Medication and memories...

After the surgery, no one warned me what anethesia does to the digestive tract. I had not gone to the bathroom in five days. I was taking laxatives, still nothing. On the sixth day I came the closest a man could feel during child birth, that or passing a small watermelon.

I was surprised that the hospital had not scheduled a follow-up visit or suggested any exercises. I was an avid jogger. I loved running up and down the St. Charles streetcar line from First St. to Nashville Ave. Every now and then I would see Greg driving home from the office. He would toot his horn and wave. It really is about the small things. I started making an effort to look for his car. It's like the feeling of spoting the one you love in a very large room or crowd.

I first noticed Greg from a French Quarter balcony during Mardi Gras in 1993 and exclaimed to my friend Clay: "He will be mine." Clay knew Greg and said he was available. Later that day, a tipsy Greg would spell his last name letter for letter and exclaim: "I'm in the book." Clay and I headed home from the French Quarter madness. I immediately ran to a phone book and flipped through the New Orleans listings and found the name I had been spelling over and over in my head on the ride back to Clay's.

The next day, at my butch job as a tire presser, I dialed the number during a break. Great, I got voicemail. Greg's voice was deep and direct as I listened: "You've reached 555-5555. WE can't come to the phone......" WE? What was this "we" shit? I hung up and called Clay and yelled: "Unless Greg has a lot of pets, or a lesbian roomate, you have some explaining to do." Clay said: "Matt, he lives with someone, but I think it's over." "YOU THINK?" I said. He assured me that I had to chase Greg if I really wanted him. I hung up and went back to the sweaty warehouse and my tires. How could I get to the tall, somewhat attached Greg? This would require all the creativity I could muster. I ruled out stalking as an option, besides it lacked originality. I looked up and saw our company logo. Hmmmm... a letter, a solicitation, one filled with hidden meaning of the Mardi Gras day we met. For some reason, the Wicked Witch of the West's words from "The Wizard of Oz" began to resonate in my head: "Poppies. Poppies will make them sleep." It was a start. But who opens the mail in Greg's house? Would the letter be tossed, dismissed as junk mail? My brain started to hurt.

I finished the letter and was kind of proud of myself. It was a very carefully worded solicitation signed by our V.P. of Sales: "Marty Graw." I held on to the envelope afraid to mail it. I finally, with a little encouragement from Clay, mailed the letter. The rest was left up to Greg or his roomate: Greg to call me or his roomate to track me down and hide the body where it could not be found.

Ghosts of addictions past: Back to my story...

Las Vegas is not my kind of town. Although it was nice to get out of Dallas for a while, I often found myself staring down many ghosts from my past. Before the mess that is Hurricane Katrina struck, I was discussing my pending back surgery in 2001 (see entry, "Trading one pain for another".)

It was the Monday before my scheduled surgery on Thursday. I headed once again to Charity Hospital. I cannot think of any these places without Hurricane Katrina coming to mind. Anyway, I arrived at the hospital for blood work and a consultation about Social Security disability benefits. The blood work was a breeze. I met with a member of hospital staff to discuss government assistance after the surgery. I was shocked at how much the system wanted me to USE the system. I was told by my surgeon that I could return to my position at the NO/AIDS Task Force a month after the procedure. In order to qualify for Social Security benefits, I would have to be out of work a year. When I told this government employee I would be on my feet and working in a month, he immediately discouraged my fast return to the office. "Why not stay out and collect what is due to you?" were his words. I began to realize why so many are dependent on the "system." I thanked him and declined. He began to look at me like as though I was about to take my alien form. Amazing.

