Last night, I saw the first part of "20/20," during which some airhead commented that the scene at Quaalcom was in marked contrast to the chaos in "Houston and New Orleans during Hurricane Katrina."
Ummm--what? Houston and New Orleans?
Look: We here in Houston have grown used to never being thanked for our city's finest hour, certainly not by Mayor Asshole, and not really by New Orleanians in general, with a few glorious exceptions, such as writer Richard Ford, who came here to give a reading and nearly broke down in giving thanks.
Well, fine. We did what we did--everyone I know played some role, in money, time, or supplies, some in all three--and we would do it again ten, a hundred times, gratitude or no.
But, gee whiz.
What correspondent Know-Nothing speaks of as "chaos" was confusion over who would be admitted to the Astrodome. On the Wednesday afternoon of that week--the first day the big crowds started to arrive--only those on designated buses were admitted. Before dinner the matter was resolved, with Mayor White stating emphatically that any evacuee who made it to the Dome was welcome.
That's it. In all, a few hours.
Otherwise, if by "chaos" the correspondent meant "The greatest act of charity by one city toward another," he pretty much nailed it.
And, for Pete's sake, the very Astrodome pictures ABC used to supposedly illustrate the "chaos" in Houston actually showed the truth: that the Astrodome was a sanctuary in those times.
Now it is a place of honor.
ABC ought to be ashamed of itself.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
2 comments:
Well spoken. It is is one of the high points in our local history.
I put Jameson's sit-and-spin together a few weeks ago. He gets so many presents at Christmas and on his birthday that we ration them out a bit to heighten his appreciation factor. He loves it. It is quite hilarious to watch him spin himself into a dizzy induced euphoria. He laughs maniacally the whole time. Excellent gift.
The Chronicle felt the same way )see above).
Good news about the boy.
Post a Comment