Drive by blog

The CD Celtic Woman is just the most beautiful thing ever. Like Enya and Clannad turned loose. It may be a little cheesy to some, but you know, they have my number. Also, iTunes now has my money.

More than just New Orleans was blown away

I was net surfing tonight and came across this from the BBC, which cites world press response to the US response to Katrina.  It's not at all favorable.  Mostly they seem to think we can't handle ourselves and have fallen not just in our own opinion, but even further in theirs.

From Kenya:

"My first reaction when television images of the survivors of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans came through the channels was that the producers must be showing the wrong clip. The images, and even the disproportionately high number of visibly impoverished blacks among the refugees, could easily have been a re-enactment of a scene from the pigeonholed African continent. "

And Hong Kong wants to give us some tips, since we clearly seem to need them:

"Even if our money may not be needed, at the least we should be offering moral support. Our skills in dealing with storms may be useful to help Americans prevent other such tragedies. We should be offering this help rather than shrugging off what should be our humanitarian duty."

There's also an incredible list of countries donating money.  I wasn't impressed with Rice's somewhat condescending response: "it is very valuable for people for being able to give to each other and to be able to do so without a sense of means."  I don't know what she means, but then, I rarely do.  We're getting oil.  We're getting $100 million from Qatar.  How many Americans knew Qatar was a country?  I admit, I thought it was an airline, then remembered that was Quantas. 

We're getting more than just oil and money and geography lessons and tips on how to deal with/prevent storm crises.  We're getting hubris, and it's unquestionably a Meal Ready to Eat.  I think the fact that we only barely can grasp how much public face we have lost only makes it that much worse.

How did we get here?  And no, don't say Bush.  He's one guy.  We're a country full of people who should be smarter than this.  Really -- all of us, how did we get here?  More importantly, how the hell do we get out of here?

New Orleans, I'm very sorry

I've become a bit paralyzed today. On the one hand I'm overcome with sorrow for the victims of the hurricane. On the other hand I am seething with rage at my country's ineptitude and its inability to rescue its own citizens. And then I am numb with horror and shock at how it's now day six and still, mostly it's alot of people talking. Day six and we still have people there unrescued, held in pens like cattle while guests from the Hyatt move to the front of the line. Day. Six. We have given money. We will give more, but I can't help thinking that I need to give water. Except I'm also very sure I'd only be in the way to go down there now. I don't have a bus. I also have a toddler. I have few skills that would help. I plan to keep an eye out for ways to help the 5000 that are supposed to come to Iowa -- of course, first they have to get out of hell. I'm going to go get supplies and take them to the drop off point. I've written scathing letters to all my congressional representatives telling them to GET OFF THEIR ASSES and at least yell a lot. Beyond that, I think I should probably spend some time in meditative prayer for peace and action to reach those who need it, and that's about what I can come up with that I can actually do. The rage isn't going to help anybody, so it needs to be spent. If I had somewhere for it to carry me, I'd do that, but mostly I'm left here with this well of sorrow and a sense of disbelief that this is happening. It's not the natural disaster blowing me away, it's the disaster of response. If anybody can think of something else to be done, my God, I'd love to hear it.