LOOKING BACK AT KATRINA

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

LOOKING BACK AT KATRINA

"Happy peanuts soar, over chocolate covered mountain tops and waterfalls of caramel, prancing nougat in the meadow sings a song of satisfaction to the world"

I don't know if you people ever heard of this one, but 2yrs ago, here in Memphis, this story was a big deal. A local church here in Memphis wanted to help victims of hurricane Katrina. They decided to purchase a home and select one displaced family to live in it with the hopes of providing them a new beginning. They purchased a $75,000 home and decided to give the home to a family who as it was reported,begged to be selected. These folks told the church that they liked it here in Memphis and they were gonna move in, and make this city home. Instead, they sold the home for $88,000 and jetted back to New Orleans.

When I heard this story,I was kinda like whoa! Why would somebody do such a thing? Why would somebody be so ungrateful? Well, as the story unfolded, it was reported that they (the church) gave the house to these people with no strings attached. They didn't sign a "contract" which legally bounded them to live in the house. So in my opinion, they could do what the hell they wanted with it once it was given to them.

Now I'm known to clown stupid people on here,but I've never clowned a church. Oh well there is a first time for everything. The church was pissed! They felt like they were played by these people. I say, fuck it...you gave them a blank check! I can't get mad at these people, but I can laugh at the church. Am I wrong? You tell me.

(Read the story here )

Moving right along...

Allow me to introduce you to 57-year old Jacquelyn Sherman. Jackie is a retired librarian from New Orleans. Like most there she lost everything in Hurricane Katrina. While living in a three-bedroom house with 26 OTHER PEOPLE the 1st month after Katrina Jackie decided to go shopping with her sister. On the way, they stopped in at a Casino where Jackie threw $20 in a slot machine and hit a $1.6 Million jackpot. This of course created the classic two sided debate...
What the hell is a Hurricane Evacuee doing gambling away their money?

Well I say...

GAMBLE THAT HURRICANE MONEY BABY!

I can only imagine the level of hopelessness that Jackie has been feeling the month after the hurricane. At some point you have to take a break from what has become your horrible existence and RELAX. Leaving religion out of this issue lets just breakdown why people gamble...adrenaline, that rush from almost winning. It's entertainment. You go to the movies...to be entertained. You go to a football game...to be entertained. So why not go and risk $20...to be entertained. At least at a casino you have a shot of winning back some of the money you wasted. Never have you spent $150 at Disney World and some guy gives you $75 on your way out. And the people that are pissed that she's out gambling while she has nothing, you're forgetting one small detail...ITS NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS!!

You donated money to the Katrina cause and now you're mad because they aren't spending YOUR money the way you wanted them to. Get over it, Jesus will still give you full credit for donating money in the first place. If you really think every evacuee is a great person then you're lying to yourself. New Orleans is like any other city it's got some assholes. So just because you don't see anyone squandering their federal aid checks doesn't mean it's not happening. You give the money in good faith and walk away from the situation.

Let's take a look at Jackie's previous 45 days after the hurricane and decide if she should've been gambling. Jackie sat on a roof for 2-3 days for help that never came, probably waded through some waist high gumbo of turds, sewage, gasoline, and dead bodies to get to a corner store and steal some Crunch N Munch. On the fifth day she's finally airlifted to another city split up from her family, sleeping on a cold floor for days. She finally does find her family who's now living 26 deep in a 3 bedroom apartment. You ever taken a shower behind 25 PEOPLE! Do you know how many different hairs are on the soap by then? And lets not forget ol' Jackie doesn't have any new clothes or anything and she finally decides to do something to entertain herself. Something that'll get her mind off the horrible month she had last week. $20 on a slot machine. No different than the $20 you spent on beer and touch screen solitaire at the pool hall.

There's no need to criticize someone because you don't agree with how they choose to entertain themselves. Hell if it were up to me I'd rent a helicopter and drop strippers, alcohol and drugs to all the evacuees. Drugs, strippers, and gambling won't solve anyone's post-Katrina problems, but if doing something entertaining will get your mind off your problems for just a minute, doesn't that help you retain just a bit of your sanity?

The moral of the story...