The day of the surgery came quickly. Greg took the day off from Tulane and we made our way to the hospital at 5:00 a.m. Once there, everything seemed to happen at an amazing pace. The next thing I knew I was in a room full of gurneys with others awaiting surgery. It was human assembly line. I was first administered an oral sedative, then an IV sedative. The nurse returned to me with a surprised look and exclaimed: "You're not out yet?" I was very quick to respond: "No, actually I'm very awake and alert." "Oh, I'll take care of that." she shot back. She returned with a syringe of Verset and put it in my IV. The injection made me loopy but I was still alert. As I was being carted to the operating room, I remember blurting out: "Hello?! I'm awake!! Once in the operating room I was flipped over, masked and the last thing I remember was the surgeon saying: "We're gonna have to shave that hairy ass." Great, exactly the words I wanted to hear before being launched to the planet "Anesthesia."

It's always a plus to have one of your many gay friends unknowingly work in recovery to witness the drooling and babble of awaking from surgery. I remember Greg and my brother David at my side as I continually asked: "What time is it?" The next thing I knew I was being wheeled into a small room with eight beds. I was number nine and with no room I was shoved into a corner by the door. I felt no pain in my left leg or back. My sister, who is a registered nurse, arrived and began to explain that I had to pee this much and eat this much before I would be allowed to go home. I began to drink water by the gallon and ate what was given to me by the hospital: baked chicken and grits....YIKES!

Painkillers and anesthesia dehydrated my body, but with all the water I had to go the bathroom. I tried to use the bed bottle, but with everyone standing around my bed waiting...well that was not an option. I wanted to get up and go to the restroom. My sister helped me get out of bed. The attending nurse hopped up and said: "Where are you going?" I told her I had to use the restroom. "But, honey, you just had back surgery." I told her I did not feel any pain and could walk. My sister walked me to the men's room. I was amazed that the pain I had lived with for months was gone. I filled the bottle and turned it into the nurse.

By this time, my surgeon showed up and asked me to get out of bed again. "Stand on your toes." he commanded. I did everything he asked. He explained the surgery went well and that the rupture was larger than he first thought. As far as my prognosis, he said it's like "voo doo and chicken blood." "There are no guarantees, the pain could return." He also advised I had to be hyper aware that I no longer had the back of a normal 38 year old. He put in the order to discharge me and started to write a prescription for Vicodin. I told him: "No more pain killers." I was on my way out the door as the nurse exclaimed: "All the good ones go home fast." I just smiled and thanked her. Greg and I headed home. The back pain was gone, but something still didn't feel right. Why was I still full of fear? This whole process had completely changed me. I was not the "old Matt" as many would later remark, including Greg. They had NO idea.

"The Big Easy" meets "Sin City"= GUILT...

I have to admit that I feel a bit guilty. We landed in Las Vegas yesterday for a trip planned way before Hurricane Katrina was even a thought or tropical low. My partner John and I are here for part business, part vacation. It's just a few days and the hightlight of this visit is a concert by Kelly Clarkson on Saturday, a big favorite of John and me.

On the flight from Texas, our flight attendant announced that in the spirit of Las Vegas we were going to play a game. If you wanted to participate, you had to take out a dollar bill and write your seat number on it. The money would be pooled and a dollar would be pulled from the "kitty" in determining a winner. The great part was that half of the money would go to the hurricane relief effort. The pool pulled in $150.00. This was a small gesture, but a reminder that this disaster has touched everyone. As far as Las Vegas, it's what I expected. I'm more of a nature guy.

The momentum gathering in the criticism of the Bush administration on the initial response to this disaster must continue. As the days, weeks and months go by, many of us will want answers. The information that Secretary of State, Condi Rice was shopping for shoes and Vice-President, Dick Cheney was house hunting in the Chesapeake Bay area while this disaster unfolded is appalling. Cheney's appearance in coastal Mississippi (no more than a photo opp.) had a heckling moment looped on national news channels. The Bush administration has become "fat and lazy", bogged down in a war that has waning approval of Americans. Mr. Bush's initial response to the 9/11 disaster and subsequent hurricane strikes in Florida were expedient and relentless. As the body count rises from Katrina, and the ineptness of the federal government continues, I strongly feel this horrific event will define the Bush presidency.

