Pray that help will arrive quickly for those in need. I'm certain there will be casualties in and around Galveston and other coastal areas among those who stayed behind. The devastation is great.
Here's the latest from MSNBC NEWS.
Saturday, September 13, 2008
Friday, September 12, 2008
Alarming!
I'm getting a tad alarmed that McCain's choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate seems to have turned his fortunes around to such a degree. John McCain lies. Sarah Palin lies. Does that say nothing about their character and the principles they hold dear? Are there principles that they hold dear? What are those principles? Does integrity not matter at all?
As Josh Marshall at TPM says:
How can we trust a liar as big as John McCain?
I'm using the L-word. So that may come across as a slashing blog remark.
But let's slow down and look at the facts that are not being disputed. John McCain is telling lie after lie. Not off the cuff remarks that can be excused as accidents or flubs but the same lies consistently and many of them. Serial liars are never trustworthy people -- that is a truism. But it also demonstrates a deeper character flaw. A normal job applicant would be disregarded out of hand after such a record became clear.
That's right. How can we trust a liar in the White House with another liar standing with him, just a heartbeat away? How can we count on them to restore trust in government? How can we count on them to begin to restore our blackened reputation around the world after eight years of the Cheney/Bush maladministration? The answer is that we can't. WE CANNOT!
If you are counting on a Congress with more Democrats to hold back a McCain maladministration, recall to mind the many times our DEMOCRATIC senators and representatives caved in to Cheney/Bush's demands. We cannot afford a McCain maladministration. I refer you to Athenae's rant at First Draft on that very subject.
But the past two years have shown us nothing if not that what Congressional Democrats are most afraid of is being called pussies and partisans and hippies and liberals on TV. We saw it on the war and we saw it on FISA and we saw it every time Joe Lieberman opened his mouth (ooooh, he's not getting invited to party lunches he himself voluntarily stopped attending months ago!) and we're seeing it with SCHIP and we're seeing it with drilling. We're seeing that on every issue who the Democrats actually respond to is their big-business bankrollers and the cable TV loudmouths and professional assholes like David Broder, and we're not replacing them this election, more's the goddamn pity.
Athenae's rants are awesome. Read the whole thing.
As Josh Marshall at TPM says:
How can we trust a liar as big as John McCain?
I'm using the L-word. So that may come across as a slashing blog remark.
But let's slow down and look at the facts that are not being disputed. John McCain is telling lie after lie. Not off the cuff remarks that can be excused as accidents or flubs but the same lies consistently and many of them. Serial liars are never trustworthy people -- that is a truism. But it also demonstrates a deeper character flaw. A normal job applicant would be disregarded out of hand after such a record became clear.
That's right. How can we trust a liar in the White House with another liar standing with him, just a heartbeat away? How can we count on them to restore trust in government? How can we count on them to begin to restore our blackened reputation around the world after eight years of the Cheney/Bush maladministration? The answer is that we can't. WE CANNOT!
If you are counting on a Congress with more Democrats to hold back a McCain maladministration, recall to mind the many times our DEMOCRATIC senators and representatives caved in to Cheney/Bush's demands. We cannot afford a McCain maladministration. I refer you to Athenae's rant at First Draft on that very subject.
But the past two years have shown us nothing if not that what Congressional Democrats are most afraid of is being called pussies and partisans and hippies and liberals on TV. We saw it on the war and we saw it on FISA and we saw it every time Joe Lieberman opened his mouth (ooooh, he's not getting invited to party lunches he himself voluntarily stopped attending months ago!) and we're seeing it with SCHIP and we're seeing it with drilling. We're seeing that on every issue who the Democrats actually respond to is their big-business bankrollers and the cable TV loudmouths and professional assholes like David Broder, and we're not replacing them this election, more's the goddamn pity.
Athenae's rants are awesome. Read the whole thing.
I Needed This
My daughter sent me the following by email. I've seen this one before, but it's perfect for us now with our rotgut drinking water. I bought my Brita pitcher to filter the water, but it's still a strange color once it passes through the filter. I'm using bottled water to drink and brush my teeth.
As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria. In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop. (that's over 2 pounds).
However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.
Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health
Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.
There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I'm doing it as a public service.
As Ben Franklin said: In wine there is wisdom, in beer there is freedom, in water there is bacteria. In a number of carefully controlled trials, scientists have demonstrated that if we drink 1 liter of water each day, at the end of the year we would have absorbed more than 1 kilo of Escherichia coli, (E. coli) - bacteria found in feces. In other words, we are consuming 1 kilo of poop. (that's over 2 pounds).
