Dear friends:Please allow me some musings about New Orleans, which, marvel of marvels, after several months has miraculously almost succeeded in driving Aruba and Natalie's mom from the almost wall-to-wall coverage on the 24/7 news channels.
WHY ARE SOME THINGS SO PREDICTABLE? I could have told you:
1. Monday morning quarterbacks and second guessers with 20/20 hindsight are critical of everything about the local and national response to the tragedy. No doubt, mistakes were made because humans were involved, but if under similar pressure and circumstances, all those "experts" would have done it no better, and maybe worse.
2. The radical left is using Katrina to attack the President. So what else is new?
3. The usual professional racists (who make their living at it) are using Katrina to charge "racism" against the President and everyone else. So what else is new?
4. A leading Muslim cleric in the Middle East is claiming that Katrina is "Allah's judgment against America." So what else is new?
5. In strange agreement, many evangelicals are also claiming that Katrina is God's judgement against America because of (1) our pressure against Israel to give up God-given land, and/or (2) our national sins.
6. Many evangelicals are also claiming that God singled out New Orleans to punish because of its rampant voodoo and decadence. However, I don't think New Orleans has the market cornered on sin. A few other places would qualify. (Hello, San Fransicko. You may be next!)
The poor devil just doesn't get credit for anything any more. But the last time I checked, he is the one with the job description to steal, kill and destroy.
Yes, I know, theologically God may have "lifted His hand of protection" and "allowed" it. And I am not saying 4 and 5 above are not without truth. But I am cautious about such conclusions in our fallen world in which Satan is the god, the Bible says.
NEW ORLEANS INFORMATION
I thought you might enjoy some interesting information about this interesting city. The last time I was there was in 1981 when as a high school graduation present, I took my youngest son, Scott, to the NCAA Final Four college basketball tournament at the Superdome and he got to see his favorite team, the North Carolina Tarheels, beat Georgetown for the national championship. For icing on the cake, he got to see a young, unknown freshman named Michael Jordan make what would be the winning jump shot at the end. With only seconds remaining, Georgetown was bringing the ball back up the floor and could have won. I prayed for God to bless Scott for his graduation present and allow NC to win. No sooner than I prayed those words, a sports miracle happened. The Georgetown player with the ball suddenly passed it directly to a NC player, mistaking him for a teammate. This was a disastrous mental breakdown you rarely see in sports. I knew it was an answer to prayer. Scott also got food poising from a catfish sandwich, so we left with a bad taste in our mouths about Bourbon Street. Yet the sports event was wonderful and Scott and I still remember it with great fondness.
GEOGRAPHY. New Orleans is a city in southern Louisiana, located on the Mississippi River. Most of the city is situated on the east bank, between the river and Lake Pontchartrain to the north. Because it was built on a great turn of the river, it is known as the Crescent City. New Orleans, with a population of 496,938 (1990 census), is the largest city in Louisiana and one of the principal cities of the South. It was established on the high ground nearest the mouth of the Mississippi, which is 177 km (110 mi) downstream. Elevations range from 3.65 m (12 ft) above sea level to 2 m (6.5 ft) below; as a result, an ingenious system of water pumps, drainage canals, and levees has been built to protect the city from flooding (yeah, right). The city covers a land area of 518 sq km (200 sq mi). New Orleans experiences mild winters and hot, humid summers. Temperatures in January average 13 deg C (55 deg F), and in July they average 28 deg C (82 deg F). Annual rainfall is 1,448 mm (57 in).
HISTORY. Some say the problem with New Orleans is its French origin. The city was founded in 1718 by Jean Baptiste Le Moyne, sieur de Bienville, and named for the regent of France, Philippe II, duc d'Orleans. It remained a French colony until 1763, when it was transferred to the Spanish. In 1800, Spain ceded it back to France; in 1803, New Orleans, along with the entire Louisiana Purchase, was sold by Napoleon I to the United States. It was the site of the Battle of New Orleans (1815) in the War of 1812. During the Civil War the city was besieged by Union ships under Adm. David Farragut; it fell on Apr. 25, 1862.
POPULATION. The population of New Orleans, including Anglos, French, Blacks, Italians, Irish,Spanish, and Cubans, reflects its cosmopolitan past. The CAJUNS, or Acadians, are descendants of French emigres expelled from Nova Scotia (or Acadia) during the 18th century. They speak their own French dialect. The port is one of the world's largest and ranks first in the United States in tonnage handled. Major exports are petroleum products, grain, cotton, paper, machinery, and iron and steel. The city's economy is dominated by the petrochemical, aluminum, and food processing industries and by tourism. I love to listen to the fascinating Cajun accent. A few years ago there was a popular Cajun comedian but I cannot remember his name.
OTHER. The most important annual tourist event is MARDI GRAS, which is celebrated for a week before the start of Lent. (Naturally, the official literature does not mention the decadence and demonic aspects associated with Mardi Gras.) The Superdome, an enclosed sports stadium, attracts major sporting events and is an element in achieving the city's position as a leading convention center. One of the legacies of the six-month-long 1984 World's Fair, held in New Orleans, is a new convention center. New Orleans is noted for its fine restaurants, for its Dixieland jazz, and for its numerous cultural and educational facilities. TULANE (1829), Dillard (1869), and Loyola (1849) universities are major institutions of higher learning. The French Quarter, or Vieux Carre (French for "old square"), is the site of the original city and contains many of the historic and architecturally significant buildings for which New Orleans is famous.
From http://gatewayno.com/history/new_orleans.html
MUSIC. To listen to many pieces of extraordinary, historic New Orleans music, jazz and Dixieland, going back to 1917, go to http://www.stphilipneri.org/teacher/pontchartrain/section.php?id=145. This is fascinating and a real treasure.
Jim