[StBernard] To Wendy

[Westley Annis]

Wendy,

Will try to reply to each of the issues you brought up.

1) Animals humping.  Humans love to anthropomorphize things, especially
animals, and think they behave the same as we would.  I think the primary
reason animals do not "hump" as much as humans is they have to spend a lot
more of their time on survival.  They can't go to the corner grocery store
for food and water like we can.  They have to find their own housing.  And
remember, the animal kingdom is just as violent, if not more so, than the
human world.

2) Yes, religion has been the foundation of many wars.  But, at its deepest,
I think it was people using religion as an excuse.  By the way, when you
have time, go read this series by David Plotz, "Blogging the Bible".  An
excellent read on the Jewish Bible.
<http://www.slate.com/id/2150150/>

3) Pay scales.  So you only complain about pay scale when you know there is
a difference?  What should it matter what other people make?  Oh, it's that
ego thing you were talking about with religion and wars.  If you agree to a
salary that you think is fair for you, what should it matter to you what
other people are making?

I know what my worth is.  When I was interviewed for a job way back when,
they asked me what kind of salary I needed and I gave them an answer.  I
started out making more money than anyone else simply because I wasn't
afraid to ask for what I needed.

4) Government Aid.  Yes, I along with many others here, have signed up for
government aid after Katrina.  I have paid taxes for years paying into the
pots this aid is coming from and will be repaying it back for many more
years.  If the government is going to offer aid that will get me over a
temporary setback, yes I will take it.

As for the LRA and the Road Home, I'm sorry if I buy the Donald Powell
argument and not the Blanco/Kopplin/Leger argument.  St. Bernard flooded
because of a failure of government, not because of mother nature.

Because of government policies, I did not have flood insurance.  By dint of
being in a non-flood zone, I couldn't convince the mortgage company to
escrow my flood insurance along with my homeowners insurance (thanks, I am
sure to some yankee bean counter) which meant I had to come up with the
flood premium on an annual basis.

Unfortunately, my business, along with a lot of others, tanked after 9/11
and it took three - four years for me to recover.  I could no longer afford
to pay the annual premium when it came due and had to let it lapse.  I still
had not recovered enough to renew the policy before Katrina blew through.

Thankfully now, I am my own escrow agent, and with the advances in banking
technology, I am better able to handle this on my own and will always be
over insured for homeowners and flood.

5) Morality.  " Love thy neighbor... and Do unto others"  Simple words, that
are based on a God-fearing religion.

Charles Templeton, a side-kick once to Billy Graham and one of the foremost
atheists around had this to say about Jesus, fifty years after he had turned
atheist:

"He was the greatest human being who has ever lived.  He was a moral genius.
His ethical sense was unique. He was the intrinsically wisest person that
I've ever encountered in my life or in my readings.  His commitment was
total and led to his own death, much to the detriment of the world.  What
could one say about him except that this was a form of greatness."

"I adore him."

"Just look at Jesus.  He castigated people.  He was angry.  People don't
think of him that way, but they don't read the Bible.  He had a righteous
anger.  He cared for the oppressed and exploited.  There's no question that
he had the highest moral standard, the least duplicity, the greatest
compassion, of any human being in history."

Without religion, most people would have no moral compass to live by, they
would be able to live their lives as the liberal elite do:  "Live as I say,
not as I do".

6) Jobs.  The simple fact is that there are good bosses and bad bosses.
Some pay to the qualifications of the job and applicant, some don't.  Some
have the compassion to let people off to tend to needs, such as Katrina,
some don't.  Some are just hamstrung by the corporate policy makers who only
see numbers and don't see people.

It is a way of life and everyone has to tend to it the best they can.  

As I said before, I work for myself because I value flexibility over a
paycheck.  Believe me, I was tempted quite a bit to throw in the towel and
get a steady paycheck after 9/11, but never found the right opportunity so I
just kept chugging along.

I do know people who were able to find jobs that offered them the
flexibility to return to St. Bernard as needed after Katrina.  So their
view, is different than both yours and mine.

Westley