All talk; no action - disgust and loathing prevails |
Language One reporter discussed the flotsam, flotage, and the jetsam, We’ve all seen the pictures Of the phalanxes On the streets In the now greatly infamous sin city Of New Orleans America's enemies, and some allies alike, are indulging in schadenfreude There is hard evidence Too many cared more about the politics than the people Non-profit organizations found unprecedented opportunity And made repeated televised appeals For more, greater, and continued cash donations Even before aid and assistance arrived The commercials reeled Justified By the plight and suffering Of the men, women, and children Dying Not on foreign shores Not in Third World Countries But here In the city of New Orleans At the Superdome and the Convention Center Bodies laid scattered about the city Some yet undetected in their homes Still some six months later The price of a barrel of oil and a gallon of gas Reaching new unprecedented heights Since the storm The desperate cries of need for water, food, and shelter Still showing around the world First Responders and volunteers turned away Held at bay Displaced peoples, and their culture Forced to seek residency in other States The question is bantered about Should New Orleans be rebuilt? The question begs, by who or whom? The men and women The working poor The aged and infirmed The young Who were left behind? Betrayed Abandoned Ignored Ransomed by the Federal Republican Government’s request Of the Democratic Governor Kathleen Blanco “Sign this complicated legal document first” While the flood waters Trapped American citizens In a watery tomb Now is not the time for talk like that Though briefings abounded Solutions eluded The talking heads of State Till Mayor Nagin’s rage erupted Played on the radio “Don’t tell me forty-thousand people are coming here. They’re not here. It’s too doggone late. Now get off your asses and do something, And let’s fix the biggest goddamn crisis in the history of this country.” Source for Mayor Nagin’s quote: http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/09/02/nagin.transcript/ |