Remember Katrina? You have to. I know I was on the edge of my seat for AT LEAST a week and a half when it was going on. And that'll be something I will NEVER forget. And we all know how short the American Memory is. We're coming up on 2 YEARS since (ARGUABLY) THE WORST NATURAL DISASTER THE WORLD HAS EVER SEEN! And other than this wrinkle in time being permanently burnt into my brain, the fact that NEW ORLEANS IS NOW TRYING TO GET FINANCIAL AID FROM FOREIGN COUNTRIES, just gets my emotions boiling once again.
It's not that I'm too proud to accept assistance from other countries. It's the BUREAUCRACY involved in getting the money ALREADY RECEIVED to the people who NEED it. The federal government declined both logistical and monetary aid from foreign countries BEFORE, DURING, and AFTER! This storm didn't just come outta nowhere; it was HUGE; watched it for days.
Mr Bush was on vacation. And THIS just amazes me because if it was me that gave my buddy a job with responsibilities that required skills he did not posses, I would be making sure he got a little extra help when there was a chance he may be called upon to exercise said skills. Not W...
Maybe the ONLY good conclusion I've come to out of the whole situation is that DAVID BANNER is NOT a ignorant southern rapper. And it kind of hit me off guard. His video, PLAY, was all over the video channels and you have to admit the video is pretty extreme. But what turned me around happened in the days that followed the storm. The storm happened on a Monday, and NOTHING happened all week. So, on Saturday following the storm I was listening to DJ WHOO KID'S SHOW on Shade 45, and they were all trippin' off NOTHING still happened. And David Banner called up FROM MISSISSIPPI and broke down what was really going on, AND what he was doing about it. Long story short: he was doing his best to give back some of the money to the people that listen to and buy his music. He was very humble and made a point to say that without these folks, he wouldn't be in the position he was in. Shout out to all the other members of the Hip Hop Community that provided assistance before FEMA!
During the days immediately following the storm, David Banner managed to get 2 bus loads of food, water, and supplies to the victims (not refugees), BEFORE any assistance from the federal government. WHAT?! How could this happen? While DB's instincts were providing relief, FEMA and the rest of government were overwhelmed with offers from overseas. So overwhelmed, that they denied MOST of the aid, which included:
$854 MILLION in cash and oil. ($400 million = oil to be sold)
Cruise ships, Communication systems, Water, Emergency Health Workers, Urban Rescue Workers.
In a time where we really need to hold on to ANY country that would consider us an ally, we declined 54 of the 77 recorded aid offers from our most loyal allies: CANADA, BRITAIN, & ISRAEL! As a result, only $40 million of the total 854 has gotten to the folks who need it the most. And if you recall, this is when the gas hike really started because of the refineries that were damaged and destroyed during Katrina. At the same time we were offered $400 million-worth of oil. This fact makes me very skeptical of the governments true intent; it just doesn't make sense. JUST DOLLARS!
And what MOST government officials told the potential contributors was to give the money to the THE BUSH-CLINTON RELIEF FUND or Pat Robertson's OPERATION BLESSING. Pat Robertson? This "man of God" said the hurricane was an intentional punishment from God because of homosexuality, abortion, and what New Orleans represented as a city. And we expect this money to get to the the very people HE blames for this natural disaster...
To me, this is a PEOPLE issue. To hell with all the bureaucracy, investigative reporting, monitoring, and just plain old partiality. These are people that were seconds away from DEATH! And many had NO HOPE AT ALL! If this is truly a government of, by, and for the people, WHY were the major news stories about looting, the "inappropriate" spending of the little money some were lucky to get, and the decisions made by some medical professionals in the face of death?
I think the way the "looters" were portrayed through the media was RIDICULOUS! Who are these news executives to JUDGE people in these conditions? As is usually the case, these folks that CONTROL the information we receive do not research and report with a SOLUTION behind the reporting. They immediately go to the extreme. And, in this case, continue to denigrate how Blacks are viewed by people that have never saw anyone darker than SUNBURNT! It's pretty clear to me the level of Racism in the country and particularly with the handling of the aftermath of KATRINA, so I wanna look at another interesting happening concerning this debacle.
TAKE A LOOK AT THIS!
Wow...and since I've already thrown RACISM around a lot, I have to note that these are WHITE FOLKS! And could someone tell me how this doesn't conflict with the 2nd Amendment? This is scary. We have to get off the couch! These are direct violations of the Constitution; and we're just letting it happen...because it hasn't reached OUR circles...YET!
I like to read quotes. And earlier this week, I heard one on the radio from THOM HARTMANN. He said "...voting isn't enough anymore...not enough people turn out for that to be effective..." And after thinking that through for a few days, I have to agree. We need to get more involved in our government--BEFORE IT'S GONE!
To sum it up, I feel Katrina is a humanitarian issue first because if you can't even be guaranteed LIFE in this country, how can you expect to be awarded these other RIGHTS guaranteed by the Constitution. If your LIFE isn't even respected, why do you think you'll be given HUMAN RIGHTS, or "INALIENABLE RIGHTS?" And if you haven't seen at least parts of Spike Lee's documentary, "When the Levees Broke," you need to!
JUNE 26, 2007 = DAY OF ACTION! I'll be in Washington, DC...
P.L.U.R.,
zAy
No comments:
Post a Comment