Think About New Orleans Today …

Today is the two-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina’s evil arrival in the Gulf of Mexico. To some, it may seem like it’s been longer; to others, it seems like it was only yesterday. To those who have seen the devastation first hand, it seems like one of the most shameful episodes in the history of an administration that is littered with them. Ignoring the damage done to New Orleans and the surrounding areas by Katrina, Rita and Wilma, and the way our government swept the problem under the rug and turned its back on our own citizens may be the biggest, most underpublicized crime the Bushies have perpetrated in the last seven forgettable years.

I say that knowing what still lies ahead in Iraq. I say that with the realization that people whose names we do not know continue to make sacrifices without reason and take orders sandwiched in ignorance without hesitation. I say that after learning that a co-worker found out that her son was killed in Iraq this past weekend, leaving behind a wife, a 5-year-old child and a question of whether his death will represent a meaningful sacrifice in a political war. We fear the idea of answering his question and say, “Only 17 more months. Just 17 more.”

Twenty-four months in New Orleans have passed, yet areas still look like a Third World shanty town. So with all that is going on in the world, with wars and global warming and kidnappings and murders and stolen elections and dogfighting and rising gas prices, I ask you to take a moment today to consider New Orleans. The carefree spirit of the bayou, the musical inclination of the region and the European feel of the area has led to whimsical nicknames like, the Queen of the Mississippi, the Crescent City, the Paris of the Americas, the Gateway to the Americas, America’s International City and, of course, the Big Easy.

But there is another nickname for New Orleans that has taken on new meaning in the last two years: The City that Care Forgot. So remember it today, even for just a second. And if you have the impulse to do more, there are a number of ways. If you’re a musician, you can do something to help the city’s musical legacy. You can watch an amazing IMAX film of the hurricane, or you can give in a myriad of other ways. Hell, you can even help by drinking beer.

Even twenty-four dollars can go a long way … just as twenty-four months can seem like a long time. But not long enough to forget.