It is a year to the day today that my father lost his battle with lung cancer. He was a hurricane nerd like myself. Too bad there was a huge lack of such a presence in Washington, D.C. All the information was there: all the facts, all the warnings.There are so many who chose to "roll the dice" on this one, the fate of so many lives becoming a human craps shoot. Too bad that: "What happens in Vegas, really DOESN'T stay in Vegas.

"Hi, I'm Mitzi and I'll be your server and crime statistician this evening."

My partner John and I headed to a local Dallas eatery for the evening. We were promptly seated and greeted by our server, "Mitzi." Of course, the plazma TVs that surrounded us were tuned to the endless coverage on Hurricane Katrina.

John and I are pretty much are on the same page when it comes to the events unfolding in coastal Louisiana and Mississippi. John, born in Michigan and raised in Texas, attended Loyola University in New Orleans. For him, the city holds wonderful memories of frat parties, Mardi Gras and the many friendships he's maintained from school. For me, New Orleans is my home. It is where I was born and will always be a part of me. I am a Texan purely by choice.

Mitzi our server came to take our order and caught the end of a conversation John and I were having about hurricane victims relocating to Texas. Mitzi just jumped right in and offered: "Yeah, have you heard? Crime is already up 33.5% because of all these people. I was amused at her contribution, but found it hard to keep from laughing. Crime was not up 30% or 35%, it was up 33.5%? From what part of her Jessica Simpson brain did she pull this percentage, and so quickly? We were polite but not indulging her. Of course, the statistic was crap and was overwhelming evidence why Mitzi will and always should be a server. -Matt

"Call the Man...he is needed here..."

Singer Celine Dion made an appearance on CNN's "Larry King Live" on Saturday, September 3rd, and she did not hold back. The often spoofed French-Canadian chanteuse, tearfully and angrily made her position very clear:

"How come it's so easy to send planes in another country to kill everyone in a second and destroy lives? We need to serve our country and for me to serve our country is to be there right now to rescue the rest of the people."

To see the complete interview, click the link below and in the SEARCH VIDEO field enter Celine Dion. A September 3, 2005 entry will appear.

CNN- Celine Dion

On her 1996 Grammy winning CD, "Falling Into You", there is a song entitled "Call the Man." If in anytime a song be an appropriate anthem to this horrible tragedy, it is this one. In a time when our nation is so divided, maybe God is calling upon humanity to unite and see HIS face in all who so desperately need our help. -Matt

Close the door
Shut the world away
All the fight's gone from this wounded heart
Across the floor
Dreams and shadows play
Like wind blown refugees

Call the man
Who deals in love beyond repair
He can heal the world
Of hearts in need of care
Shine a light ahead
When the next step is unclear
Call the man
He's needed here

I close my eyes
I remember when
Your sweet love filled this empty room
The tears I cry
Won't bring it back again
Unless the lonely star should fall

Call the man
Who deals in love beyond repair
He can heal the world
Of hearts in need of care
Shine a light ahead
When the next step is unclear
Call the man
He's needed here

Needed in the chaos and confusion
From the plains to city hall
Needed where the proud who walk the wire are set to fall

Call the man
Who deals in once upon a time
Maybe he
Can mend this broken heart of mine
Shine a light ahead
Now the future isn't clear
Call the man
He's needed here
Call the man
He's needed here

He's needed here
He's needed here
Call the man

He's needed here
Right here right now

"Here Lies Vera...God Help Us!"

This is a spray painted inscription on a make shift grave at the corner of Jackson Avenue and Magazine Street in my old neighborhood the "Irish Channel." This very diverse community is located one block from New Orlean's famed "Garden District" and a place my former partner Greg and I called home for ten years." Let me tell you a little bit about Vera. She was a widow who lived alone (like many women in the Irish Channel) and owned this property. The building occupying it destroyed by fire in 1998. You would often see Vera walking the block between Jackson Avenue and Phillip Street along Magazine. She attended services at St. Mary Assumption church and particpated in mass by bringing up "gifts" for the sacrament of Holy Communion. Yes, Vera lived here. She has a story like so many of the dead from this disaster.

