Friday, September 05, 2008
HELP
I need your help, because – as usual – the media doesn’t care about real problems.
If you haven’t read the following article, please do:
https://www4.uifoundation.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2%26aid=150002
No one is paying attention to the crisis that is Southern Louisiana right now. Because New Orleans lucked out, it’s as if Gustave didn’t happen. Look, my mom grew up on the bayou. My sister and I still own a small portion of a barrier island in Timbaleir Bay. I have a lot of relatives who are born and bred Cajuns. The real kind whose ancestors were driven out of Acadia in 1755 (and who aren’t waiting/expecting/demanding apologies or reparations from the Canadian government) – who live on the bayous and work in the fishing industry, the shrimp industry, the oil industry, conservation, education, whatever is needed. They support themselves and care for family members who cannot care for themselves. They don’t look for handouts.
My family – who I am so proud to claim – took as many Katrina refugees into their homes as they could. They dedicated the months/years following Katrina to providing housing, food, clothing, education, day care, whatever was needed all without asking for anything for themselves. And, might I also point out that they never complained about this – it’s what you do in Southern Louisiana, no questions asked – your door is open, your arms are ready for a hug or a step up or to help shell some shrimp for gumbo. Never have I heard the drive-by media thank or praise these people. They would never ask for it either – it’s not their way.
Then there is my friend Alyssa who lives in Baton Rouge. She has spent her entire post-college career working for Boys Hope/Girls Hope, living with at-risk students and helping provide them with a safe, encouraging environment in which to study and thrive. She recently changed jobs and is now a Youth Re-entry Specialist with the Justice Department in Baton Rouge. She too housed refugees during Katrina, and never thought twice about anything except what more could she do. She is, as she needs to be, tough, caring and brave.
When I have spoken to her (twice in the last two days) I have heard desperation in her voice. She wondered what the news was saying about Baton Rouge. When was help coming? They have no power (for up to four weeks), no gas, and little food. Verizon had just shown up with a truckload of free car phone chargers, which will become useless when her car runs out of gas, but that small donation allows her to keep in touch for now. Yesterday, after helping clear downed trees, she stood in line for hours to get FEMA supplies, only to be turned away empty handed because they were out. I am not sure that was FEMA’s fault. The bulk of the supplies are in New Orleans, I would guess. They’ll get there.
I know there is a convention going on. So what! It is a crime that the media is completely ignoring this situation. Louisiana, despite its long history of corrupt government, is home to so many wonderful people of all colors and creeds. Southern Louisiana is made up of black and white, Latino, Asian, Middle Eastern, and native American. The Houma Tribe has been fighting for recognition from the Federal Government while watching their land dissolve into the gulf. This is not a global warming issue – it is a land management and government mismanagement issue. There is enough blame to go around.
For all those who are so concerned about New Orleans, or those who say “well of course they are in danger, they are below sea-level” please note that was not an issue 100 years ago. While the Mississippi was allowed to dump and spread silt into the gulf there was a shelf which helped break up storms before they reached New Orleans. When the Barrier Islands were whole - before erosion caused in part because of drilling, and in part because no one has found a solution to protecting them from the traffic in the gulf - they protected the coast. When the levees were new and maintained (what did happen to all the money earmarked for their upkeep?), it didn’t matter that New Orleans was below sea level. Yes, it has dropped, but New Orleans is not the COAST. It has natural protections, which is why it was built where it was built. Restore those protections and you can quit worrying so much about poor old New Orleans.
If you want something to worry about, worry about the salt water incursion that is killing the bayous and swamps. I was in Bayou DuLarge a couple years ago and all you could see were dead rotting trees where I remembered tunnels of dense green. Yes, Katrina contributed to that. The storm surge caused the salt water to incur after all. But had the barrier islands been intact and the slow dissolve of land not been occurring for the last 60 years or so, the surge, again, would have been slowed and so much would not have been lost.
I said that no one has solutions for some of this. That is not true. Find an old Cajun and have him take you out on the bayous. He can tell you what to do. Actually find one who has worked on a rig. The people of southern Louisiana know that there is a place for the oil business in Louisiana. They don’t want it to go away, it has helped feed and cloth their families. But there are solutions that would involve cooperation between the oil companies and the state government and frankly so many of these people never see that happening. They have lost hope. Not lost ideas or love for their land or their heritage, but lost hope that the government will help them help themselves. Because we all know that’s not the function of government in Louisiana.
I close with this. I was born and raised in Southern California. I was so proud of my friends in San Diego and Los Angeles during the fires last year. I work at the University of Iowa, and live near Cedar Rapids. All I saw during the floods here were people reaching out to help either other. I saw heroes and would gladly provide their names to any one who wants to recognize them. None of these people seek recognition. And because few of these people expect the government to do the things they can do themselves the media has dropped Iowa off their radar. I see it happening again in southern Louisiana.
