To Arun on most civilized, empowered

[Guest guest]

Arun Raj wrote:

 

....there has been several cases of emergency supplies not reaching ppl, bcoz

armed mens holding the aid workers. hospitals with 11 doctors working with 2

flash lights, ppl dying in a stadium & no one knows what to do with

them..... i've had to remind myself many a times that, this is America, the

most

powerful nation on earth, and ppl, the american ppl, the most empowered,

cilivised anywhere.

 

2 days back, i wrote to FEMA (i know a few there, as part of my work as an

hse specialist) asking them if "they're job really is emergency managemnent"

and they'd better be called as "federal enterainment & malfunction agency".

for 3 dayas after the storm, they still dint have a clue as to what exactly has

to be done where the mississippi, the aorta of the American economy runs!!...

 

Dear Arunji ~ I too heard about the 11 doctors with the 2 flashlights. This

is truly pathetic. It is beyond my understanding. I just heard on the news,

the newscaster say, "there is a lot of beaurocracy getting in the way of a lot

of good intentions." This was following a story about how people in NYC were

trying to help, one women who owns a bead store, offering a website for

relief updates and people offering to be host families to the homeless. FEMA

says

it will take two weeks to match people with appropriate host homes!

 

America may be the most powerful nation on earth, but I'm not sure that the

American people are the most empowered or civilized, and it grieves me to say

this. We are a land of "bread and circuses" where what seems to be important

seems to be that next new sofa, that next new car, new dress, new suit, new

video game, or that next better job with more money so one can consume more.

 

Much of my work, when I was still able to work, was in the nature of

empowering people to work on behalf of different issues. This actually was not

very

hard to do. It seemed more that people just didn't know what to do or how to

help. So my job was to create "user friendly" brochures and factsheets, to

encourage, support and cheer on people for whatever they did to help. I Loved my

work.

 

By the way, what does "hse" mean?

Jai Ma,

Linda

 

"We should be able to join hands giving primary importance to humanity and

universal values." ~ Amma