Yesterday, I heard yet another story about Hurricane Katrina refugees. This one, though, was a little different than the ones like this one.
It seems that folks were having a hard time finding places to put up one group of 25 refugees. They looked around, asked around, and there really seemed nowhere they could go. Finally, one place stepped forward and offered them shelter: a prison. More specifically, Pocahontas Correctional Unit, a women’s prison in Chesterfield, VA.
The refugees had no say in the matter, so that’s where they went. And now they’re behind bars indefinitely, never having committed any crime that we know of.
But so far, both the refugees and the prisoners seem quite happy with the situation…
You woke up seeing double, right, Jay?
It was de ja vu all over again!
And you expected anything different because why?
This doesn’t surprise me in the least. Shame on them. Behavior doesn’t change just because the surroundings do. They could care less.
Pity.
Debra, you really, REALLY need to read the story I linked to… trust me.
J.
Cute story. Glad the kittens found a home. If I could,though, I would like to voice a real concern I have. It seems there is a trend of painting all of the Hurricane Katrina refugees as low life. I live in the New Orleans area. People are doing a heroic job trying their best to get the region going again . It is a monumental job in a depressing environment. (Dead vegetation, dried caked dirt, mold, smelly garbage) Now even our Saints are stomping on our souls trying to move to a new city. So when you read those stories about the abuse of charity, remember that those are the hustlers that exist in any city. They do not represent the hundred of thousand good citizens that are fighting to keep a city and a culture they love alive.
The refugees in the second story you linked to will most definately be more appreciative, more loving and more welcome than the ones in the first story.
Plus, they can take care of any rodent or bug infestation, keep your lap warm, and provide a wonderful purr for you to fall asleep to.
Thanks, Jay.
DoctorJ: I’m very sure that the majority of the people who were hit by hurricanes are good people; people who are dealing with horrific conditions every single day. I don’t know that I could do it.
Unfortunately, the news focuses on the ones that are the “squeaky wheels”; the so-called bad element. The MSM holds the reins of the news so tightly, and won’t broadcast the stories of the good people, but provide plenty of coverage of the people unwilling to help themselves, who sit and complain that the government isn’t helping them fast enough.
I keep telling myself that the donation I made to help has gone to a person who has pulled themselves up by their bootstraps, and is taking steps back to life as they knew it before the hurricane, not to someone who went out for a big bottle of spirits and a lap dance.
Margo,
I understand how you feel because I would be P.O.ed if I had made a donation and saw it being abused like the first above story. I assure you though that your donation is being put to good use. Last weekend I got to visit my 80 year old mom on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. They are being supported by an aid station (amid the rubble and debris os their former lives) run by churches and the Salvation Army. They also have hot meal stations available run by the Red Cross. The National Guard from all over the U.S. is supplying security. The same I am sure is true of St. Bernard and Plaquamines (sp?) Parishes that have NO housing left. I wish people could see these stories so Americans realize that their money has gone to the cause for which it was donated. Let me thank you personally for your support of my family members and others that are doing the best they can do in a very bad situation.
Based on the behavior of a few select New Orleansers down here in Houston, I’d consider it a pre-emptive strike saving an innocent the hassle of getting robbed, attacked, or raped.
Gee Laurence, you mean sending kitties to prison protects them from rape, robbery and violence. NOLA must have been a rougher place than I thought…
Hmmm, is “Camp Edwards” (from the Boston Herald story) a euphemism for Ted (Edward) Kennedy’s house. If so, I’m happy that he has shown some compassion (unlike a certain night in 1969), but can he please refrain from teaching them his bad habits.
Sorry Jay..I can’t open the 2nd link so I obviously missed something. My comments were directed at the “booze adn stripper” story.
I guess when you view Wiz from work you have to take what you can get. I was able to open the first link..not the end one.