However, we do NOT run that risk when drinking wine & beer (or tequila, rum, whiskey or other liquor) because alcohol has to go through a purification process of boiling, filtering and/or fermenting.
Remember: Water = Poop, Wine = Health
Therefore, it's better to drink wine and talk stupid, than to drink water and be full of shit.
There is no need to thank me for this valuable information: I'm doing it as a public service.
If You Like Good Coffee And Doing Good...
David at Friends of Jake tells you what to do if you like a bargain and tasty coffee and doing a good deed all in one fell swoop.
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Oh My! This Made Me Cry
Look at the beautiful gesture that some of my online and offline friends have made. I cried when I read about it. It's a lovely idea, and I'm touched beyond what I can express. Both Holy Foolishness and Fran had a hand in this, and if there are others, I'd like to give them credit, too.
Some of the same folks who were hit hard by Katrina were hit again by Gustav. Even now, as Ike passes south of the coastal areas in Louisiana, water is beginning to rise. From WWL-TV comes news that the authorities in low-lying areas are calling for evacuations.
The needs are great, and the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, along with volunteers from all around the world, have done a mighty work to aid not just churches and church people, but anyone who needs help. However, there is much more that needs doing as new needs arise in the wake of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Thank you two lovely people for honoring me in this way. My birthday is one week away, and this is the best present in the world. I'm putting up a link on the sidebar, because I believe firmly that the Bishop Jenkins and the people in the diocese are doing God's work here in south Louisiana.
UPDATE: Below is a picture of the current storm surge in Louisiana and Texas.
Some of the same folks who were hit hard by Katrina were hit again by Gustav. Even now, as Ike passes south of the coastal areas in Louisiana, water is beginning to rise. From WWL-TV comes news that the authorities in low-lying areas are calling for evacuations.
The needs are great, and the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana, along with volunteers from all around the world, have done a mighty work to aid not just churches and church people, but anyone who needs help. However, there is much more that needs doing as new needs arise in the wake of Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
Thank you two lovely people for honoring me in this way. My birthday is one week away, and this is the best present in the world. I'm putting up a link on the sidebar, because I believe firmly that the Bishop Jenkins and the people in the diocese are doing God's work here in south Louisiana.
UPDATE: Below is a picture of the current storm surge in Louisiana and Texas.
In Remembrance - September 11, 2001
I have not forgotten. I wanted to write a memorial for those who died on September 11, 2001, and extend a word of comfort to their families and friends, but I find that I have no words, only thoughts and emotions which I cannot express. I offer these from The Book of Common Prayer:
I am Resurrection and I am Life, says the Lord.
Whoever has faith in me shall have life,
even though he die.
And everyone who has life,
and has committed himself to me in faith,
shall not die for ever.
As for me, I know that my Redeemer lives
and that at the last he will stand upon the earth.
After my awaking, he will raise me up;
and in my body I shall see God.
I myself shall see, and my eyes behold him
who is my friend and not a stranger.
For none of us has life in himself,
and none becomes his own master when he dies.
For if we have life, we are alive in the Lord,
and if we die, we die in the Lord.
So, then, whether we live or die,
we are the Lord's possession.
Happy from now on
are those who die in the Lord!
So it is, says the Spirit,
for they rest from their labors.
BCP - p. 491
This post is mostly recycled from last year because of time constraints and because it pretty much expresses my feelings this year. I remember and note the day with deep sadness, but I have few words.
Below is the interior of St. Paul's Chapel near the World Trade Center, which I still consider the miracle church. However did the chapel come out relatively unscathed from the destruction all around it? When Grandpère and I were in New York a year or so after September 11, 2001, we attended a brief noonday service at St. Paul's. I was quite moved just to be inside the building which seemed even more hallowed because of its service as a place of rest and refreshment for those who worked at the site of the destruction. On an earlier visit, while the workers were still using the chapel, my sister and I cried as we walked around the perimeter of the fence when the memorials still covered every surface.
I probably should not mention Bin Laden in this post, but I will. Where is he? After seven years, many more deaths, and billions of dollars spent on two wars without end, he is still free.
Images from Wiki here and here.
UPDATE: Here's a link to Caminante's video of her tour of St. Paul's in April 2008.
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Blue Tarps - My Obsession
Yes, I'm obsessed with FEMA's blue tarps to cover damaged roofs. They were stored in Texas before Gustav struck. One commenter here said that's where they should have been. I don't agree. There are places in Louisiana secure from wind and flooding where they can be stored, but even if Texas was the proper place for them, they should have been on their way to Louisiana as soon as the storm passed on Monday evening. They should have arrived on Tuesday.
