I think the "Katrina Victims" have had enough aid. There are more pressing matters of concern for this country right now.

Originally posted by deesw
I think the "Katrina Victims" have had enough aid. There are more pressing matters of concern for this country right now.

Ouch man.....you really have no idea how bad it was and is.....I'm from the area. But yes there is other concerns in the world.....but it's bad everything from the destruction to the lack of help for the people who really needed it.

I lost all respect for the Red Cross after 9/11.

They facilitated the theft of millions, maybe billions, we'll never know because record-keeping was practically non-existent.

If you have to give money to a charity, please pick a responsible one.

I wish to thank all on this board for their prayers, donations, etc. for victims of hurricane Katrina. I live in Long Beach, Miss. which borders the Gulf of Mexico. We are in the area of 'ground zero'...where the northeast quadrant of Katrina slammed her powerful rage and where the highest concentration of wind and storm surge damage occured.

Trent Lott and Gene Taylor, state representatives for Mississippi, both lost their homes due to Katrina. Both were fighting their insurance companies to compensate them for their losses... just like so many others who lost most or everything they owned. They experienced the anger and frustration just like their fellow Mississippians and can truely have empathy for those fighting for recoverey.

It will be decades before our Gulf Coast can be restored to the beautiful place it was before Katrina. The one thing Katrina can't touch is the spirit of our people or our 'Southern Hospitality' because it's this 'charm of the people' of south Mississippi which will be everlasting.

I will share with each of you an email I sent to President Bush a month after Katrina
............................................................................................................
Date: Fri, 30 Sep 2005 17:25:42 -0700 (PDT)
From:
Subject: Inspiration: A Picture Can Say a Thousand Words
To: president@whitehouse.gov

In the weeks following Hurricane Katrina our battery operated radio was my family's lifeline. We had it turned on from early morning until late evening_listening to what was happening in each part of the Mississippi Gulf Coast.

I recall during the first week after Katrina made landfall I was sitting in the kitchen listening to the radio and I heard a voice on one of the stations say help was on the way and trucks were coming from all across the country to deliver food, water and ice.
That is when it hit me about the utter devastation. I don't know what I had more of...tears from the emotional impact of this statement or the sweat due to the stifling heat_both mingled together and rolling down my face.

The gratitude I feel for the countless organizations and individuals reaching out to those in need has welded into my soul. I shook and trembled through the tears while thanking God I lived in America_the most generous nation on earth...the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Today I found one of the greatest inspirations I shall remember for a lifetime. It was on the cover of a journal I purchased at a local dollar store. The pictures on the cover were in three sections and had words from Eleanor Roosevelt.

The lower section on the cover showed a partial tree trunk stripped of its bark. Katrina stripped the beauty of our Gulf Coast, but not forever because we will rebuild and will not accept defeat.

The center section portrays one of the longest piers I have ever seen stretching out into infinity over the ocean. I see this as a walk of faith, not knowing how long this journey may be, nevertheless determined to reach our destination.

The top photo is a tree bursting with green foliage. The branches stretch far and wide and its trunk reaches far into the aqua blue sky. It rises above the stripped bark, above the long walk on the pier, it is the final destination to bring beauty and livelihood to the Golden Gulf Coast.

The quote from Eleanor Roosevelt:

"The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams".

My response to her quote is perseverance. I have seen this attribute in the faces of Katrina victims and in the faces of those reaching out to us from all across the nation.

This is what deems us unique in the eyes of the world..."In the grip of despair we are united as one people_setting aside all the culture boundaries in a determination to accomplish the mission to bring comfort, aid and hope to those whose lives have been turned upside down and inside out".

On the back of the journal I found the name of the person who designed the cover. Her name was Susan Young. My guess is that she would have never dreamed how these three photo's would draw so much inspiration out of complete devastation.

How true are the words...A picture is worth a thousand words?
The answer lies within the eyes of the beholder.


[edit on 13-7-2006 by Southern Belle]

made a conscious effort to donate, was apparent that i needed to

Does anyone else have doubts that if this were a non african american majority the help would have been instant and thorough?