Just got home from working 6 hours helping clean up Bush's mess

Gman

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Sun Sep-04-05 10:48 PM
Original message

Just got home from working 6 hours helping clean up Bush's mess

Edited on Sun Sep-04-05 10:53 PM by Gman

My wife and I just got home from Kelly USA in San Antonio where the first wave of evacuees here are being housed. I worked at the dock where people were coming in and dropping off clothes, bedding, toys and just about everything you can imagine. My wife and daughter worked sorting clothes into stacks of men's, women's and kid's clothes. From there the clothes were boxed, wrapped in shrink wrap on pallets and then hauled down to be distributed to the refugees.

Later I helped load an 18 wheeler up with full pallets and then we took it about a quarter mile down (under the same roof) where we unloaded the truck with the help of some young Air Force recruits that had just finished basic training yesterday. We then hauled the pallets down to where they were being distributed to the evacuees.

The routine was that people were supposed to get what they need from the distribution point. However, as I hauled a pallet of bedding (sheets, bedspreads, blankets) a small girl walked up and wanted the Pokeman blanket on the stack. I looked around then said, "fine, take it and go!" At that point all the other evacuees started taking things off the stack. I looked around at the Texas DPS troopers and we both just shrugged our shoulders and started laughing like, what are we gonna do? Say no?

Earlier, I had reluctantly taken our daughter home after a few hours as she was doing the "I'm tired" thing. It was very hot in that warehouse and we were all soaking wet. But, before my wife and I left for the evening, I took my wife down to walk through where the evacuees were being housed and she broke down in tears. We walked through and looked at the faces. We looked at the vacant eyes. These people are in shock. Everyone is so very tired. Most seem to be just trying to get their strength back. They have nothing except what's there around their cot. But, I think very importantly, the air conditioning in there was on full blast so they were finally not only dry, but they were also cool.

My wife and I are both very talkative and we wanted to just talk to some of these people. However, we respected their privacy and just smiled and offered help where we saw some one that needed assistance. But we noticed that no one really wants to talk. These people are physically and emotionally exhausted. Everyone wants to finally just rest and get their strength back.

I am proud of the response of the people in San Antonio in how they just kept coming and coming bringing carload after truckload and even an 18 wheeler load of necessities. However there was, and still is, a big need for more volunteers to sort that stuff, load the stuff, distribute it, care for these people and lots of other things in between.

And as far as my daughter goes, we will take her back out there tomorrow, work some more, then walk her through where the people are staying just to let her see first hand just how lucky she really is.

I have been absolutely livid since Tuesday with Bush and the rest of his crowd and their complete lack of caring about what is happening to not only these people, but the entire country. I'm even madder now that I hear the wingers trying to shift blame to Nagin and Blanco. And, I'm even madder that I had to spend the better part of an afternoon and evening cleaning up Bush's mess because he has let this great country deteriorate to this point. Just how many more people will die because Bush stole two elections in a right wing revolution?