Letter: Use lessons to change policies

Friday, Sept. 9, 2005 | 10:03 a.m.

America can turn the events in the wake of Hurricane Katrina into a learning exercise. Much of the commentary has noted how most of the hurricane victims are poor and black. The rightward drift of America has blamed the poor for their plight, forgetting that most of the poor are children and their mothers. New Orleans residents were warned to evacuate, but many could not, because they were children whose parents had no personal transportation. Before Katrina, this fact would not have bothered the Bush administration, or the Christian right, who ignore Christ's command to give what we have to the poor if we are to follow Him.

Now we, as a country, have been caught with our hypocrisy showing. Where were the troops who should have helped the flood victims? They are fighting in Iraq, because (well, let's face it, we don't know). Where is the money that should have helped the flood victims? It went to tax cuts for the rich. What happened to FEMA? It's part of the Homeland Security Department.

It took World War II and the devastation of the world to save Germany, Italy and Japan from fascism. How fortunate we will be if, because of the lessons learned from Katrina, we can stop our slide into fascism.

THOMAS CARROLL