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Hurricane Katrina's aftermath
Like everyone, I'm beyond overwhelmed by the enormity of the suffering, death, and destruction caused by Hurrican Katrina and the heart-wrenching aftermath of self-less sacrifice, survival, and the selfish violence of far too many "people."
My last blog was about the debate about Darwin's survival of the fittest versus the Intelligent Design concept, the fact that the universe is just too amazing not to have been designed by some incredible being.
What we're all seeing in New Orleans is a confirmation that the survival of the fittest attitude is alive and well, not in the many poor animals and beloved pets that have lived and died there, but in the violent, raping, murderous looters (I'm not talking about desperate people trying to survive). However, also alive and well is the magnificence that we all possess inside that comes out in most of us when others need our help.
Just as the apparent "death" and "rebirth" of plants and flowers suggests that we humans also have some kind of rebirth after our physical death, the magnificent outpouring of the best in humanity to this unimaginable tragedy suggests (but doesn't prove) that yes, there may very well be some incredible Being, an Ultimate Source of Creation and the good that comes with it that we are all able to tap into. Both the Darwinists and the Creationists are going to find lots to prove their cases in New Orleans and the rest of the affected areas.
Frankly, I don't think it's necessary to believe in anything on a spiritual level to be a good person, other than to believe that other people are entitled to be treated the way I would like to be treated. I live in a place that has been devasted by a hurricane in 1938 and many people say we're due. If that happens, I hope people won't abandon the Hamptons because they think only the rich and powerful live here. That would be as venal and criminal as if it were true that New Orleans and other predominently black areas were not served properly because of race and economic reach. But that's not why I'm donating money to the relief efforts. I'm doing it because it is the right thing to do.
I do have beliefs and I pray that whatever spirits that have continually blessed Amy and me will help the thousands of people that are in such dire need on the United States' Gulf Coast. It's going to be a tough six months for our nation, but we'll recover because we're human beings who know what the Golden Rule is.
Blame is one thing there's never a shortage of in the, for now, United States of America. I am absolutely DISGUSTED and ASHAMED of all of the people who are misdirecting their sorrow and fear and blaming the President of the United States of America for a calamity that has affected 95,000 square MILES of the US Gulf Coast, an area the size of Great Britain and bigger than the great state of Idaho.
It is so uncool and unfashionable and supremely UNspiritual to blame anyone. If the shit has hit the fan, any time spent doing anything but helping to make it better on the ground is a waste of time.
And this business of blaming Daddy for one's problems is so wimpy and un-American. Hey you blamers, It's one thing to believe in God or Goddess or any kind of a surpreme deity. It's another thing to think that George Bush or any human has those kinds of powers.
OK, so I've gotten a lot of emails saying how can I NOT blame President Bush. Michael Brown, who may or may not have screwed up, is now relieved of command and his head will probably be on the chopping block, though one of President Bush's character traits is loyalty, so he may not fire him.
If I had to analyze the tragedy of New Orleans, I'd say, after days of careful analysis, that this situation shows that the Governor of LA and the Mayor of New Orleans should have spent a tenth of the time solving the problem that they've spent fixing the blame on others. They just weren't up to the task and President Bush had to BEG them to get off their butts and do the right thing. Disaster relief is the exclusive responsibility of local governments. Federal agencies are there to help them, but they have to be asked. It's like in the bilble where Jesus says "I stand at the door and knock. And those who invite me in, I will sup with them." No, I've not become a bible thumping born again jew christian, but I studied the bible at Brooklyn Technical High School's honor English class and it's stood me in good stead all these years. It's a shame that it isn't studied as a secular book because there's a lot of good advice and history there.
Anyway, back to the blame game, here a little visual backup. Here's a link to a photo of about two or three hundred school buses sitting idle in a flooded parking lot in New Orleans. Hey Mr. "Mayor," why didn't you use those buses and the countless other ones to evacuate the poor people you care about. And the Governor of LA should not have waited to declared a state of emergency, request a Federal State of Emergency to be issued and prepared to send in the National Guard on the day of the emergency, not after. The federal disaster would have allowed regular troops to be called in and all of their resources made available. Bill O'Reily and Col. "Starbucks" Hunt on Fox did a real investigation. Just like the bible and just like graphic novels and just like hiphop music and rap and everything, there's a lot of good truth and good people in almost all things and if people weren't so busy projecting fear and rage on to other people they would be forgiving and calm and things would get done.
I find it so sad that people are so willing to heap hate and venom on President Bush instead of prayers and understanding. Does one's spirituality have a limit? Can you love everyone but George Bush and Dick Cheny? No more talking. I'm going to go send some more money to Mercy Corps and the Humane Society. And then I'm back to work on "True Love Tarot." If there's one thing we all need now more than ever, it's True Love like Amy and I have. It get's even better when you share it, which is what we've dedicated our lives to. I don't expect everyone to do the same, but I do expect everyone to be kind, thoughtful, forgiving and respectful of the fact that they don't know everything about anything or anyone. Hey, who knows, I could be wrong and all my research could be wrong and George Bush could be an evil person and he could have personally screwed up the Katrina relief effort. If I'm wrong, I look forward to you prooving me wrong because I would like to be correct. I always love to hear from people who read my blog because otherwise I feel like I'm writing to myself and wasting my time. I KNOW what I think, already! ;-)
World peace begins with each and every one of us.
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