Saturday, September 03, 2005
LOOKING AHEAD
Could we have taken action months ago, even years ago, which might have prevented,or in some way have eased the national agony we are now experiencing in our gulf coast states and, in particular, chaotic conditions bordering on rebellion? Yes. We can,I'm sure,look back over what has taken place and see errors that were made - in our view - by individuals, by groups including governmental personages as well as self-appointed or fame-fertilized guru types of various religious tinges. It is usually easy for each of us to see how it worked out that the so-and-official in such-and-such an office knew little about what he or she was supposed to be doing. One suggested, then, which can enable us to avoid trouble later on. Take elections seriously and vote capable, qualified, worthy people to office. Make elections more than popularity contests. The actual events we are discussing for the most part,had taken place approximately five days before. It was at that critical point, when victims sat waiting and wondering when help would arrive, that the potentially mad moment of the entire tragedy became evident. Out of the abyss; out of the silence and inactivity came the corrosive idea that the delay might be a deliberate political strategy. It was hinted rather than said aloud. Up and down the organizational charts from the city or nationwide elected or of appointed authority "outs accused "ins" regardless of party affiliation. To me, this continues to be the most critical point of it all. On Day Five needed supplies, medications, equipment and personnel for public control are evident. The scourge of rampant looting and gang-rule in some areas where city, county and state control were not functioning has been given serious treatment. With basic local law re-established, improvements will follow speedily. In truth, we do not know exact reasons which may have caused the New Orleans aberrations. It is imperative that we continue to center our investigative attentions upon them until we understand them very well. We have come close to our ruin in "The Big Easy". The deadly seeds are there. We must gather them with special care. We must never allow any of them to be planted again - anywhere. A.L.M. Sept 3, 2005 [c389wds]
Friday, September 02, 2005
READY FOR SAINTS...The fine old Dixieland jazz song: "When the Saints Go Marching In." would need to have a few words changed were it be performed in the downtown area of old New Orleans today. As I remember it, the actual entombment area is some lower than the average terrain around it the average terrain is even lower than the land around it. The tombs tower up in layers, however, and one standing there during an interment may sense an upward thrust. Right now, of course, the area is filled with flood waters - deep, dark and mysterious. Those lines of the lyric making reference to "walking" would need to be changed to "swimming" or "wading" but not so for the musicians steeped in lore. The lyrics could remain he same because it is the purpose of the burial ceremony to mark the defeat of despair, sadness, bereavement and loss to be replaced through the is performed. The way home from the cemetery - out of the depths - even now the cold, dark flood waters. The musicians celebrate audibly the obvious fact that death has been overcome; that dying is no longer dominant. Very little, if any of ideas as these will be a part of anything in New Orleans in then next few weeks. The flood victims are not local,. by and large. They are from other places. They were there having found work there or what they felt to be opportunity. Some never took roots , while others prospered and put their earnings in homes which have now been destroyed. Many of those who survive are being moved to other cities and some will, no doubt, become residents of those adopted areas. In time, the bad time of the great flood of 2005 in New Orleans, La. will be scoured away b by the oft-gritty sands of time. A.L.M. Sept. 2, 2005 [c319wds]
Thursday, September 01, 2005
MUTUAL SHAME Do you feel it? We all share a portion of national shame which comes over us when we continue to see American men, women and children looting on the scenes of tragic flood conditions along the Gulf Coast. Thousands of lives have been lost; unequaled loss of property and unheard demands on people who have never had to face such dire conditions before. They are openly and eagerly engaged in committing a common crime and they go unapprehended and undisturbed. No one impedes their illegal actions. The fact that those persons designated as “police” have plainly and openly failed to even try to apprehend, much less punish, looters wantonly and openly stealing thousand of dollars worth of valuable merchandise is a national disgrace. These stalwart minions of the Law have made themselves shameful misfits among us, by declaring that the prevention and control of looting was “an impossibility.” This is a sad commentary on the dregs into which our law enforcement people seem to have fallen! It can’t be, we insist! And yet, we sit there watching on our TV screens and plainly see adult men and women, as well as children of all ages – save, perhaps, toddlers. They are, obviously, taking valuables which are not theirs to possess. They are not taking “ just essentials.” They are no emaciated, starved shells of humans; they are able-bodied people showing themselves to be quite capable of physical work when necessary. We have “progressed” from older methods of preventing looting. The simply method used to be an under standing that police were authorized to “shoot to kill”. Such an understanding – simple and direct -discouraged looting and other such crimes promptly. We, of course, do not use such harsh methods today. There are new tricks available. Equip our limited police personnel with small pellet guns which send a charge off brightly colored indelible ink, dye or plastic. Looters, so marked, can be picked up later by enforcement personnel. Looters can be tried by reason of the colors the wear, the site determined and materials stolen. Let's clean up this looting scandal-in-the-making right away! I,for one, am ashamed we let it happen. A.L.M. Sept. 1, 2005 [c374wds]
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
