A Personal Attack!

One of the more interesting manipulations of the American Psyche involves the use of the term “Personal Attack” when people who make decisions for others wish to do something that is wrong without having to deal with being accountable for it. If they are called to task for causing harm they will often accuse you of personally attacking them, or suggest that you are “playing the blame game”. I believe this is meant to make you feel as though you are overreacting to the wrong they have done, and is often indicative that they intend to continue doing what it is you called them to task for in the first place.

This may sound like a Republican strategy ( oops... there I go personally attacking the Republican party) but it’s not. It’s a trick used by many Americans from several walks of life. Lawyers love this sort of terminology. Politicians eat it up too. I personally think it’s a coward’s way of attempting to look like a victim, to either garner sympathy or make you leave them alone. It has virtually nothing to do with respect.

As I’ve said before, I’d much rather have someone confront me directly than have them stab me in the back. It seems to me it’s these “personal attack” philosophy promoters who are also very adept at wielding the hidden knife. I believe “niceness” is destroying our society.

“This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
This is the way the world ends
Not with a bang but a whimper”
T.S. Elliot

Six Feet of Water... Part 2

What the hell is Red Cross doing? I found this story on the People's Hurricane Relief Fund website. It sickens me.




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American Red Cross has an estimated $60 million in funds to help Katrina victims recover. It's called the "Means to Recovery" program. It is supposed to allocate a maximum of $20,000 per family to cover occupational costs, housing, furnishing, personal living needs and health costs. This could cover anything from eyeglasses to a used vehicle to education costs.
Haven't heard of it? Neither have most Katrina-Rita victims who need the assistance. The same agency that spends millions of advertising dollars begging for money won't provide free public service announcements to alert struggling hurricane survivor families that relief is available.
Red Cross is trying its best to keep the program a secret and discourage the survivors who find out about it. ARC chapters in areas such as Jackson, Mississippi have lied to survivors, denied the existence of such a program and is attempting to penalize recipients who tell others about it. In other areas, people are routinely denied assistance based on the whims of case managers who arbitrarily decide if a person will get assistance or how much of their needs will be addressed.
In Baton Rouge last month several Katrina-Rita survivors were burned out of an apartment complex when lightning struck. Red Cross offered them a hotel stay for two nights and then booted them out, saying that there was no other assistance available to people who had lost all of their possessions for the second time in two years. A PHRF staff member used his personal funds to house them for another night. Although "Means to Recovery" funds were available and needed, Red Cross staffers refused to let these double victims know about it.
Buried in the Red Cross website is a reference to the program that stresses that "this is not an entitlement program." In other words, survivors in need don't really have a right to the funds allocated to help them. However the agency seems to feel very much 'entitled'' to hold on to the funds for its own purposes. There is mean-spiritedness in the way Red Cross and some other agencies deal with Katrina survivors.
The feeling is that folks should be 'over it' by now, which is neither the reality nor a reasonable expectation for those whose entire lives have been forever changed by a disaster. Many Red Cross workers have not hidden their low opinion and hostile disposition toward hurricane victims, especially those of color. It has demonstrated an incredible lack of compassion and a proprietary attitude toward the actual funds it has been entrusted to distribute. Of course if you check their national website,
In Baton Rouge last month several Katrina-Rita survivors were burned out of an apartment complex when lightning struck. Red Cross offered them a hotel stay for two nights and then booted them out, saying that there was no other assistance available to people who had lost all of their possessions for the second time in two years. A PHRF staff member used his personal funds to house them for another night. Although "Means to Recovery" funds were available and needed, Red Cross staffers refused to let these double victims know about it.
Buried in the Red Cross website is a reference to the program that stresses that "this is not an entitlement program." In other words, survivors in need don't really have a right to the funds allocated to help them. However the agency seems to feel very much 'entitled' to hold on to the funds for its own purposes. There is mean-spiritedness in the way Red Cross and some other agencies deal with Katrina survivors. The feeling is that folks should be 'over it' by now, which is neither the reality nor a reasonable expectation for those whose entire lives have been forever changed by a disaster.
Many Red Cross workers have not hidden their low opinion and hostile disposition toward hurricane victims, especially those of color. It has demonstrated an incredible lack of compassion and a proprietary attitude toward the actual funds it has been entrusted to distribute. Of course if you check their national website, you will notice a 'diversity problem' with their staff leadership. Seems like ARC has several levels of issues that limit its value to people who are not White or wealthy.
The People's Hurricane Relief Fund and Oversight Committee and its allies are calling on the American Red Cross to:
1.)Immediately and aggressively notify the public about the "Means to Recovery" program
2.)Disburse the funds to Katrina-Rita Survivors within 90 days
3.)Account for all funds received for "Means to Recovery"
4.)Account for all funds disbursed on a dollars-to-demographics neighborhoods basis
5.)Begin to treat Black Survivors with dignity, compassion and respect
If none of the above are possible then Red Cross must give the money to an agency which can operate in a fair and competent fashion.

