To Warren, John, and All,
I know this was probably a private message not meant for the list and I
also know that the disaster in New Orleans is not exactly a H-VA-Hist
subject but feel the need to vent.
I have wondered why not even the NY Times has focused on the delta
parishes in Louisiana, St Bernard and Plaquemines (actually the NYT finally
did an article on St. Bernard Parish). They were hit harder even than New
Orleans as Katrina passed right over them. I talked to a young historian,
born and bred in Plaquemines, who went back several times to help her
parents. She was devastated by the destruction there. She said that save
for her parents' home NOTHING was left standing in Plaquemines and there
were no services; water, electricity, health, etc.
Roughly 55,000 people lived in the two parishes. The NYT did report
that when people escaping the destruction in Plaquemines made it to New
Orleans the Thursday after Katrina, they felt saved. They didn't look on
the terrible destruction in New Orleans as dismaying because the conditions
for survival were so much better in the city than in the rural parish they
had escaped.
Warren's notifying us of this new storm to hit the area reminds us of
how vulnerable the conditions of life are for the entire west Gulf area.
While hurricanes are not predictable it is inevitable that a string of
strong storms will hit the west Gulf region and will further damage
infrastructure there.
Forget partisanship for a minute (I am a Democrat and proud of it) but
why has the civil service of the United States--the nonpartisan bulk of the
national bureaucracy--bungled this disaster so badly? Over a million
people's very lives were and are at risk.
A great city has been humbled by nature in what is certainly the greatest
natural disaster in American history.
I don't know what the answers are but I certainly have the question: if
American citizens are suffering from neglect and in harm's way through no
fault of their own, and this has been known for quite some time by our
national government, and little is being done to protect and ressurrect the
lives of my fellow citizens, what the hell am I paying taxes for?
Harold S. Forsythe
----- Original Message -----
From: "Warren M. Billings" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Thursday, February 02, 2006 10:58 AM
Subject: Re: Lance Banning
> Jon,
>
> Sad news, but not unexpected. I knew from one of my former students who is
> in the PhD program there that he had cancer and not much time to live. As
> I remember, we only met once or twice, but we corresponded often during
> the period when I was trying to place my student. He seemed a decent sort.
> Fine scholar as well.
>
> I got back to NO midafternoon yesterday. We had a terrific storm here last
> night. Evidently there was some tornadic like damage over in West
> Lakeshore. Roofs blown off, trees down, that sort of thing. There was no
> power at our house when I left for Solomon Place to do a bit of
> babysitting. Mother Nature sure has it in for us!
>
> Warren
>>
>> From: Jon Kukla <[log in to unmask]>
>> Date: 2006/02/02 Thu AM 10:48:55 EST
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Lance Banning
>>
>> History News Network posted this from Kentucky newspapers. Among other
>> things, Professor Banning was a distinguished interpreter of James
>> Madison.
>>
>>
>> "A University of Kentucky history professor and author has died. Lance
>> Banning was nationally known as an expert on the period of American
>> history from the American Revolution to the U-S Constitution.
>>
>> Banning died yesterday {Feb 1} at U-K Hospital in Lexington. He was 64.
>>
>> Banning was a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his book "The Sacred Fire of
>> Liberty: James Madison and the Founding of the Federal Republic." He also
>> wrote a book about the conflict between the early political parties.
>>
>> U-K history department chairman Dan Smith says Banning was a dedicated
>> teacher. Banning had taught history at U-K since 1973."
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Dr. Jon Kukla, Executive Vice-President
>> Red Hill - The Patrick Henry National Memorial
>> 1250 Red Hill Road
>> Brookneal, Virginia 24528
>> www.redhill.org
>> Phone 434-376-2044 or 800-514-7463
>>
>> Fax 434-376-2647
>>
>> - M. Lynn Davis, Office Manager
>> - Karen Gorham-Smith, Associate Curator
>> - Edith Poindexter, Curator
>>
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>>
>
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