Holding back the Misssissippi
Posted: Mon May 23, 2011 12:40 pm
I was caught up in remembering an MSNBC story about a reasonably well off New Orleans family, who loaded up the family SUVs and hit the road north in advance of Katrina, making it to relatives in Mass. or Jersey, where they were given free private school tuition for the kids, a nice summer cabin to live in, and the monthly stipend granted by FEMA...all while the less fortunates sweated it out in the Super Dome. I sent the following to MSNBC just after they aired the story:
How wonderful!
A white upper middle class family finds refuge in grandfather's summer cottage up in Massachusetts. The family home in Louisiana was relatively unscathed and the kids even find a donated Catholic School admission so they can spend the autumn afternoons in...wait for it....a pleasure boat. FEMA came through with two grand for them all and junior's hamster made it okay.
All America must be so happy for them.
Meanwhile, another family, this one not white, who didn't have a car to escape in, finds itself split up and desperately searching for one of their own, while living with thousands of other people in the Houston football stadium...FEMA can't verify who the fuck they are, because the thugs who ran the convention center in New Orleans took everything they had before mom got raped, thus the two grand that they might use to get a cell phone, or clothing, or a toothbrush will just have to wait ... and never mind a school for the little ones.
So let's get our priorities straight...
Evacuate the hurricane in the family SUV maybe $300.00 gas
Move into Grandpa's summer cottage FREE
Catholic School for the girls FREE
$2000.00 from you and I FREE
Being White in America Priceless
You morons should be ashamed running articles like that.
Then I scrolled down to see that rather humble 'cabin' surrounded by water and thought: "That doesn't look like the abode of the wealthy elite..." That took work by somebody on a mission.
So I am looking at this, and reading about Joplin and thinking why on earth anyone would live in that part of the country...all while the old adage runs through my head: "You's pays your money and takes your chances."
My heart goes out to all of you who are struggling just to stay in the same place.