The Automatik

I know that many of you are probably experiencing this phenomenon the wonderful media have dubbed “Katrina Fatigue.” Let me tell you something: since August 29th, I’ve been pretty fatigued myself.

I’m fatigued from worrying about Louisiana and Mississippi, from being scared for my family members and friends. I’m sick of fighting with ignorant people who want to think the worst of New Orleanians and blaming them all for their fate. And I’m tired of screaming into a void of apathy in a society which is more interested in Brangelina and the break-up of Nick and Jessica than the fact that over 1,000 people died from Hurricane Katrina, and hundreds of thousands more have been displaced, separated from their families, with their communities in ruins. And why? Not because they chose to live in a flood plain or because they refused to evacuate but because the government-built levees were inadequate and failed, ruining lives and livelihood in the process.

How does this very important fact of the government’s negligence get practically zero press? How does the story of a naturalized U.S. citizen being arrested for terrorism while attempting to save people get buried?

You’ve probably seen the reports from the New York Times and the Washington Post and other outlets, predicting the death of a great city if someone doesn’t do something to help. But it’s not just New Orleans; there are other cities in Louisiana who were affected and there are several little towns in Mississippi who were wiped from the map. Granted these areas in Mississippi weren’t destroyed from inadequate levees, but when the National Flood Insurance Program (run by FEMA) didn’t even consider them to be in a flood hazard area and flood insurance was artificially lowered in price and not considered mandatory, then I feel that the threat of a major storm was not taken seriously by the government, and I feel that this is another example of the government letting people down.

When I read about the suicides of New Orleanians who couldn’t take it anymore, I cry. When I hear that the Feds do not want to bail out the utility company (Entergy) in Louisiana, that they don’t want to provide the same relief that was provided to New York after 9/11, I cry. When I read excerpts from Louisiana Governor Kathleen Blanco’s testimony before Congress and see the following words from Republican Representative Henry Bonilla, I cry.

One of the big problems you have is the pictures of dysfunction and confusion that appeared on TV in the days after the storm. A lot of our constituents are telling us not to support big funding for the Gulf Coast without strict accountability. We know there are tremendous needs, but there is a lot of Katrina fatigue that people are dealing with in the heartland. The leadership in Congress is trying to put a package together and tack it to a bill funding the military. We don’t know if a stand alone bill to help you all would pass. It’s absolutely critical that every time you all are seen that you do the best you can, it’s critical.

It’s wise for states and governments to come before us and to show what they are doing themselves to help themselves. What is Louisiana doing in terms of helping themselves?

I’m tired of crying. Now I’m just angry.

How do you help yourself when three major communities have been without power for three and a half months and the utility company that services them is bankrupt? How do you help yourself when
so many still think that welfare-lovin’ ingrates got what came to them, even though the facts state otherwise?

As far as New Orleans is concerned, there are glimmers of hope. There are several volunteer organizations helping out (Habitat for Humanity and Common Ground to name two). The controversial blue tarp roof Lakeside Mall Christmas display got so much attention that it was reinstated. There are lots of community events this holiday season.

Perhaps most exciting of all is the fact that Mardi Gras 2006 is on.

But there’s still so much more work to do. And the work can’t get done if we continue to have to fend off complaints from people who don’t want their tax dollars to go towards funding a sinking city. Let me tell you something: this is no time for fighting.

I said a few months ago that this was America’s problem. It still is. If you’re an American, you should care about this, because without New Orleans and the port and the oil and gas industry, you’re going to have a whole lot more to fund than just tax dollars.

The holiday season is fast approaching. I don’t care what your belief system is: Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Wiccan, agnostic or even atheist. This is beyond all that. This is about humanity. Show some now and educate yourself about what’s going on in your country and please help in whatever way you can. Don’t write a check to the Red Cross and wash your hands of it. If you don’t know what to do, ask me. I’ll be happy to give you information about any number of places that need your help.

And if you can’t or won’t do that, at least tell people about the real crisis of the Gulf South. Don’t let the story of Louisiana and Mississippi be a eulogy.