Thursday, September 01, 2005

Troops Arriving to Restore Law and Order...Or Fanning the Flames of Frustration???

Just got through listening to the governor of Louisiana report that over 12,000 National Guard troopers who have been sworn in and given arrest powers in the state of Lousiana.

My only question is...is anyone focused on bringing food in, medicine in, aid in and assistance in...NOT JUST ARRESTING FOLKS??? And yall, know, the longer it takes for military help to come---especially if they are primarily white boys jumping off trucks with guns---the more volatile their reception will be. People are angry, tired and feel they have been forgotten about. I just pray that you law-and-order good ole boys come in, guns in holster, ready for the pain and frustration they may receive. We have a really poor history with law enforcement on good days; how then will a confrontation go down in these harrowing times???

I just got a note from one of my favorite mentors and friends, Pastor Vance in Chicago, concerned about many things, but especially hotel-gouging and the use of the terms "refugee" in regard to those American citizens who have been devastated by this.

My concern echoes his own and continues to be the way in which the media, reporters and government officials seem to be treating these displaced folks as foreign refugees to be contained, not American citizens in need of priority assistance!!!

Both Presidents Bush and Clinton just got off the TV making tons of promises as the mayor cries out for aid and says people are planning to march for the Superdome in search of help!

Standing in the gap between platitudes and pain of the people!

Pray on' yall, pray on!

---Nicole!

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