OP/ED: Kennedy Was Right

As the weather clears over New Orleans we get a picture of the real damage. Untold destruction of property and infrastructure. The dead float down the streets as looters take advantage of the situation. America is slow to respond.




Up to a Million people are now homeless. They are American Refugees. Think about that for a moment, no longer are the faces gripped by terror and sadness foreign, they are American citizens. For many it is hard to come to terms with the shocking realisation that they too could be the victims one day.

A twisted selfishness has gripped America. Discuss with anyone the events in the South and you will almost certainly come to the topic of Gas. Whilst Americans enjoy the cheapest Gas in the Western World I guess its just not cheap enough. Lines of cars arrived at Gas Stations to spend hundreds of Dollars filling up tanks and jerry cans so they can drive to work.

After the Tsunami of last December many raced to donate money and push the Bush administration into coughing up aid. Today we see more people bitching about the price of Gas. Ask yourself this... Do you know how to help? Do you know how to donate money or your time? Do you even know who is responding?

If you have answered yes to any of those then what have you done to help? The poorest communities have been affected. These people measure their disposable income in single dollars and many lack the things we take for granted every day.

Everyone can do something to help. Donate an old sweater or pair of trousers that are too small to you. With everyone doing a little it can add up to mountain of help.

The collective American psyche cannot handle an event of this magnitude. When watching the news you get the idea that this is nothing more than a storm that has left a few people homeless. The truth is far from that; New Orleans is all but lost to the mighty waters of the Mississippi and Lake Pontchartain. The damage is immense, the cost is being measured in tens of billions with the death count reaching into the hundreds.

In the end the bodies will be buried and the chequebooks will be balanced. But, is the Mental cost just a little too much for America to handle?

For in the final analysis, our most basic common link, is that we all inhabit this small planet, we all breathe the same air, we all cherish our children's futures, and we are all mortal.

Kennedy was right.

[edit on 31-8-2005 by Nerdling]

Kennedy was right..and that's probably the number one factor relating to why he was murdered.

It doesn't pay to be right when you play politics. It pays to be careful.

Kennedy wasn't the nicest guy, and he wasn't the smartest guy, he was just a guy, who made a couple of decisions that winded up getting him killed.

Sometimes it's best to play by nature's rules, rather than those of liberal Western society. Sometimes it's the only way to survive.

Just a thought regarding the current situation. It was an interesting Op Ed though, I enjoyed reading it.

So what are you saying nerdling? that americans care more about foreign disasters than our own? Thanks for the compliment

Anyway, i dont see how you europeans pay what you do for gasoline and still get by. The 3$ mark hurts alot of americans and is begining to force other forms of transportation. I guess europe has less land vs the US and thus have less distance to drive.

Nicely written, Nerdling. I enjoyed it.

I've not seen any news reports so I'm unfamiliar with how it's being portrayed, but from what I've seen by looking at the photos and video availible on the web, I don't see how anyone could pass it off as a storm with a bit of flooding and destruction. The destruction and effects of this thing are massive and the people need any help that can be offered.

Let's hope they're given the support they should be given from their fellows, and we should all do our part to see that it happens. I know I have, and I hope others will realise the magnitude of this and stand up and give support in any way they can, whether it be clothes, money, or volunteer work. Rather than worrying too much about how much it will cost to fill the tank in your car, I hope people will think about the real costs of the storm: many, many dead and injured, homes lost and destroyed, beautiful cities ruined, income lost, undrinkable water... Many people in America right now don't even have the basics the rest of us take for granted... I'm sure these people would love to have the luxury of worrying about gas prices.

Maybe we should worry about the Red Cross having money for fuel to get down to the area to help people and take them what they desperately need, but right now we should stand in solidarity with those in affected areas. Our thoughts should be with the people or Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi, and Florida and getting them what they need.

We should also appreciate the fact that rising gas prices are causing us concern... it means we haven't necessarily been deeply effected by this distaster.





