A friend has forwarded some enlightening emails from a police captain in a town in Mississippi. I won’t identify him or the town, just in case. This type of thing lets you know what’s really going on. Two things strike me: Things get accomplished at times like this by people who take action and take no guff; and it pays to keep your sense of humor.
All is going now. I had to drive over to Gulfport yesterday and get the attention of the Head Guy at MEMA, the head of the National Guard and the Head of the Dept. of Health because our mayor has not requested any assistance and we were getting the run around. No Red Cross or MEMA, FEMA for three days while all the attention is on Biloxi and Gulfport. I made my point painfully clear and today we have what we need. When I talked with those guys they informed me that they had not received a request from our mayor. I also brought back 200 meals from Outback Steakhouse for the shelter. Today, I had to get an infant with Trachael Myopia (?) with a trach tube and O2 keeping him alive in that makeshift shelter at the middle school. I got out there this morning and was informed that the OS hospital refused to accept the baby and the mother was having to suck the mucus from the trach tube with her mouth because their machine had broke. I stopped that [expletive] immediately and threw the mother and baby in my car to take them to Mobile Univ. South AL hospital but then got the mother and baby taken to Pascagoula and then to Mobile (allegedly). I had an airship coming in for it, but then the ambulance I asked for showed up and I had to inform their supervisor on their radio that they WERE taking the baby and mother to Pascagoula - Mobile. The whole time we were working on the gurgling baby, he never stopped smiling at us.
Dom, this story of personal initiative made me wonder why, after days of standing in the midst of dehydrating people on that bridge high ground and screaming that they simply needed water and some direction of where to go for the buses, Shephard Smith and his colleagues could not have arranged something through the power of FOX. If HE got there with all the camera equipment, communication equipment, etc. – I’m assuming some truck (s) or something – then why could they not have somehow put up directional signs to where the buses were loading or have a few of their own trucks bring in some bottled water. I DID see one small truckload of water (which he reported on) being brought there by, I think, the Sal Army. Why couldn’t these educated news people with their connections THEMSELVES have taken some initiative and do something on the spot besides cry??
Sure could use George S. Patton down there right now: (Whack) “Mayor, you’re fired – get out! OK, Captain, you’re in charge.”
These pols who didn’t develop a hurricane plan or didn’t follow it because they expected Uncle to do it all for them have no business being at large, let alone in office.
Tracheomalacia is the condition the baby has, google it. I’m amazed that the baby is still hanging in there, it goes to show the incredible urge to live that God gives us.
My daughter has a degree in journalism, she tells me that they are trained to remain outside the story, to just report the story without getting involved. Dom, is this true?
Well, I never took any journalism classes in college. I learned on the job. But my understanding is that it’s true. They are trained to keep their emotions separate, although I don’t necessarily think that’s the best thing. We’re human beings, we have emotions, and some of the best reporting has been done when the reporter has gotten involved.
the question shouldn’t be emotional involvement, but lack of objectivity and bias.