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<$9.21.2005$>
Miles Away
| Here's a point to ponder with regards to calling our people 'refugees'. A Webster's Collegiate Dictionary should have cleared up the whole matter. Refugee - a person who flees to a foreign country or power to escape danger or persecution. (Webster's Collegiate Dictionary) Refugee - one who flees to find refuge from oppression or persecution. (American Heritage Dictionary) I can remember a time when professional journalists possessed an enviable command of the English language and a mastery of vocabulary usage in particular. An error such as mistaking American citizens escaping catastrophic hurricane and flood devastation for refugees would have been unthinkable. Perhaps if there had been a mass exodus to Mexico, rather than from the Super dome to the Astrodome, the word might have applied. I don't know... you tell me. Anyway... how about that Kanye West..: 'President Bush doesn't care about Black people?' Of course he does! Think about it. You have a major American city populated predominantly with what are considered 'underclass' African Americans residing on prime gulf coast real estate and you don't think the president and other wealthy Americans care? Of course they do. I think they care a great deal. In fact, please take President Bush seriously when he promises to rebuild the region bigger and better than ever. What he may not be telling us is that our 'refugee' cousins will all reside in Texas and Arizona by then. That casino-rich, water-front property will be able to withstand Category 10 hurricanes and will be inhabited by very wealthy Americans. Only the oil produced by the off shore rigs will be crude. But then again, I could be all wrong. By the way... I wonder who the lucky bid winning contractors will be. Billions of dollars are in play for the reconstruction of the region. Maybe our dear friends at Halliburton or a subsidiary will be in the running. Hmmm! Just a thought! They build cities in the desert don't they? Anyone want to start a construction firm? More important than issues of news coverage, politics and even economics is the issue of human survival and recovery. Even in the face of what will arguably be multiple cases of criminal negligence by local, state and federal officials; the real critical issue is survival of the citizen victims of that region. The word resurrection has been on my mind for a week now. Ya'll know that after persecution and crucifixion is the resurrection. The victims of the Gulf Coast Crisis will recover as a result of their spiritual resolve and resilience; there will be a revival and a resurrection of spirit, the likes of which we see very infrequently throughout history. God has blessings in store for the survivors that will continue to blow our minds well into 2006, 2007, 2008 and on and on. The testimonies will be absolutely mind boggling. History shows that the downtrodden are always uplifted as a result of spiritual survival. The more horrific, the greater the opportunity to ascend and this was one of the most horrifying natural and man made disasters in modern history. However, our people will survive. We will all ascend. Our collective spirits; our mass consciousness will rise to new heights. Don't let a few gun toting thugs fool you. It's in our DNA to survive. But then, I could be wrong. Speaking of thugs... of course the thugs have received more than their share of news coverage. What's new! Look... the sooner we accept that every race of people have their crooks, thugs and lawless the sooner we can deal with them like crooks and thugs and stop making excuses for them and start kicking their butts. Period! Yes, they are embarrassing at best and despicable at their worst. Anyone caught, tried and convicted of raping women at the convention center and arenas should be castrated. Immediately! Guilty of firing at police officers - life! Murder? Well, you tell me! Those of us who would travel to the gulf coast to physically assist must realize there are more than 600 fire fighters from various states in Baton Rouge whose deployment is prohibited because FEMA will not give them the green light. Absurd? You tell me! Loss of life - when I hear news reports of body count updates I realize the desensitizing effect a simple count has on the psyche. Reporting that 2,500 body bags have arrived in the area may prevent us from considering each tragic story of loss. Thirty deceased in a nursing home does not allow us to consider each individual loss of life and the surviving loved ones that will grieve their loss. We pray for each and every loss. If world opinion is a factor in National Security as we've been told, we may want to conduct an updated assessment of the images of incompetence we may have broadcast around the world. Images of government failure to protect its citizens and handle crisis may have actually made our nation more vulnerable to those who might do us harm. Law enforcement officers deserting and two suicides can only underscore the enduring horror in New Orleans, clearly the site of the worst of the crisis. What is the status of the convicts that were evacuated from area prisons? They're no longer on the side of the highways. We haven't heard much about their transport or transfer to other facilities. Also published in Dallas Weekly |
