Government Needs to be Accountable for its Actions
Three days after hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf Coast, I was staring at
images of muddy rubble, and of people dying for lack of food and water. Other
people were wading through the water scavenging for food. Dead bodies, covered
with sheets were being dragged outside the Convention center, dumped to rot in
the gutter, while children chanted, "We need help now." I spat out a few
colorful metaphors and turned off the TV.
Without thinking about it, I walked over to the refrigerator, pushed a button
and filled my glass with ice. Then I reached into the fridge, popped open a diet
coke, sat down at my dining table, and poured the coke into a glass. As I waited
for the foam to fall so I could fill the glass some more, I looked out the
window. The mail truck pulled up to my mailbox, paused momentarily, and rushed
on down the street. I poured more coke into my glass and looked up. A Fed Ex
truck stopped at my driveway. The driver jumped out, ran up to my front door and
deposited a package. I turned on the radio. The Beatles were singing, "Nothing’s
going to change my world."
Like you, since that time, I have seen more gut wrenching images of
unexplainable anguish and suffering. We have all heard plenty of commentaries
about why the Bush administration was so slow to respond. Many newscasters and
talk show hosts have wondered why the military was not mobilized more quickly.
But no one that I have heard ever asked why the state of national emergency was
not declared. Stopping and refocusing the power and energy of our economic
engine to meet immediate human need in this disaster was never even
contemplated.
Why was my mail still being delivered? Why was my Fed Ex package still being
deposited on my door step? Why weren't Kroger’s, Wal Mart and Myers closed for a
day or two while the mail and Fed Ex trucks were loaded with bottled water,
milk, diapers, bread, fruits, vegetables, smoked and canned meats to be
delivered to those in such desperate need? Why weren't all Greyhound and tour
buses immediately rerouted to rescue the stranded victims of this tragedy?
I believe that the failure of leadership was the inability to think outside the
box. Our leaders never contemplated stopping the military-industrial complex to
meet human need. Disaster aid, and refugee resettlement have become big
business. For more than 20 years, high level executives from the government, the
Red Cross and other humanitarian agencies and churches have worked to put
together disaster response plans. As a local church pastor, I have participated
in my share of those planning meetings. But these plans rely on law enforcement
officials, highly paid bureaucrats, professionals and a rag tag assembly of
volunteers to meet human need, while the rest of the nation conducts business as
usual, allowing those of us who are not immediately affected to act like
"nothing's going to change my world".
By the time you read this column, the focus of the media will have shifted from
what the government did not do, to what the American people are volunteering to
do. The pressure will be on to stop the criticism and accentuate the positive.
But nothing will change unless we hold our government officials responsible.
Because I don't know about you, but I do not want to see pictures like these on
TV the next time the wind blows, the rain falls, and the floods rise.
Dr. Greene is an ordained minister of the United Church of Christ and a resident of Richmond, IN. He is also the author of
Benjamin's Dog Joseph, Feeling Better: The Wisdom of the Doc, You Can Feel Better: How to cope with chronic pain and physical disabilities, and co-author of Walking Free: the Nellie Zimmerman Story.
For further information about his books, please visit www.densmorereid.com
To return to the column list, Click Here