Levees

"Make levees, not war."
-Bumper sticker on North Ave.

Of course, it was strategically placed above a Louisiana license plate. However, as a fellow Louisiana driver, this hit close to home. My mom and sister just got back from a church mission trip down to New Orleans; they brought back many stories of the devastation of the area. They say that the most heartwrenching part is that it will be years, if ever, that the area will live again. Right now, you drive through neighborhoods where life once spilled out on the street, and you do not see a soul. Strange.

I've gotten hooked on the Anderson Cooper blog as of late. He has been such an important voice for the people of Louisiana. I hope that he continues to keep this story alive. Currently Anderson and his crew are reporting from Lebanon as this Israeli-Lebanon conflict continues. They have compared the evacuation of Americans in Lebanon to the evacuation of South Louisianans before Katrina. I'm not really sure what I make of that. Sure there are some similarities, but there are plenty of differences. There have also been questions raised about who should pay for the evacuations from Lebanon.

I don't pretend to know all of the issues. But, if we question who pays for the evacuations in Lebanon, should we question who pays for the evacuations from the Gulf Coast? My hometown is 5 hours and 17 minutes away from New Orleans, and most of the time we claim that we are more Texan than Louisianan. But yet, we are paying for this disaster when our neighbors across the state line are paying very little. Yes, there may be more crime, more unemployment, housing shortages, but they will not have to deal with budget cuts across the board. Everyone all over Louisiana is sacrificing because of the hurricane, regardless of their race, class, or even location.

God bless the Gulf.