If you haven’t read the following article, please do:
https://www4.uifoundation.org/exchweb/bin/redir.asp?URL=http://www.poynter.org/column.asp?id=2%26aid=150002
No one is paying attention to the crisis that is Southern Louisiana right now. Because New Orleans lucked out, it’s as if Gustave didn’t happen. Look, my mom grew up on the bayou. My sister and I still own a small portion of a barrier island in Timbaleir Bay. I have a lot of relatives who are born and bred Cajuns. The real kind whose ancestors were driven out of Acadia in 1755 (and who aren’t waiting/expecting/demanding apologies or reparations from the Canadian government) – who live on the bayous and work in the fishing industry, the shrimp industry, the oil industry, conservation, education, whatever is needed. They support themselves and care for family members who cannot care for themselves. They don’t look for handouts.
My family – who I am so proud to claim – took as many Katrina refugees into their homes as they could. They dedicated the months/years following Katrina to providing housing, food, clothing, education, day care, whatever was needed all without asking for anything for themselves. And, might I also point out that they never complained about this – it’s what you do in Southern Louisiana, no questions asked – your door is open, your arms are ready for a hug or a step up or to help shell some shrimp for gumbo. Never have I heard the drive-by media thank or praise these people. They would never ask for it either – it’s not their way.
Then there is my friend Alyssa who lives in Baton Rouge. She has spent her entire post-college career working for Boys Hope/Girls Hope, living with at-risk students and helping provide them with a safe, encouraging environment in which to study and thrive. She recently changed jobs and is now a Youth Re-entry Specialist with the Justice Department in Baton Rouge. She too housed refugees during Katrina, and never thought twice about anything except what more could she do. She is, as she needs to be, tough, caring and brave.
When I have spoken to her (twice in the last two days) I have heard desperation in her voice. She wondered what the news was saying about Baton Rouge. When was help coming? They have no power (for up to four weeks), no gas, and little food. Verizon had just shown up with a truckload of free car phone chargers, which will become useless when her car runs out of gas, but that small donation allows her to keep in touch for now. Yesterday, after helping clear downed trees, she stood in line for hours to get FEMA supplies, only to be turned away empty handed because they were out. I am not sure that was FEMA’s fault. The bulk of the supplies are in New Orleans, I would guess. They’ll get there.
I know there is a convention going on. So what! It is a crime that the media is completely ignoring this situation. Louisiana, despite its long history of corrupt government, is home to so many wonderful people of all colors and creeds. Southern Louisiana is made up of black and white, Latino, Asian, Middle Eastern, and native American. The Houma Tribe has been fighting for recognition from the Federal Government while watching their land dissolve into the gulf. This is not a global warming issue – it is a land management and government mismanagement issue. There is enough blame to go around.
For all those who are so concerned about New Orleans, or those who say “well of course they are in danger, they are below sea-level” please note that was not an issue 100 years ago. While the Mississippi was allowed to dump and spread silt into the gulf there was a shelf which helped break up storms before they reached New Orleans. When the Barrier Islands were whole - before erosion caused in part because of drilling, and in part because no one has found a solution to protecting them from the traffic in the gulf - they protected the coast. When the levees were new and maintained (what did happen to all the money earmarked for their upkeep?), it didn’t matter that New Orleans was below sea level. Yes, it has dropped, but New Orleans is not the COAST. It has natural protections, which is why it was built where it was built. Restore those protections and you can quit worrying so much about poor old New Orleans.
If you want something to worry about, worry about the salt water incursion that is killing the bayous and swamps. I was in Bayou DuLarge a couple years ago and all you could see were dead rotting trees where I remembered tunnels of dense green. Yes, Katrina contributed to that. The storm surge caused the salt water to incur after all. But had the barrier islands been intact and the slow dissolve of land not been occurring for the last 60 years or so, the surge, again, would have been slowed and so much would not have been lost.
I said that no one has solutions for some of this. That is not true. Find an old Cajun and have him take you out on the bayous. He can tell you what to do. Actually find one who has worked on a rig. The people of southern Louisiana know that there is a place for the oil business in Louisiana. They don’t want it to go away, it has helped feed and cloth their families. But there are solutions that would involve cooperation between the oil companies and the state government and frankly so many of these people never see that happening. They have lost hope. Not lost ideas or love for their land or their heritage, but lost hope that the government will help them help themselves. Because we all know that’s not the function of government in Louisiana.
I close with this. I was born and raised in Southern California. I was so proud of my friends in San Diego and Los Angeles during the fires last year. I work at the University of Iowa, and live near Cedar Rapids. All I saw during the floods here were people reaching out to help either other. I saw heroes and would gladly provide their names to any one who wants to recognize them. None of these people seek recognition. And because few of these people expect the government to do the things they can do themselves the media has dropped Iowa off their radar. I see it happening again in southern Louisiana.
# posted by Jane @ 6:55 PM 