Whether you are watching television or reading the newspaper, there is no escaping the barrage of "whys" and "whats." If you're Fox's Bill O' Reilly, the blame lies with the local government of Louisiana. According to O' Reilly, he has the evacuation plan for New Orleans when faced with a hurricane. He say's it makes no mention of a plan in the the event of a levee break. O' Reilly also states: "If you're going to rely on government, you're going to be disappointed." TIme to change the channel. I only watch Bill O' Reilly to remind me that I am actually among the living and in the real world.

If we are looking to blame, if we are looking for answers, maybe we need to take a hard look at our government. In Bill O' Reilly's warped sense of reality, we need to take care of ourselves. Ultimately, the citizens are responsible for not leaving. In what time in our nation's history have we seen our own dead left to decay in flood waters and streets? Some of these images are ghastly, like images of war, not a natural disaster. Sorry, Bill, but it's too late for our government to recuse itself for failing a people which in some area's had an average annual income of $7,500.00.

It's time that government on all levels admit that it failed and miserably so. Is that so wrong? The most important thing I've learned in the process of my own personal recovery is denial to admit a problem prevents the healing process. Admitting failure and that major mistakes were made will enable so many to begin that process. In the mean time Vera's final resting place is a street corner, but for others it face down in flood waters or bloated and decomposing atop a car or on the side of a street. Yes, this in the United States of America: "God help us, indeed!

Heroes in the Face of Horror

New Orleans Police officer "Rick" always had a smile on his face in the morning at our local coffee shop on Magazine St. You would often see he and his partner chatting up regulars as they dipped in and out for their daily fix of caffeine. Sometimes Officer "Rick" was alone and I got to know the man behind the badge. Soon we were on a first name basis. It's in times like this that we take for granted the simple day to day.

Yesterday, before bedtime, I was clicking on the numerous stories associated with Hurricane Katrina. I was paging down a story about the many dead, I bowed my head and sighed as I read that Officer "Rick" had taken his life on Saturday, turning his gun on himself. Suddenly I could see his face saying: "Good morning Matt" with that warm smile. I was disturbed to learn that others in the ranks of the N.O.P.D. and New Orleans Fire and Rescue had simply walked off the job after four to five days with no rest trying to keep order in the face of chaos. Will we ever know the horror these men and women faced in the seemingly endless wait for assistance.

As flood waters rose in Downtown New Orleans giving way to panic and disorder, those in uniform suddenly found themselves in a situation never faced by law enforcement during modern times. The city of New Orleans was quickly desending into darkness and despair. Nightfall brought the unthinkable and unimaginable as the city plunged into pitch darkness. Soon those in uniform began to submit to the hopelessness surrounding them as the citizens they took an oath to "serve and protect" lay dying in the shelters, homes and streets of New Orleans. Heroes soon began to feel helpless with no relief in sight.

Federal officials insist that if citizens would have completely evacuated the city as ordered, many would have been spared the misery brought by flooding. In a perfect world, maybe. but for thousands it was not possible. We have to start dealing with the reality which I have stated over and over. Those left behind did not have the money or means to leave the city. Another huge blunder by our federal government was the placement of FEMA under the direction of Homeland Security which was completely unprepared to deal with this disaster. I know the focus on terrorism is vital to our country, but at what cost?

I think about Officer "Rick" who was alive on Friday and speaking to the media. I went to bed praying for he and others and wondering what kind of unspeakable, ghoulish horror takes down a hero. I also prayed for those heroes left behind that continue the grim and endless task of rescue and recovery in the wake of their fallen fellow officers.

-Matt

"An Ode to New Orleans"

From Ms. Mae's on Napoleon
To Port of Call Way
New Orleans will rise
And we'll all see the day.