WHAT YOU CAN DO
We are calling on people of good will across the nation to help force Red Cross to do the right thing and do it NOW!

Here are some things you can do:
1.)Use all forms of communication to let people in your area know about the American Red Cross "Means to Recovery" program; be sure to include the phone numbers of the chapter in your area.
2.)Alert all kinds of civic, political, faith, fraternal, professional and other groups to the problem and have them join in a solidarity movement to address this problem.
3.)Hold press conferences and protest actions at the local offices of Red Cross
4.)Flood the offices with phone calls, faxes, letters and e-mails demanding to know, what is available and why they are making it difficult for survivors to receive these funds. Is the money earning interest somewhere? Will the interest go to survivors? What happens to the money if survivors don't use it?
American Red Cross National Headquarters, 2025 E Street, NW, Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 303-4498 or the Donation Hotlines: 1-800-REDCROSS (1-800-733-2767) / 1-800-257-7575 (Español).
You can ask for Mark W. Everson, President and CEO or Bonnie McElveen-Hunter, Chairman (sic) of the American Red Cross.
5.)Help the PHRF and its allies call for a federal, congressional or criminal investigation into the practices of groups such as Red Cross and United Way, who have received millions in the name of Katrina-Rita survivors, but require those in need to run a gauntlet to get even partial assistance.
6.)Join us at the International Tribunal on Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in New Orleans August 29 –September 2nd where the crimes against the people of the Gulf Coast before, during and after the hurricanes will be discussed. Help us petition the United Nations and the International Red Cross to send teams to investigate the matter. Join the PHRF in a call for a tangible system of accountability for all public and private agencies or offices that are withholding resources given for Katrina relief.
7.)Help us petition the United Nations and the International Red Cross to send teams to investigate the matter.
8.)Join the PHRF in a call for a tangible system of accountability for all public and private agencies or offices that are withholding resources given for Katrina relief.

Six Feet of Water in the City of Evangeline

I’ve been bouncing back and forth between sadness and anger this morning; the 2 year anniversary of Katrina devouring the Gulf Coast. New Orleans was my favorite city in the world. I’m sad and angry because that great city and her people (mostly low income black folks) continue to go largely unattended to by the US Government in the 2 years since. Was Kanye West inaccurate when he proclaimed; “President Bush doesn’t care about black people”? I’d have to say he hit the nail on the head when looking at what the Bush administration has done to put that city back together again.

Did you ever have a chance to visit New Orleans prior to its’ destruction? I went there twice when I was in my roaring twenties. Mardi gras remains as the greatest memory I have of partying in my entire life. But it isn’t just the revelry that has stayed with me since my visits way back when, it’s the all that the Big Easy was.

Po Boy sandwiches, Dixie Land Jazz, Mark Twain, the Muddy Mississip, the street cars, the Doobie Brothers, Buster Holmes’ (red beans and rice), Louis Armstrong, voodoo, coffee with chicory, the Times Picayune, the old Southern homes with their tall ceilings, the Neville Brothers, grits, the list goes on and on. Who’d have thought it could all be wiped out by a storm?

