ON AN OPTIMISTIC NOTE...

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Originally uploaded by KEITHBOADWEE.

WELL, LET ME SAY, I DON'T WANT TO DOWNPLAY THE NEGLECT AND SUFFERING THAT HAPPENED IN NEW ORLEANS THIS PAST WEEK. THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FAILED A LARGE NUMBER OF OUR CITIZENS (WHO FOR THE MOST PART ARE BLACK AND POOR) IN A MAJOR KIND OF WAY. THINGS SEEM TO BE GETTING MUCH BETTER SINCE YESTERDAY BUT THAT DOESN'T HELP THE PEOPLE WHO LOST THEIR LIVES OR LOVED ONES, WERE RAPED, ROBBED OR GENERALLY PUT THROUGH HELL. HOWEVER, I DO WANT TO SAY THAT ALMOST EVERY PERSON I KNOW IN THE CITY HAS NOW BEEN ACCOUNTED FOR AND AMONG THOSE PEOPLE, THEY REALLY SEEM TO BE FINDING THEIR FRIENDS AND LOVED ONES QUICKLY OVER THE PAST COUPLE OF DAYS. SO, ON THAT FRONT THINGS ARE LOOKING GOOD. AMONG THE PEOPLE I'VE HAD CONTACT WITH THE, THE PREDOMINANT THEME IS THAT THEY'RE JUST HAPPY TO BE ALIVE. I'M ALSO SURPRISED AT HOW OPTIMISTIC THE PEOPLE I'VE TALKED TO ARE ABOUT JUST GETTING ON WITH IT. YES, THEY HAVE UNCERTAINTY BUT MOSTLY THEY ALL SEEM MOTIVATED TO PULL THEMSELVES UP BY THE BOOTSTRAPS AND START OVER. AGAIN, I IN NO WAY WANT TO DOWNPLAY THE HORROR THAT HAS HAPPENED THERE. I ACKNOWLEDGE THAT THERE ARE LARGE NUMBERS OF FOLKS WHO HAVEN'T BEEN/WON'T BE AS FORTUNATE AS THE PEOPLE I KNOW OR HAVE THE MEANS OR WILLPOWER TO CLIMB THE MOUNTAIN THAT HAS BEEN PLACED IN FRONT OF THEM. BUT I AM GRATEFUL TO KNOW THAT THE PEOPLE WHO I LOVE ARE ALIVE AND DETERMINED TO REBUILD THERE LIVES IN A POSITIVE FRAME OF MIND. OF COURSE THEY'LL HAVE SOME DARK DAYS AHEAD BUT I THINK THEY WILL ALL PERSERVERE.