From Rocky and Carlo's
At the Parish way down
To Tulane and Loyola
And Cooter's Uptown

Mardi Gras Floats
And king cakes around
Beads and laughter
To a marching band's sound

Jazz Fest, crawfish bread
Po-boys and beer
St. Patrick's at Parasols
With all its green cheer

The ring of steetcar
Headed down St. Charles
Lee Circle, to Canal
And the Riverwalk mall

The French Quarter
Bourbon Street, Preservation Hall
A blaring Jazz trumpet
Will signal the call

We're down but not out
Oh yes we'll be back
Like a roach you can't kill
No matter the smack.

I hope you will join me
And I don't have to think
I'll see you at Pat O's
Where a HURRICANE'S
just a drink.

"Ingorance, Catastrophes and Finger Pointing"

I watched NBC's "Meet the Press" and saw Louisiana's Jefferson parish president, Aaron Broussard breakdown in tears and sobbing as he related the story of one of his staff whose mother was residing in a senior community in St. Bernard parish which is southeast of New Orleans and very hard hit with flooding (more than the images we have seen coming out of New Orleans.) As the days passed after the storm, this staff member, in hit and miss communication, kept telling his mother that help was on the way. She sadly drowned four days after the storm. FEMA and other relief organizations have not begun to address the lost parishes of St. Bernard and Plaquemines. Bear in mind, these parishes were flooded heavily before any levee break.

"We never anticipated that the levees would break."- President George W. Bush

It is yet to be determined how history will define this horrific event. What IS known and has been known for years is how vulnerable the coast of Louisiana and New Orleans would be in the event of a major Hurricane. In 2002 an extensive study was conducted by Louisiana State University and it's findings published in New Orlean's "Times-Picayune" and then turned over to the federal government. The findings of this study are playing out in eerie accuracy right before our very eyes. So who dropped the ball?

When a major hurricane strikes most areas, storm surge accounts for most deaths, we are witnessing this in Biloxi and costal Mississippi. However, storm surge in that circumstance retreats back to sea as the storm passes and the wind moves out what it brought in. Relief and disaster teams may quickly move into these areas that are now DRY and begin the process of recovery and clean-up. New Orleans and coastal Louisiana are VERY different as most of us now know. While the federal government denied funding for research and maintaining the fragile levee system and coastal wetlands protecting Louisiana, just this year President Bush signed and approved one of the biggest "pork" filled bills for highway improvement projects.

"How much warning did the government need?"

It's pretty pathetic when a novice hurricane tracker such as myself knew Friday night that this storm posed a pending threat to the Louisiana - Mississppi Gulf coast. Most National Hurricane Center models began to predict a growing monster and it's target. This is a Friday night advisory from the National Hurricane Center on Hurricane Katrina:

ZCZC MIATCDAT2 ALL
TTAA00 KNHC DDHHMM
HURRICANE KATRINA DISCUSSION NUMBER 15
NWS TPC/NATIONAL HURRICANE CENTER MIAMI FL
11 PM EDT FRI AUG 26 2005

...STUBBORN KATRINA CONTINUES TOWARD THE WEST-SOUTHWEST...EXPECTED
TO BECOME AN INTENSE HURRICANE IN THE CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO...

KATRINA IS FORECAST TO MOVE DIRECTLY OVER THE WARM LOOP CURRENT OF THE GULF OF MEXICO...WHICH IS LIKE ADDING HIGH OCTANE FUEL TO THE FIRE. THEREFORE...THE OFFICIAL FORECAST BRINGS KATRINA TO 115 KNOTS (135 m.p.h.)...OR A CATEGORY FOUR ON THE SAFFIR-SIMPSON HURRICANE SCALE. THE GFDL IS MORE AGGRESSIVE AND CALLS FOR 124 KNOTS (145 m.p.h.) AND 922 MB. THE FS SUPERENSEMBLE IS EVEN MORE AGGRESSIVE BRINGING KATRINA TO 131 KNOTS (150 m.ph.)*

THE OFFICIAL FORECAST BRINGS THE CORE OF THE INTENSE HURRICANE OVER THE NORTH CENTRAL GULF OF MEXICO IN 48 HOURS OR SO. IT IS WORTH NOTING THAT THE GUIDANCE SPREAD HAS DECREASED AND MOST OF THE RELIABLE NUMERICAL MODEL TRACKS ARE NOW CLUSTERED BETWEEN THE EASTERN COAST OF LOUISIANA AND THE COAST OF MISSISSIPPI. THIS CLUSTERING INCREASES THE CONFIDENCE IN THE FORECAST.

