Enough of the Storm-tainment

I've been periodically watching the news out of New Orleans and the other southern states and, like everyone else, I've been horrified by the physical and emotional devastation. I can't believe those images are from the same city I visited in Spring, 2003 to attend the Popular Culture/American Culture association convention. I had such a good time in the Crescent City and became so enamored with its beautiful parks, historic streets, and welcoming, laid-back citizens.

Although many people resist politicized the official response to the crisis, I can't help but wring my hands in frustration as the Bush administration commits another heinous crime, one that, once again, is hitting citizens who can least afford it. I've been disgusted by the slow arrival of supplies and rescue crews and I can't help but believe that the critics are right: the predominantly poor, black people of New Orleans are just too far down on the Bush administration's list of priorities to warrant the kind of immediate, no-holds-barred action that such a crisis warranted. I firmly believe the response would have come more quickly, that hundreds of people would not still be stranded in their homes, had the victims been middle- or upper-class and/or white.

I've done what little I can financially by making meager donations to the Red Cross (actually, a food-card purchasing program that will provide food for the shelters but I suspect it was being managed by the Red Cross) and other organizations, including an HIV/AIDS service organization and the SPCA, though I wish I could actually provide more concrete, substantial assistance. Watching the news just makes me sad, frustrated, and horrified. And I also feel like I'm only fueling the networks' tendency to treat the latest tragedy as just another spectacle that has the added benefit of drawing more viewers to the television. As a result, I finally decided to pull the plug on the storm-tainment after waking up with nightmarish images in my head for the fifth night in a row.

This afternoon, I tried to clear me head a bit by taking a long run along the Erie Canal tow path. I started at the Scotsville Road entrance and ran to the Winton Road crossing before returning home. I'm sure that means nothing to anyone outside of Rochester, NY but it made for a distance of about 13 miles, including the distance from my house to the canal path. It took me almost two hours to complete it, but it felt completely pleasurable, even up to the last few steps. The weather was ideal, with clear, dry temperatures around 75, and I found myself really zoning out and "meditating" in a way that only running allows me to do. I also felt tremendously lucky to be able to return to my safe home full of running water, electricity and plenty of food.