When good comes out of so much horror.....

I'm gonna put my feelings in words while still feeling the effects of Old Grand-Dad and Coke I'm brave enough to voice them....

Good has come out of the horrors of Katrina. There. I've said it. I've heard it said many times since Katrina struck, but (even tho I knew what was being said had some truth in it) I could never bring myself to agree, vocally. ....To do so would be to negate the horrors of Katrina--wouldn't it??

No, I've decided, it wouldn't. Being a slow learner....I've finally heard enough people who were directly affected by Katrina say how they've grown and learned--in positive ways--that I can now feel my acknowledging their gains won't deminish their loss. The final straw for me was hearing a fourth grade Orleans Parish student (a friggin' FOURTH GRADE CHILD) say, when asked how she hoped her New Orleans school would be better post-Katrina, she realized (after spending these last months in Atlanta)that her school should have toilet tissue. She said her mom shouldn't have to send toilet tissue to school with her. Jeeeeezus Christ!

Those of us in other parts of Louisiana knew what a failed city New Orleans was. We knew, but felt so helpless--and then anger, because there wasn't a chance in hell that we could do anything about it. New Orleans ran this state. They had the numbers. They had the busses--oh, yes, the busses ran during election times. What the hell was the problem with Katrina'a approach?

So, with Katrina's remembrance fast approaching (and....Ernesto's nasty self heading for the Gulf) how do we reconcile the feelilngs of hope that in Katrina's aftermath things might be better for many of Katrina's victims with those feelings of utter saddness over their losses?