ON A SCALE OF....I’ve been wondering why there is not more evidence of stranded, beached or dead marine life in areas which have been covered with flood waters? It seems logical that there should be a visible collection or crust of sea creatures in the low places who did not survive the land grab. There ought to be a scattering of fish, crabs, shells, and all types of seaweed with, perhaps, an occasional shark, whale or a stray manatee to hype tourism. I can understand, of course, that it may well be that fish and other moving marine critters leave water as it rushes toward shore and the daily routine of fish might well make them a bit leery of any marked change. The vibration of the surf - noise to us - might screen them from any threat of impending danger or entrapment. Changes in what we would call smell or odor might make them go for deeper waters or the presence of certain other types of sea-going life may suggest a change be undertaken - for reason unknown unknowable in fish living lore at that time. Mama Fishes must have devised a variety of handy sayings to teach their fry to go around such trouble - things found being suspect and sharp changes in currents or velocity. "Dry land doth not help a healthy haddock stay that way!"..that sorta thing - a warning to a sensible young fish to cut and run ...swerve and scoot or whatever it is young fish do to evade danger. Certainly, the daily living habits of such creatures dictates much of what they choose to do. When water gets shallow ...take off! I was amazed when people along the edge of the surf during prep time for our present hurricane kept making references to the increasing warmth of the incoming water. They spoke again and again of temperatures in the 90-degree area. Isn't that a bit on the toasty side for a fish? It may be that simple temperature changes keep fish away from waters rushing for their end. A.L.M. August 31, 2005 [c356wds]
Tuesday, August 30, 2005
VIVE LA BUS The last Greyhound bus to travel through the historic Shenandoah Valley of Virginia serving regular stations or stops at a point which, oddly enough duplicated many of the remount station locations the horse drawn public transportation which served the Valley portion of the Old Dominion State many years ago. The stage needed fresh horses about every ten miles or so if they were expected to maintain the rapid pace needed to maintain a schedule which made the rigorous trip worth while. Stage management chose stores, homes, a specific farm, an inn or tavern or, at times, a wide place in the road, to serve as a "Station" where fresh mount were stabled and ready to lug the heavy stage for a ten mile or so phase. The old maps tended to mark these stops on printed maps of the time by pen or pencil and this accounts to this day for the number of towns going by a name including the word mount places where you have trouble locating even a few low hills. Mount were be had at Crawford's and the stop called Mount Meridian was half way between the towns of Rocktown (Harrisonburg) and Basic (Waynesborough). Check out some others: Mt. Sidney, Mt. Jackson, and others faded away up and down the Valley and know that the Greyhound bus, directly or indirectly served them all for many years - and well, at that. There was, I suppose, only one rival to the Greyhound line - one called National Trailways and it operated an East-West configuration which caused it to serve as a feeder like when it crossed the Valley at Staunton. Early buses were, of course, little more than truck chassis fitted out with two rows of seats. The wagons which were used ahead of them had scant covering and the bus bettered them on that score with a box and sides top protect the riders from bad weather and from the dust and grime of traveling on unpaved roads. The early buses were high, too. They became lower and wider, in time and, today enjoy the most modern fittings and they are high up again with passengers seated above luggage storage and power equipment below. When it all began to fold in 200 the bus was high rise once more... sleek, fast powerful. sturdy, monsters arising out of the puzzling post war era and many have been privately purchased very much like the tycoon of yesteryear bought Pullman cars. Others buy them as recreational homes. The stage coach died because the trains were coming in and fewer passengers were awaiting arrival of the stage at the set stations. The problem is still here today. Americans are in love their cars, trucks, SUV's, RV 's such. We can't blame the railroads this time because it appears they have virtually ceased to exist save in symbolic sense only. They are dependent on just a few stops and are no longer concerned with those of us along the rural way. We depend on our cars now, and, the glamorous travel guides laud the idea that we will soon be flying the family chopper anyway. Don't wait around for the car to disappear. It will be a while. Who can say? We might even take another swing at the bus while waiting for our wings. Vive le Greyhound! Let them do our flying for us. A.L.M. August 3, 2005 [c576wds]
Monday, August 29, 2005
FAULTY FAME The pressures of being famous must be a great trial to those who attain to that level in our social system. We see unillustrated so often an our times as individuals come out of poverty to win sweepstakes; to gain sudden recognition for their artistic talents of one sort or another. We see them leap into prominence from obscurity and seemingly to demand and receive her adulation of vast throngs. The rocker/rapper and the nation's political leaders build a temple which lures worshipers from all over to pay loud homage and make generous tributes to advance the extent and worth of their new circumstances. It was Andy Warhol, the artist who became famous largely for having painted a picture of an empty soup can on canvas in realistic exactness, who limited fame and rather severely at that. He gave each of us an alloted "fifteen minutes of fame". A fellow artist, Jackson Pollock was said to have placed stretched canvas on end and by dribbling paints of many colors over the upper edge - some say -sight unseen - to create what have become acceptable works of art in our time. Some writers even insist that actually stood erect and threw fistsful of paint at the empty canvas sections. He did his best work when blind-folded, they will tell you if you push them, but you can't do that because that fame-fashioned scribe will lie through his or her artificially whitened false teeth to enhance what makes people deserving of fame and public adoration today. Being famous has become somewhat blended with be notorious. Among fellow criminals, I suppose, the man or woman who merits having their photograph numbered and placed on the walls of the nation' post offices under a "Wanted" banner have become famous, but not in the opinion of those of us who see their being there for exactly opposite reasons. Fame is often shallow. Fame is fickle. Fame is fanciful and fame can be false. Yet it still held to be something for which people might well strive. Achieving fame today is often another case of the journey being more rewarding than the destination. A.L.M. August 29, 2005 [c372wds]
|
