I had to think very carefully before I posted this. I did not want to over react or pull something out of context. I'm no mental health expert but I would suggest that someone who is, make an appointment with the Mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin.
Mayor Ray Nagin suggested that Hurricanes Katrina and Rita and other storms were a sign that "God is mad at America" and at black communities, too, for tearing themselves apart with violence and political infighting. Has he been watching re-runs of the 700 club?
"Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country," Nagin said as he and other city leaders marked Martin Luther King Day.
"Surely he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses. But surely he is upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves."
Let's not try to guess if God is mad at America. We are the most blessed nation in history. Hurricanes, floods, fires, earthquakes, tsunami's and other disasters happen. They will happen if we are at not war or not.
Nagin also promised that New Orleans will be a "chocolate" city again. What? Can you imagine if a white Mayor said a city would be "Vanilla"? This was a storm Mr. Mayor, not an indictment of race.
"It's time for us to come together. It's time for us to rebuild New Orleans _ the one that should be a chocolate New Orleans," the mayor said. "This city will be a majority African American city. It's the way God wants it to be. You can't have New Orleans no other way. It wouldn't be New Orleans."
Bad English aside, the Mayor does not have the right to dictate who does and does not choose to live in the city. That sir is racism.
Nagin described an imaginary conversation with King, the late civil rights leader.
"I said, `What is it going to take for us to move on and live your dream and make it a reality?' He said, `I don't think that we need to pay attention any more as much about other folks and racists on the other side.' He said, `The thing we need to focus on as a community _ black folks I'm talking about _ is ourselves.'"
Nagin said he also asked: "Why is black-on-black crime such an issue? Why do our young men hate each other so much that they look their brother in the face and they will take a gun and kill him in cold blood?"
Now I can go with him on that one. The problem is we now have a whole generation of kids who have kids. People who don't know what it means to work hard and earn something. People who never had parent who taught them right from wrong. The government has handed them what others have earned in the form of food stamps, housing and "cash assistance". Why are we so surprised when they go out and take what they want? I'm not just talking blacks either. This is not exclusive to any one race.
The reply, Nagin said, was: "We as a people need to fix ourselves first." Nagin also said King would have been dismayed with black leaders who are "most of the time tearing each other down publicly for the delight of many."
You mean like a Mayor who makes irresponsible comments about American racism and social injustice?
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