FORECASTER AVILA

*It should be noted here that Katrina over ran the model predictions at one point on Sunday, August 28th with a pressure of 902 mb and sustained winds of 185 m.p.h. with gusts to 215 m.p.h.

So we have the proof of denied VITAL federal funding for Louisiana and its fragile, unique levee system and wetlands. We have seen our federal government's denial of OMINOUS warnings from the National Hurricane Center. We have Louisiana Republican Senator David Vitter grading FEMA as a quote: "flat out F" in it's response to this disaster. We have the Head of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff, still in denial that the failure of levees surrounding New Orleans was a second disaster or "separate event" not anticipated to happen because the storm had already passed.

Ignorance and the failure of our federal government to heed so many warnings have brought a major U.S. city to it's knees, it's future uncertain. This is the one time in our nation's history that we CAN point the finger because so much was known and so little done. In the meantime, those in their high perches stare down on one of the greatest human tragedies ever to strike this country wondering what went wrong. Pity.

-Matt

"Katrina's answered prayers"

I was very surpised while caring for my father during his illness that I found a small, handwritten list of prayer intentions while putting away some clean laundy in his tee-shirt drawer. At the top of the list was: "Bring my son home." I had already returned home from Dallas to care for he and my mom. I began to cry when I read it. My father had some sense of his mortality and his prayer was answered.

The circumstances surrounding my return to Dallas after my father's death was filled with the same upheaval (if not more) than my first move. Most painful was the reality that I would finally have to address my dependency. My doctor declared: "each to their corner." I would have to cutoff all communications with my family during this period as they were a player in my behavior. I know I could not just come out and say this. As I further address my recovery process in later lostings, I have not spoken to my immediate family in the many months.

The ongoing horrific suffering by those in the regions affected by hurricane Katrina are now FINALLY seeing much needed aid. Katrina has also brought an answer to a repeated prayer of my own. My once estranged family evacuated to Plano, Texas. Through a series of phone calls (dialing into the frustrating area codes of 504 and 985 in which cell calls are almost impossible due to the storm) I had an emotional and tearful conversation with my brother David. He gave me the address and I was on my way to smiles and tears seeing my mother, sister and my brother.

Thank you Uncle Calvin and Aunt Thelma!! My brother Mark and his partner rode out the storm in their home in Madisonville. Mark still gets shaken up when describing their experience. The reports are all good concerning everyone's homes. Mark, I love you so much and ya'll hang in there!

In the broad spectrum of this disaster, I continue to pray for those affected by Katrina, but I thank God and St. Joseph for a prayer answered. I have my family, my health (both mental and physical) and right now considering the suffering of so many others, that's exceptional and nothing short of a miracle.

-Matt

"FEAR and those dangerous Blacks!"

For anyone who has lived in New Orleans or its surrounding areas, you know it's all about the neighborhoods. The images continually playing out on national television and the front pages of newspapers across the nation show it is the poor black people who are suffering the most. Primarily, federal and state agencies sustain the lives of most in these areas: the 9th Ward, Central City, Lower Garden District, the Irish Channel, Bywater and New Orleans East just to name a few.

Local and federal officials can say time after time that a mandatory evacuation was ordered for Orleans Parish, but those are just words, just like: "help is on the way", "we're sending this much water", "this much food", "deploying so many National Guard units", etc. The residents of these poor areas had no means to hop in a vehicle to evacuate. They rely on public transportation to get around the New Orleans metro area.