[edit on 31-8-2005 by parrhesia]

Sorry to hear your Scottish opinion of us is so low, Nerdling.
As a matter of fact, I do know how to donate to the cause. As a matter of fact, there are several drives going on at this time, in my Southeast Alabama area. I can't imagine the magnitude of fund drives going on in other parts of this very generous country.

We know how to dig deep to help others, and we also know how to help our own. We have to know how to do that as we can rely on nobody else but ourselves.

Don't worry, we can multiplex. we can gripe about the certain rise in gas while at the same time help our fellow countrymen.

For the longest time just about everywhere you went had something for donating money to the tsunami victims. It was on tv and on the net and the radio. Here we've had the biggest natural disaster in U.S. histor and I haven't seen the first thing on helping out. No I take that back. I've been watching on the net the news broadcasts for the devistated area and they have given info on where to call to volunteer. Which is nice considering how few people in their viewing area can actually see the program.

Don't expect alot of aid from other countries, I have come to accept the fact that for whatever reason, most other countries hate us with a passion.

thank you nerdling...society is not just an agragate of business concerns, it is a community of people and in the long run it is the people that really matter regardless of their bank book. If you transplanted 90% of Americans to someplace like Bangeledesh or Liberia or Haiti, 90% of em wouldn't make it. It is high time we realize the world doesn't revolve around us.

Rikimaru do you not remember the huge amounts of money that were sent to the US after 9/11?

As for aid for New Orleans the USA is proud to ask for help, it can look after itself, when poor countries are devastated they get aid, when rich countries are in trouble they deal with it themselves, i dont remember seeing any US charities giving aid to the floods in central Europe last week.

Nice piece, and yes the words of Kennedy quoted were always right. It's easy to be right when you're pointing out the obvious. But that aside, I'm having a hard time grasping exactly what you're trying to say about us "greedy Americans", could you be more specific? Or do you only insult in inuendo?

I can't for the life of me understand why filling our gas tanks before the price of gas goes up can equate to us not caring about the victims of this natural disaster. Could you enlighten me? Contrary to what appears to be an extremely skewed international view of the common U.S. citizenry, we're not a bunch of greedy money-grubbing business men that sit and fiddle with the world economy to up our bucks. To the contrary, a vast majority of us live on "fixed incomes"

Kennedy was not right on this when taking into account the messages historical context and timeframe, nor was he always right.

I concur with the sentiments of and commentary by Thomas Crowne on this Op/Ed rhetorical piece.






seekerof

Please state if the forward quote was made by JFK, by his own admonition:
QUOTE:
For in the final analisis, our mere basic common link, is that we all inhabit this small planet, we breath the same air, we all cherish our childrens future, and we are all moral.

[edit on 31-8-2005 by orion_452]

Brilliantly said Valhall.

Originally posted by Nerdling
When watching the news you get the idea that this is nothing more than a storm that has left a few people homeless.

No, actaully, I've been watching the news coverage for quite a while and I found the devastation to be astonishing. I think a lot of us know how great a tragedy this is. No doubt every local church in my small town is going to be having food drives and clothes drives and the like. No odubt that all the schools in the area are going to be doing the same thing. We know how to help, we know how to care for our own.

We "bitch" about gas prices because it's costing us a great deal. A lot of people around where I live have sold their trucks and SUV's and rv's and have bought a small, more fuel-efficent car, not so they can save more money, but so the can still function properly in thier day-to-day lives. What's the point of going to work if it costs so much just to drive to work and you're not making enough to compensate?

Anyway, why was this added to the news section? Where's the news in it? All you did was give your warped view on how the American people are selfish, don't know how to help, and that we only care about gasoline.

Well even a broken clock can be right twice a day. You must be a member of the Democratic Underground as well. They post the most anti-American comments imaginable. You have their kind of bigotry.

Aid is going in quickly. The situation given its size will take time to fix but fixed it will be. Hurricanes have created hell before and they will again. This is an old problem.

