Tragedy Overload

Fourth anniversary of 9/11. I'm watching the annual reading of the names on local NBC. Now that I'm in New York, I thought I would go down to the Site and pay my respects.
But something is keeping me at home today.
As I'm watching the coverage from Ground Zero, I'm also reading up on some of the "evacuation" centers established throughout the country. There's one in my hometown outside of Chicago. There's another in Oklahoma, a camp site operated by a coalition of Baptist Churches that has been taken over by FEMA and state police. It's being set up like a penitentary.
So now I'm wondering about the duality of response to these two national disasters - the things they have in common and the horrible differences.

In Common:
- National outpouring of support
- Citizen outcry for answers (How did this happen?)
- Sadly, the racism. Arab-Americans post 9/11 (extended to any brown-skinned person) and now, black Americans. Evac centers are being set up in remote areas or in contained city centers (AstroDome, anyone?). The fear of what people who have been disenfranchised throughout their lives will do once the ultimate failure to protect, defend and serve them happens.

Differences:
- 9/11 took us to war... possibly to assuage the need for revenge against an attack. Katrina in all internal-U.S., so perhaps this isn't a difference after all. Will there be a war on poverty, racism and economic disparity? If so, sign me up.
- 9/11 accelerated a recession already in the works... Oops, again - this may not be a difference after all. Fuel prices were skyrocketing before Katrina. Now, with so many dollars going into the relief effort, there's less disposable income to buy iPods and Gap jeans with, let alone enough to fill our SUVs.
- 9/11 spawned stupid and unConstitutional anti-privacy law under the guise of "protecting" our freedoms and liberties. (The circular logic of this makes my head spin.) This may be the only real difference - Katrina will spawn stupid but perhaps Constitutional law regarding disaster relief. Hey! Let's outsource it to the Red Cross! They seem to know what they're doing.

Let's talk about Freedoms and Liberties for a minute - and what each Citizen of the United States of America is entitled to under our Constitution.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union,
establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence,
promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves
and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United
States of America.

Oh hey! Lookie here:

Article. II. Section. 4.
The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

But my favorite parts of the Constitution are the Amendments - not only because they prove the flexibility of our political system (because our political system is founded on a philosophy of freedom and tolerance, not on a system of royalty or totalitarianism), but because we took the opportunity to keep fixing our nation.

First Amendment
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Yay! Go First Amendment!

I thought it would be interesting to see what Google pulls up on a search for "citizens rights united states" - just to see what we're supposed to expect.

Here's a creepy site: "Why Become a U.S. Citizen?" hosted by our very own U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. #1 Reason: Showing Your Patriotism. (translation: "Paying your taxes.")

Something more in line with my ability to think on a Sunday morning from the Dummies series.

But I'm really looking for is something that says that Citizens can expect protection and security in exchange for pledging allegiance and agreeing to defend the nation in times of war. Well, well, well - lookie here. It takes me to the U.S. Homeland Security home page. And we're back at the beginning it seems. But at least we have the promise in writing:

The Bush Administration developed a comprehensive National Strategy for
Homeland Security, focused on six key areas: intelligence and warning; border
and transportation security; domestic counterterrorism; protecting critical
infrastructure; defending against catastrophic threats; and emergency
preparedness and response.

Everything on this site is about attacks on us - nothing about natural disasters, even though FEMA is under Homeland Security.

Perhaps the intent is to discourage people from getting answers? Well, it's worked. I'm done.

And they are still reading the names of the 9/11 dead on TV. They're up to the L's.