When Randy Newman penned the lyrics to “Louisiana 1927” sometime around 1990, I don’t think he was envisioning what would happen some 15 years down the road. What really gets me is that as far back as 1926 (the Mississippi overflowed its’ banks the year before the Big Flood) it was known that the city would eventually flood beyond repair... it was just a question of when. I’ve pasted those lyrics below, in honor of this sad date in US history.

“What has happened down here is the wind has changed
Clouds roll in from the north and it started to rain
Rained real hard and rained for a real long time
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline

The river rose all day
The river rose all night
Some people got lost in the flood
Some people got away alright
The river have busted through clear down to Plaquemines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline

Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away

President Coolidge came down in a railroad train
With a little fat man with a note-pad in his hand
The President say, "Little fat man isn't it a shame what the river has
done
To this poor crackers land."

Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away
Louisiana, Louisiana
They're tryin' to wash us away
They're tryin' to wash us away"

Britney and Lindsay Caught Kissing in Rehab?

When is the last time you truly believed that our state was headed in the right direction? The kind and gentle way we Oregonians deal with societal issues and problems has gotten us how far? It might be that our niceness and abundant patience is the root cause that we continue to beg for crumbs from our elected officials in attempting to have a fair, just, and equitable state.

The education and health of our children will be significaantly funded through lottery and tobacco dollars. That doesn’t seem right to me somehow. At the same time the folks with REAL resources are able to continue getting wealthier through tax breaks and investment returns. The corporations own the politicians who make decisions at their bequest. It doesn’t matter which political party is at the reigns.

Nationally, we are preparing to elect a new president in a little over a year from now. Here in liberal Oregon we’re gearing up to work on getting Hillary or Barack in that office. I don’t believe Mrs. Clinton (with her history of sitting on the Walmart board) or Mr. Obama (who speaks out of both sides of his mouth regarding war) will do any more to fix this broken country known as America, than Rudy (see 911 rescue workers’ fates).
Nothing has changed much since the 60’s in the USA.

I’m certain this writing is looked upon as an angry rant, but is it? This is all common sense. You can choose to stick your head in the sand and pretend things are OK, but don’t expect me to join you. These are dangerous times. Whether or not you want to own your place in history is up to you. You can move along looking out for Number One, or start speaking out about the WRONG you come in contact with daily.

My name is David McDonald, and I approve these words.

How Important Are You? 2007 Edition

In Oregon, as in the other 49 states, there is an unspoken criterion for how important one is and/or believes themselves to be. It’s not based on reality, but sometimes perceptions outweigh what is in fact real. For these reasons I’ve put together this brief social survey for readers of my blog to see how they measure up in 2007.

How Important Are You?

1.)Do you wear your cell phone on your belt?
2.)Do you use the phrase; “Having said that” more than once per day?
3.)Do you own BOTH a blue AND a red necktie?
4.)Are your shoes really loud when you walk on hard surfaces?
5.)Do you brazenly cheat at 4 way stop signs?
6.)Is your email set on “Out Of The Office Auto Reply” more than once per week?
7.)Do you say “cheers” instead of “thank you”?
8.)Do you arrive late for important meetings on purpose?
9.)Do you park on the line; taking up 2 spaces at the grocery store?
10.)When walking Pooch, do you leave the poop behind?
11.) Do you insist on being called “Doctor” because you have a Doctorate degree?
12.) Does someone else cut your grass?
13.) Do you hang certificates instead of art on your office walls?
14.) Do you own an electronic planner such as a Palm Pilate?
15.) Do your children watch movies in the car?
16.) Are you a member of any organization called a “Club”?

If you answered “yes” to:
10-16 Questions-You are important enough to work in the Bush administration
6-10 Questions-You are important enough to have entitlement issues
2-6 Questions-You are important enough to get more important if you keep trying
0-2 Questions-You are important enough to not care how important you are