Posted: Thu Sep 01, 2005 5:13 am
it was much more harsh on my side, before when it was a letter addressed to your teach who made sure a inconsiderate statement and garnered such thoughts in his students.
but I feel better about this.
just please make sure this is not explained as simple as a planned evacuation that people did not heed or "show up to." The mayor called for a mandatory evacuation, but that declaration was appealed because there were no funds to evacuate, so people were told to abandon. And that was New Orleans... which geographically is a small but significant part of the area devastated or directly affected. it's the difference between strategic "retreat!" with transportation routes and desperate and chaotic "run-away!!!"
The sad truth is thousands no one ever knew were alive are gone without a trace. the swamps are full of people who just keep to themselves, and never appeared on the books.
the death records from many years were being entered en mass in new orleans, but they didn't finish. those thousands of death certificates - gone. those identities completely in limbo, never to be reconciled with local computer systems destroyed or damaged or stolen. my grandfather might be one. I can't even tell you what I feel right now, to be honest.
Most of the people there don't want to be there. Yet, this is the part of the state you have to move to if you want a decent job to take care of your family, and you want to stay close enough to be with them. Alot of people (my favorite uncle included) work in the gulf, so they can afford a decent enough living inland. thousands work off-shore. more work there seasonally, because you can help fish, farm crawfish, run tours, and make extra money that makes christmas merry, and what-not.
And we are at great disadvantages when the public make fun of the way we talk, the way we act, the way we think. You will never find people in america with darker senses of humour or lighter hearts than those Gulf states-people. We all come from pirates anyways...
I just see a lot of animosity to "stubborn simple sutherners" right now, and it is horrific. No such thing was predicated in any fashion in other tragedies. Hopefully, your teacher is asking you to do what you can to help and helping you figure out the answer to that question. EVEN if you don't have money, WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN and ask your state to help. i'll reimburse you for the stamp.
vertical,
raumhbb
but I feel better about this.
just please make sure this is not explained as simple as a planned evacuation that people did not heed or "show up to." The mayor called for a mandatory evacuation, but that declaration was appealed because there were no funds to evacuate, so people were told to abandon. And that was New Orleans... which geographically is a small but significant part of the area devastated or directly affected. it's the difference between strategic "retreat!" with transportation routes and desperate and chaotic "run-away!!!"
The sad truth is thousands no one ever knew were alive are gone without a trace. the swamps are full of people who just keep to themselves, and never appeared on the books.
the death records from many years were being entered en mass in new orleans, but they didn't finish. those thousands of death certificates - gone. those identities completely in limbo, never to be reconciled with local computer systems destroyed or damaged or stolen. my grandfather might be one. I can't even tell you what I feel right now, to be honest.
Most of the people there don't want to be there. Yet, this is the part of the state you have to move to if you want a decent job to take care of your family, and you want to stay close enough to be with them. Alot of people (my favorite uncle included) work in the gulf, so they can afford a decent enough living inland. thousands work off-shore. more work there seasonally, because you can help fish, farm crawfish, run tours, and make extra money that makes christmas merry, and what-not.
And we are at great disadvantages when the public make fun of the way we talk, the way we act, the way we think. You will never find people in america with darker senses of humour or lighter hearts than those Gulf states-people. We all come from pirates anyways...
I just see a lot of animosity to "stubborn simple sutherners" right now, and it is horrific. No such thing was predicated in any fashion in other tragedies. Hopefully, your teacher is asking you to do what you can to help and helping you figure out the answer to that question. EVEN if you don't have money, WRITE YOUR CONGRESSMAN and ask your state to help. i'll reimburse you for the stamp.
vertical,
raumhbb