No tarps came or were even on the way. Our governor, Bobby Jindal, sent the Louisiana National Guard to Texas to pick up the tarps, which arrived on Wednesday. He took the matter into his own hands. Good for him. He also used state money to purchase generators to keep essential services, like sewerage and water plants and gas stations operating. South Louisiana was also short of FEMA meals and water. What the hell does FEMA do with its big budget?
I have criticized Bobby Jindal many times recently, but I was impressed with his response to the disaster. He had the buses lined up and waiting for evacuees who had no means of transportation. He wanted things moving, and where FEMA fell short, he used his own state resources. His press conferences were too filled with numbers and statistics, but he was instrumental in getting help where it was needed. Again, I ask the question, "What is FEMA for? Where does their budget go?"
No tarps came or were even on the way. Our governor, Bobby Jindal, sent the Louisiana National Guard to Texas to pick up the tarps, which arrived on Wednesday. He took the matter into his own hands. Good for him. He also used state money to purchase generators to keep essential services, like sewerage and water plants and gas stations operating. South Louisiana was also short of FEMA meals and water. What the hell does FEMA do with its big budget?
I have criticized Bobby Jindal many times recently, but I was impressed with his response to the disaster. He had the buses lined up and waiting for evacuees who had no means of transportation. He wanted things moving, and where FEMA fell short, he used his own state resources. His press conferences were too filled with numbers and statistics, but he was instrumental in getting help where it was needed. Again, I ask the question, "What is FEMA for? Where does their budget go?"
Bishop Charles Jenkins Blog
From Bishop Charles Jenkins of the Episcopal Diocese of Louisiana:
Saturday, September 06, 2008
A Quick Reflection on Evacuation (Saturday, September 6, 2008)
Nell Bolton, the Canons and I toured a bit of the Southwest Deanery on Friday, The Bridge on Hwy. 315 was broken and the Falgout Canal road flooded so we could not get to Bayou du Large. The devastation and need in Terrebonne Parish is huge.
As I drove back to my personal home in Slidell, La., I passed convoys of trucks bringing power workers into the region. I also passed convoys of buses bringing home those who had needed assistance to evacuate. The stream of autos returning to New Orleans has been heavy for three days. I congratulate the Governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans on the evacuation effort for Gustav. I have been quick to criticize; my congratulations are genuine.
A lot of us will not be able to willing to go next time. Should IKE threaten, many of us will just try to hunker down. The infantile pleas of grossly inarticulate leaders will likely fall upon deaf ears. The Gustav evacuation demonstrated even to those of us who have some means, the frustration of not being able to meet our basic needs when nothing is available for purchase. We have now an experience, albeit it miniscule, of being poor. For example, even the rich are poor in Houma today. There is no electricity; there is little clean water, if any. I hope we learn from this experience.
A deep sadness of the Gustav evacuation was hearing the telephone calls on WWL radio of the poor who had evacuated and then been turned out of their hotels for lack of resources. Some who self evacuated did not have the means to purchase fuel for the trip home. I assume that those of us who rely solely upon a monthly check will get those funds when the power comes on. In the meantime, we have nothing to live on except the generosity of others. Many of us will not have the means, financially or emotionally, to go again. Some have said it is better to die here than elsewhere.
None of this should be considered an excuse to stay put if an evacuation is ordered. If we are called to go again, we must go!
It is joked that in New Orleans a common wedding present is an axe to put in the attic of your home. An axe in the attic is needed to cut through the roof if you must evacuate vertically. I am off to the Home Depot to replenish my hurricane supplies and to purchase an axe.
Bishop Jenkins
Saturday, September 06, 2008
A Quick Reflection on Evacuation (Saturday, September 6, 2008)
Nell Bolton, the Canons and I toured a bit of the Southwest Deanery on Friday, The Bridge on Hwy. 315 was broken and the Falgout Canal road flooded so we could not get to Bayou du Large. The devastation and need in Terrebonne Parish is huge.
As I drove back to my personal home in Slidell, La., I passed convoys of trucks bringing power workers into the region. I also passed convoys of buses bringing home those who had needed assistance to evacuate. The stream of autos returning to New Orleans has been heavy for three days. I congratulate the Governor of Louisiana and the Mayor of New Orleans on the evacuation effort for Gustav. I have been quick to criticize; my congratulations are genuine.
A lot of us will not be able to willing to go next time. Should IKE threaten, many of us will just try to hunker down. The infantile pleas of grossly inarticulate leaders will likely fall upon deaf ears. The Gustav evacuation demonstrated even to those of us who have some means, the frustration of not being able to meet our basic needs when nothing is available for purchase. We have now an experience, albeit it miniscule, of being poor. For example, even the rich are poor in Houma today. There is no electricity; there is little clean water, if any. I hope we learn from this experience.
