What's Wrong in New Orleans?

I wanted to post a link to one of the best articles I've seen on New Orleans so far. It directly addresses so many of the questions I've had since this tragedy occurred. Kudos to such an intelligent, well-reasoned, well-written article. Click on the title "What's Wrong in New Orleans?" to be taken to the article. Please take the time to read it. We need to understand the problems.

Here is yet another fantastic article from Ben Stein:

http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=8693

Hurricane Katrina

Just like everyone else who has a blog, I feel the need to weigh in with my opinion on the tragedies on the Gulf coast. My heart bleeds to all those folks who have lost their loved ones, homes, belongings, pets, livelihoods, and lives. I’m gathering up quite a shipment of clothing to send to the folks who need to begin rebuilding their lives. I can’t help too much financially, but we’re doing everything we can to help in other ways. I challenge each person in America to do the same. This disaster doesn’t need to be a political soapbox, racial issue, or other divisive forum. It is a humanitarian effort that is needed. Plain and simple. These people are fellow human beings who desperately need our help. Nothing else is important.

Having said that, there are quite a few issues that I feel strongly enough about to want to have my say.

There is an awful lot of finger-pointing going on. That’s natural and expected. It’s not productive at this point, but everyone wants the opportunity to slam the other guy in hopes of making their point of view seem more valid. My opinion is that the first line of failure was in the local government. It was a mandatory evacuation. Does anyone know what mandatory means? Why were there so many people left in the city after a mandatory evacuation order was issued? Why didn’t local government provide transportation for all the people who were not able to evacuate on their own? Why does everyone expect the Federal Government to come running in hours after a disaster and have everything handled immediately?

I would like to point out that FEMA is NOT a first-responder organization. It is supposed to plug into existing local efforts to supplement local government and its agencies. The local governments, both city and state, should have been in place and working before FEMA was even called in. Why did people start screaming that Bush wasn’t providing aid immediately after the tragedy? There is a system in place, folks. The system is obviously flawed, and I’m sure there will be some sweeping changes made in the way natural disasters are handled, but it takes time to get a huge machine started. That’s why the local government’s disaster planning is so crucial. They should have had the manpower, equipment, and plans in place long before hurricane Katrina. It wasn’t a surprise. The research on the effects of a major hurricane had already been done and submitted to those who could have made a difference. Why were the warnings ignored?

This tragedy is NOT a racial thing. I am absolutely infuriated by the utter nonsense spouted by Kanye West and others. Some people will use absolutely any news-worthy event to try to get their little opinions heard. It’s ridiculous, selfish, and self-serving for a few members of the African American community to use a humanitarian tragedy as a soapbox for their political agenda. It only serves to divide people and move focus away from helping those in need…regardless of their color.

When you ask why there are primarily black people who need to be rescued in New Orleans, ask instead why they constituted the majority of the people still left in the city after a mandatory evacuation order. Why didn’t the Mayor of New Orleans, or the Governor of Louisiana, provide transportation out of the city for the people? I don’t hear anyone calling that a racial thing. I guess they can’t, since the Mayor of New Orleans is an African American.

I see from the newspapers and television that the left-side of the fence is having a ball blasting President Bush as being responsible for the government’s lack of prompt action. I’m sure that some of you are having fun with that, but don’t be so quick to place blame. Put your energies instead into helping those whose lives have been destroyed. I want to see Kanye West and his ilk put their money where their mouths are. Talk is cheap!

It doesn’t matter one single bit what color the people are who need help. They are destitute, and it is everyone’s civic/humanitarian duty to help those in need. Please set aside the politics, the race issues, the rhetoric, and get down to the business of helping the thousands whose lives have been turned upside down. Next time…it could be your turn.

Thoughts for Today...

Never complain about what you permit.

Humanity has advanced, when it has advanced, not because it has been sober, responsible, and cautious, but because it has been playful, rebellious, and immature (Tom Robbins).

You probably wouldn't worry about what people think of you if you could know how seldom they do (Olin Miller).

Progress might have been all right once, but it has gone on too long (Ogden Nash).

I do not feel obliged to believe that the same God who has endowed us with sense, reason, and intellect has intended us to forego their use (Galileo Galilei).

Don't you wish there were a knob on the TV to turn up the intelligence? There's one marked Brightness, but it doesn't work (Gallagher).

A child becomes an adult when he realizes that he has a right not only to be right but also to be wrong (Thomas Szasz).

No one can make you feel inferior without your consent (Eleanor Roosevelt).

***************************

Okay, so that's a lot to take in on a Monday morning, but sometimes the greatest wisdom comes in little bytes.

A Beginning

This journal (of sorts) has been a long time coming. Perhaps it's the fact that I'm a Pisces, perhaps I'm too busy, perhaps it's just not been important enough, and perhaps it's just that I'm not a good writer. Whatever reasons there are for not doing this before now are unimportant...I guess. Finally breaking down and doing this is the important part.

They say that journaling is good for the soul. Those who do it faithfully swear by its healing properties. I don't know...yet, but I intend to find out. What should you expect to read here? Who knows?!? I certainly don't. But then I guess that's part of the fascination some folks have with reading other's blogs. You're seeing through a little window into the heart or mind of a total stranger. There's a weird sort of intimacy there.

I've called this blog "Moth to a Flame" for several reasons. I've always been drawn to blogging but have feared to move too close. My friends (some of them anyway) would say that I'm opening myself up to all those crazies who lurk behind every 'corner' of the Internet. Are they out there? Sure. But they're also in the grocery store, gas station, church, office, restaurant, or therapist's office. I'm no more likely to run into them here than on the street at lunch. Life's a gamble.

"Moth to a Flame" has other meanings for me as well. As you can see from perusing my website, I'm a jewelry designer. I'm also a newbie to the world of lampworking. That's making beads and other small items with glass and a torch. Once again, here we are with that 'flame' theme. I've spent many hours staring into that flame - trying to find beauty in the glass. If my dream holds true, I'll be spending the rest of my life doing the same thing. There is absolutely no limit to the extent of creativity you can manifest...even in such a small medium. I may even start a separate blog just for my daily experiments with glass, color, temperature, and other stuff only of interest to other lampworkers. Who knows? Check back and see.

On a separate, yet related, topic...Another creative passion of mine is digital art - specifically fractals - specifically Apophysis fractals. Apophysis is a software program that enables you to create "flame fractals." Here we are with that 'flame' thing again. I've spent untold hours tweaking triangles and color gradients trying to get that perfect flame. Just ask my husband. He'll tell you. By the way, this is a flame fractal:

So is this:

And this:

If you'd like to see some of what I've done, check here: http://flameborn.deviantart.com Don't be put off by the deviantART name. I scared one of my dearest friends half to death when I sent her the link. She wouldn't even go there...fearing what sick and twisted things she might find. It was quite a relief to her that it's just one of the finest digital art repositories on the 'net. Don't just take my word for it. Go see! http://www.deviantart.com If that's not enough, check out http://www.renderosity.com It's the other fabulous digital art site. Be warned...it's highly addictive!!!

So...what have we learned?

• I finally got off my ass and created my blog.
• I've got some sort of flame fetish
• Apophysis is a software program for creating flame fractals
• Flame fractals are really pretty!
• deviantART is not a repository of sick, twisted, nasty stuff
• deviantART & Renderosity are online communities filled with unbelievably talented artists

I've had lots of fun today, but lunch hour is over and I need to get back to work. Thanks for listening!