In 1993 my partner Greg and myself moved into a beautiful Victorian cottage in the Irish Channel. Our home was 3 blocks from the St. Thomas housing development. Many questioned the move because of the high crime rate in the area. Greg never hesitated. Sure we would hear gunshots at night, read about a robbery or murder in the "hood", but this was now home. The area from our street to the south is Tchoupitoulas St. and the river. This section housed some of the poorest residents in the area.

We joined the neighborhood association, participated in neighborhood clean-ups and attended meetings on reducing crime in the area. I attended St. Mary Assumption church in St. Thomas never FEARING for my life. I carried my Sunday Missal and made the walk across Jackson Ave. to worship with a very diverse congregation. As I walked, I was greeted with: "Good Mornings" and "Hellos" from my black neighbors. Sure, I could have attended the small chapel in the "Garden District" as many did in FEAR of attending St. Mary's beacuse of the dangerous "blacks." Oh my!

The President declared this morning that efforts in the area effected by Katrina were "unacceptable." If this disaster had occurred in Jeb Bush's state of Florida, would aid from the federal government have been so slow? I think not. There has been a massive breakdown in communication from the local to federal level.

The sober truth is that there was a third disaster after the hurricane and the flood that followed: FEAR! Much of the diaster relief and rescue effort came to a complete halt when panic started to ensue and vital lifelines of help retreated in FEAR from again: "the dangerous blacks." Since when is running the best line of defense in the face of disaster?!

Shame on our President for ignoring the impending warnings of what this killer storm was capable of doing. Shame on those that ran in FEAR leaving thousands to wade in their own rotting waste and dead. Shame on Mississippi governor, Haley Barbour for his shear ignornance in declaring that: "This storm was a category one when it hit Florida." "We did not know the threat we were up against until Sunday morning." Anyone who lives on the Gulf Coast knows that ANY storm in the Gulf of Mexico can turn into a monster overnight; 1995's Hurricane Opal is one such example. Shame on conservative "news" host, Bill O' Reilly for making the reckless assumption that the "dangerous blacks" did not evacuate INTENTIONALLY to take over the city. That comment is irresponsible journalism at its worst.

Amen to the brave that did not FEAR and remained to assist in an impossible situation. Amen to the FAIR media that aim their camera lenses at images that have stirred outrage at our govenment's slow response to this horrific event. And finally, God bless the many suffering in Louisiana and Mississippi. May God grant you the strength and patience to weather a greater, unaddressed threat: FEAR of those do not understand the harsh racial divide of one of the wealthiest countries in the world. My prayers and the prayers of millons are with you.

-Matt

"Hello? White House, are you there?

I'm not mad, I'M PISSED!!!

Time for us to contact the White House and send a scream so loud, the President will get on this full force. Clink the link below to call the White House or send an email.

Contact the White House NOW!

This was my response:

Mr. President,

As a new resident in the state of Texas (Irving by way of New Orleans), we are shocked and appalled at the slow response by you and the U.S. Government to the tragic events unfolding in New Orleans and coastal Mississippi.

All runways at Louis Armstrong International Airport are clear to accept military and aid flights. Where is our government? The place of my birth is being allowed to deteriorate to third world conditions. I highly doubt if a catastrophe of this proportion occurred in Dallas, Houston or any other Texas city that help would be this slow in arriving.

I am also upset that the head of Homeland Security, Michael Chertoff is now playing "Monday Morning quarterback" on what should have been done and needs to be done in the future. His words are too much, too little, too late for the poor people of New Orleans and coastal Mississippi. We are sending horrific images of desperation to our nation and the world that America cannot take care of it's own.

TAKE CARE OF THIS AND TAKE CARE OF IT NOW!!! Your Presidency is quickly becoming defined as a series of "knee jerk" decisions and with this disaster, the horrendous blunder of "turtle pace" action.

Matthew Cortez
Irving, TX