A deep sadness of the Gustav evacuation was hearing the telephone calls on WWL radio of the poor who had evacuated and then been turned out of their hotels for lack of resources. Some who self evacuated did not have the means to purchase fuel for the trip home. I assume that those of us who rely solely upon a monthly check will get those funds when the power comes on. In the meantime, we have nothing to live on except the generosity of others. Many of us will not have the means, financially or emotionally, to go again. Some have said it is better to die here than elsewhere.
None of this should be considered an excuse to stay put if an evacuation is ordered. If we are called to go again, we must go!
It is joked that in New Orleans a common wedding present is an axe to put in the attic of your home. An axe in the attic is needed to cut through the roof if you must evacuate vertically. I am off to the Home Depot to replenish my hurricane supplies and to purchase an axe.
Bishop Jenkins
We're Back!
We're back in Thibodaux. It appears that we will be spared Hurricane Ike's wrath. The people of Haiti and Cuba have taken a bad hit. The storm raked the whole island of Cuba, along with giving grief to the folks in the Florida Keys. Pray for them.
My prayers go forth for the people of Texas, wherever Ike ends up in that state. I pray especially for Mike in Texas and Lindy and Rowan, that they be spared the worst of the storm.
From the comments, Mike says:
I too am watching Ike with some trepidation. Our move will take place on Thursday and Friday. The piano (a 7-foot Steinway) is due to be moved on Thursday. The furniture due to be moved on Friday. Should Ike head this way, things could be rather complicated. I'm always a complete wreck when the piano is moved. I can't even bear to watch them tip if over and remove the legs. (For those who know about such things, it's an unreplacable gem from Steinway's glory days of the 1920s-40s.)
Mike, I hope the piano move goes well, as well as the rest of the move.
Our water here in Thibodaux is terrible. It smells bad and looks dirty. The powers tell us if we boil it for a minute, we can drink it, but it's so nasty tasting and smelling, that I hate to shower in it, much less give a thought to drinking it. As soon as we drove into town, we could smell Bayou Lafourche which is the source of our drinking water. It's full of rotting leaves from Gustav, which causes the bad taste and smell, and I believe they're adding chemicals to try to fix the problem.
Many thanks to all of you for the prayers, concern, and good wishes through all of the hurricane adventure. Trust me. They helped get me through.
UPDATE: Thanks to you, Fran, for keeping all informed in my absence and for much excellent phone therapy. Thanks to you also, Jane R., for posting news, and for additional phone therapy. And you didn't even send me a bill. Imagine!
My prayers go forth for the people of Texas, wherever Ike ends up in that state. I pray especially for Mike in Texas and Lindy and Rowan, that they be spared the worst of the storm.
From the comments, Mike says:
I too am watching Ike with some trepidation. Our move will take place on Thursday and Friday. The piano (a 7-foot Steinway) is due to be moved on Thursday. The furniture due to be moved on Friday. Should Ike head this way, things could be rather complicated. I'm always a complete wreck when the piano is moved. I can't even bear to watch them tip if over and remove the legs. (For those who know about such things, it's an unreplacable gem from Steinway's glory days of the 1920s-40s.)
Mike, I hope the piano move goes well, as well as the rest of the move.
Our water here in Thibodaux is terrible. It smells bad and looks dirty. The powers tell us if we boil it for a minute, we can drink it, but it's so nasty tasting and smelling, that I hate to shower in it, much less give a thought to drinking it. As soon as we drove into town, we could smell Bayou Lafourche which is the source of our drinking water. It's full of rotting leaves from Gustav, which causes the bad taste and smell, and I believe they're adding chemicals to try to fix the problem.
Many thanks to all of you for the prayers, concern, and good wishes through all of the hurricane adventure. Trust me. They helped get me through.
UPDATE: Thanks to you, Fran, for keeping all informed in my absence and for much excellent phone therapy. Thanks to you also, Jane R., for posting news, and for additional phone therapy. And you didn't even send me a bill. Imagine!
Monday, September 8, 2008
Update
There is a post about Mimi up over at Acts of Hope. Mimi and Jane spoke today on Monday.
It does appear that Grandmere will be back in Thibodaux, but she is not sure when she will have internet connection. Either way, she is taking a bit of a blog break.
But worry, not we will keep everyone posted in some way.
We all love our Grandmere!
It does appear that Grandmere will be back in Thibodaux, but she is not sure when she will have internet connection. Either way, she is taking a bit of a blog break.
But worry, not we will keep everyone posted in some way.
We all love our Grandmere!
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