us. We have certainly been through the
worst of times. If there is anything worse than the devastation caused
by Hurricane Katrina, I’ll pass, thank you.
Here we are at the
fourth anniversary of the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11 and all those
bad memories, and now Mother Nature deals us a blow unlike anything we
have ever experienced. Death and destruction on a scale that is
unimaginable. Homes and businesses totally wiped out. An entire city
gone. A friend of mine showed me a note from an acquaintance of his in
Louisiana, who says the state’s Supreme Court was underwater, along with
all of its legal documents. Think of all the complications that will
present.
We have made the
worst of times even worse with all the finger-pointing and
second-guessing over the government’s response to the aftermath of
Katrina. Yes, the federal government was slow to respond and, yes, the
president dithered at his ranch too long. Neither the mayor of New
Orleans nor the governor of Louisiana have exactly covered themselves in
glory, either. Where is Rudy Guiliani when you need him?
Shame on the black
politicians who have placed the race cards. I am particularly
embarrassed that my old friend, Rep. David Scott, of Georgia’s 13th
district, joined with our Ambassador to Outer Space Cynthia McKinney and
charged that if those had been white faces staring back at us on
television, we would have responded quicker. “Prove me wrong,” he says.
No, Rep. Scott, you prove it correct. That is a serious charge you make
and it smacks of racism of the worst type. I never thought I would see
you pander like that. Leave the race-baiting to McKinney. It’s her
only talent.
We made the worst of
times even worse here in Georgia when we allowed the news media to panic
us into thinking there would be no more gas available. (If the
potential gas shortage slowed anybody down to anywhere near normal
speeds on the Interstate highways over the past couple of weeks, I
missed it.). Some service stations took the advantage of the rumors to
raise prices to as much as $6 a gallon. Governor Sonny Perdue has
promised to take names and kick fannies. I would suggest stringing
them up by their toenails.
Then, there are the
best of times. Money is pouring into relief efforts from every source
imaginable: churches, civic clubs, businesses, actors, athletes,
entertainers and plain old everyday citizens. Now, miracle of miracles,
even some foreign governments are offering their help. Volunteers are
going to Louisiana and Mississippi to give assistance. In Georgia,
people have greeted evacuees with open arms, taking them into our
hospitals, our nursing homes, our schools and our residences. Even the
government seems to have gotten its act together and is beginning to
make some headway in getting order reestablished.
Groups are vowing to
go to the hardest hit places and help rebuild. My own church has
committed to going to Mississippi and helping build new churches. I
hope to be a part of that effort. I should be a great asset. After
all, I was elected Latrine Digger First Class in Honduras. I am a rare
and vanishing breed.
President Bush has
said that the recovery is going to take years. That is a little scary,
because I know of our short attention span. The temptation will be to
inure ourselves to the stories and the pictures of the devastation, and
to begin to complain about the inconvenience it has caused us. Please
don’t let that happen. Remember, there is no time limit on doing good
deeds.
My friend and
mentor, the late Jasper Dorsey, said the only reason that we are on this
earth – the only reason – is to leave this world better than we found
it. Hurricane Katrina has given us the perfect opportunity to do that.
Together, we can make the worst of times, the best of times. Charles
Dickens thanks you. I do, too.
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