This one just hit the right city that was poorly placed a few hundred years ago. Imagine placing a major city in a depression below sea level just a few miles from the sea and then placing a large lake right next door! It was just a matter of time.

The American people will step up to the plate and take care of this disaster and help the injured, homeless, etc. to the absolute best of our ability, which by the way is staggering. But we must also look at the bigger picture and how this affects the nationwide and even the global economy -- we'd be just as negligent if we ignored that as if we ignored the human suffering in the affected areas IMHO.

I live in Middle Georgia...and about noon today a rumor started around town(population 100,000) that the gas stations would turn off the pumps at 3pm. Every gas station in town had a line around the block....it was crazy.....gas was $2.39 this morning and $3.13 this afternoon.

Scooter anyone?

Personally, I think your comments were rude, pretentious, and totally uncalled for. You have absolutely no basis for stating such things. Americans are extremely generous people and if you'll just examine the evidence already in, you'll see that people and organizations from all over the country are already hard at work helping the people of that area and more will come as information gets out about what is really needed. Your opinion is totally irrelevant. Anyone can talk--just like Robertson did the other day--but few actually act and I'm proud to count myself as an American because we do act and act quickly in time of need.

[edit on 31-8-2005 by Astronomer68]

Originally posted by Nerdling

A twisted selfishness has gripped America. Discuss with anyone the events in the South and you will almost certainly come to the topic of Gas. Whilst Americans enjoy the cheapest Gas in the Western World I guess its just not cheap enough. Lines of cars arrived at Gas Stations to spend hundreds of Dollars filling up tanks and jerry cans so they can drive to work.

Apparently the way we see things is not the way some other people see it. Many people in the South have heard correctly that major pipelines supplying gas and oil are no longer working and that supplies may run out. News media keeps saying "don't panic". Some people are starting to panic. Most Americans live on fixed incomes (wages we earn) and drive several miles one way to work. If the cost of gas skyrockets and especially if there is none, that worries a few of us. If your budget is already spent on given necessities such as housing costs, food costs, etc. etc. and then transportation costs skyrocket that is a concern. If our economy suddenly goes into a recession or depression because of fuel problems, the rest of the world will suddenly become more concerned economically as well I believe.

After saying that I would also like to say there are fund drives going on all over the place here but that is not something reported on the news since we all know it is happening here and is thus not news to us. In my local area, a news channel is doing a telethon to raise money and has already exceeded two goals and set a new one even higher. People are being asked to donate money and not to go to the devasted areas and become part of the problem by being in the way of the rescue workers. Fleets of power trucks, supplies, the navy, and many supplies from across America are in the process of moving to aid the affected areas. It just takes time to deliver supplies when infrastructure has been destroyed. That's why officials keep trying to warn people before major hurricanes strike here that you may be without food or water for a week or two if you decide to stay instead of going to shelters. I just wanted to explain things as I see them since I don't know how this is being viewed overseas.

Nerdling:

Thank you, thank you, thank you from the bottom of my heart (and I do hope I speak for all americans when I say this).

It's obvious to me from your knowledge of how to help that you have made tremendous contributions to the relief effort yourself. Leading by example is so effective. Good job.

Feel free to elaborate, we would love to follow your example further.

Originally posted by WyrdeOne
Kennedy was right..and that's probably the number one factor relating to why he was murdered.

It doesn't pay to be right when you play politics. It pays to be careful.

Kennedy wasn't the nicest guy, and he wasn't the smartest guy, he was just a guy, who made a couple of decisions that winded up getting him killed.

Sometimes it's best to play by nature's rules, rather than those of liberal Western society. Sometimes it's the only way to survive.

Just a thought regarding the current situation. It was an interesting Op Ed though, I enjoyed reading it.

Basically your saying its better to be a lying *** republican than to be a truthful demorcrat. WOW. REALLY WOW.