This Again
by ChrisDecember 9th, 2005 2:33 am
You may have noticed, and probably don’t care, that I’ve left the Katrina donation links at the top of right column of the site. While I’ve been quite delinquent in actually writing anything on the site, though I think that should change shortly, the links are where they are because that’s where they belong and not out of laziness on my part.
Don’t get me wrong, I don’t presume to have raised a dime for the victims of the destruction of New Orleans and the gulf states. The thing is, the pain of that event and the horror of those images isn’t as raw as it was just a short time ago - at least for those of us who experienced no direct impact. With whatever voice I have, I’d like to add to the chorus of people reminding everybody that we lost a major American city a few short months ago. Quite a lot is not at all right with the hundreds of thousands of American citizens left without a home or even a hometown.
Sixteen days from now, an unfortunate orgy of commercial exploitation will come to an end with the horrid whine of children, young and old, disappointed that they didn’t receive the precise piece of plastic, metal, or wooden crap that they wanted, oh so bad. This has something to do with Jesus, who must have had a thing for diamond tennis bracelets and the X-Box 360. Or Maybe it was that corpulent bastard Santa, who died for our sins, that forced this annual horror of outlandish commercialism and outlandish conduct on the part of otherwise reasonable people into our lives? I can never get this crap straight. Was it the virgin Santa Claus nailed to the cross by reindeer wielding brand new Black & Decker nail guns and modeling the latest line of Calvin Klein 100% cotton fitted briefs? Is that why we have to buy crap for freinds, relatives and coworkers who never wanted the crap in question anyway, and will probably throw it in the basement until it gets thrown out the next time they move.
Whatever. I say “fuck it.” Take the ten bucks you were going to blow on tube socks for your aunt Beatrice and donate it to the gulf coast releif effort. If Beatrice gives you any shit, tell her she’s old enough to buy just about anything she wants, and if she wants tube socks, she can bloody well go get them for herself. That’s just what Santa would have her do, had our sins not slaughtered the poor bastard and he could still speak for himself.
The residents and former residents of New Orleans and the Gulf states are still very much in need and will continue to need our assistance for years to come. Regardless of whether or not NOLA is rebuilt as it was, or something very different happens, the American citizens whose lives were thrown into utter chaos need our attention and our money. Let’s not let this fade away. Let’s see if we can get this one right.
For other bloggers; the Katrina relief effort and fund raising for the same is something worth mentioning every now and again on your blog. Even if you can only raise $10 with your site, that’s $10 that wasn’t available prior to your efforts. More than that, our collective audience tends to be a wonderful group of active and informed people who are likely busy with a number of projects. Keeping the Katrina relief effort front and center on your blog just might be an effective way of keeping it at the forefront of our audience’s mind. Planting seeds is the best most of us can do, so don’t shy away.
December 24th, 2005 at 3:41 pm
[…] But who says all those gifts have to be trinkets of technology or token accessories we don’t really need? Who says we can’t send a gift to people we’ll never meet, people who really need it? Do you have a charity you think could use a few more bucks this holiday season? I was thinking, and writing, over at Philly Future about the importance of giving to those in need this Christmas (spurred by Chris’ post). […]
February 15th, 2006 at 1:12 pm
Just thought you’d like to know what happened to Eric Dunbar (Why the poor stayed…). I have written and published a book about my New Orleans experience…
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Author Contact:
Eric Dunbar
971 E. Sanford Street, #2322
Arlington, TX 76011
Phone: 817.881.1001
Email: Eric@vinepublication.com
www.vinepublication.com
Download Press Release as PDF File
The truth about Hurricane Katrina:
A survivor’s gripping account of the desperate aftermath
January 2006, Denver, Colorado
“Every local and state government official knew these people could not escape the city. To add to their misery, no provisions or shelters were provided for them. If I would have had the means to evacuate New Orleans before Hurricane Katrina swept across the city, surely I would have done it. But I had no other alternative but to stay in the city and pray that God would keep my wife and me safe.â€
It is widely known now that as Hurricane Katrina made its way toward the City of New Orleans, thousands of its citizens, who lived in poverty, were unable to evacuate. With no means that would allow escape from the impending storm, the abandoned populace would face days and nights of terror, starvation, and death. When help arrived it was too little and, for many, too late.
Author Eric Dunbar and his wife were among the trapped, and from their experience comes Katrina . . . In the Aftermath of a Killer, a true-life account of what happened in the aftermath of one of the deadliest storms in U.S. history. Author Dunbar provides an eloquent and chilling chronicle of the challenge to survive day after day in a city laid waste by the violent after-effects of the storm.
“Conditions in New Orleans grew worse by the day. People were clinging to rooftops, they were huddled together in crowds on bridges, and dead bodies were seen floating in the morose flood waters. The water was beginning to give off a foul odor like that of raw sewage. Mosquitoes were multiplying ever so rapidly in the swamp-like water. Not to mention the pains of hunger that had now overwhelmed my whole existence, and the desire for a glass of cool water was at times, all I thought about.â€
The Dunbars found refuge in a school, where with many other city residents they waited, praying that someone would rescue them. “I thought within,†Dunbar writes,†that I had been abandoned to drown like a trapped sewer rat. In my exasperation many painful memories resurfaced. When I saw the sadness of the people that surrounded me, I could not help but think about all the injustices that had been dealt to Black Americans, all written on the silent pages of time.†As Eric and his wife searched for food and water, they met person after person who related the horrific happenings at the Convention Center and the Superdome, the places where many citizens were herded by the police and left to cope with the crisis on their own, in an atmosphere rife with crime.
Katrina . . . In the Aftermath of a Killer is a powerful book that examines what could have been done to prevent such large-scale human suffering, and takes a look at what is happening now with the survivors and their continuing victimization. It also broadens our understanding of the history and economics of New Orleans and of its people.
Book Statistics
ISBN(s): 1598002392
Retail Price(s): $20.95
Size and Format(s): 6 x 9 Paperback
Page count: 140
Publication Date: Dec. 2005
Availability: Ingram, Baker & Taylor, Amazon.com, B&N.com, www.outskirtspress.com/???, www.vinepublication.com