[Thrusher]

I live in Baton Rouge, and I know this will probably fall on deaf ears, but that is okay.

I will not try to convince anyone of what to do with your money. I won't lie to you -- plenty of your tax dollars are already going to be shoved into the wrong hands and back pockets during the "relief effort" by the government. That is a horrible tragedy, but there is a lot of corruption here, and although a lot of people have been doing their best to change it for a long time, the corruption persists.

I will tell you that there are thousands of decent, hardworking people in south Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama that have lost everything because of the storm. The news footage shows the smiling faces happily looting DVD players from neighborhood stores, but doesn't show the people that, while evacuating their own families, stopped on the side of the road in the pouring rain to change a complete stranger's tire just because that stranger needed help.

They will show you the massive traffic jams on the interstate and all the road rage, but they won't show you the family that set up a makeshift pit-stop on the side of the road to serve jambalaya and water to people fleeing north into Mississippi.

The media will tell you all about the bastard that shot a cop in the face, but won't bother to remind you that the cop was a man who was still doing his job during a massive natural disaster, not for the meager pay but because he was trying to help the people who shot him, while he may not have known where his own family was or if they were safe.

They will show you footage of the cops who joined in the looting themselves, but not tell you about the average people who, once they got their own families to safety, turned around and went back into the storm to help others.

There are plenty of people who lived outside of, east and south of, New Orleans that are among the most honest, good-hearted people (black and white) that you will ever meet in your life. They packed their cars and trucks full of supplies and headed up to New York on 9/12/01, leaving their families behind, to help a whole bunch of people that have always looked down their noses at southerners like us.

Those people are living in makeshift shelters and sleeping on gym floors with their grandmothers and their grandchildren, trying to figure out what to do, not looting and shooting at rescue helicopters like savages. They are people that would rather do anything other than ask for a handout, but they can't feed their children so they have no other choice.

The TV is shoving the worst of Louisiana down your throat and loving every minute of it.

The best of Louisiana are quietly opening their doors, their wallets, and their hearts to complete strangers.

They are volunteering at shelters filled with decent people who didn't stay behind just to loot or run amok, people who have lost everything they owned. They have family and friends packed into their houses, with no A/C or electricity, just happy to have a roof over their heads. They are walking away from their own jobs and families to go help people in need.

No, the government here is not doing enough to quell the anarchy down there, but the good people here are getting together privately to try to help who they can, not waiting on the government to fix things for them.

Some of your money, maybe even the majority of your money, may go to the animals you see on TV. But a lot of it will get to where it needs to be, especially if you donate to churches and private organizations with firm missions.

The innocent and needy should not be punished for the sins of the truly wicked.

[tsmith130]

Excellent post!

It's amazing to me that Freepers always complain (and rightfully so) about the way the media slants stories; how they only report the bad news and never balance it with any good news. So now that the news stories are only showing the looting that's going on, they're horrified and will withhold any support that might go to the looters, in effect withholding it from everyone else. Many of you need to get some perspective.

[Milly]

Very well said, and I agree with everything you said.
Not all people are bad Black or White.

[Tijeras_Slim]

Thanks.

[headsonpikes]

Bump your post.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

BUMP!!!!

[TheSpottedOwl]

Your essay should be published in the major papers. It is truly inspiring. Thank you for pointing out what is really going on, but not being reported.

Prayers for you and your family.

[don-o]

Bump to 145.

FRiend, please post that to the Live Thread, if you have not

[BykrBayb]

So true! Stealing is not normal behavior. I'll continue to make donations through The Salvation Army. There are other worthy charities as well, but this is the one I've chosen. I'm happy to be able to help, but I will not haphazardly throw my money at looters.

I've seen the kind of assistance The Salvation Army provides. They will be at the center of the disaster, giving whatever is needed. They will also help those who have evacuated to other locations. They will give help where help is needed.

[BnBlFlag]

Re your post #145......AMEN!

[zeugma]

Excellent post!

One thing we definitely have to keep in mind is that if the media has a choice of showing looters or heros, the looters will win every time.

I'm quite sure there are tens of thousands of stories that could be told of people helping each other out in the affected area. Perhaps the Lord would appreciate us thinking of these anonymous children of his as we offer a prayer for their basic decency.

[Apogee]

Nice. Thanks