KATRINA 

Beloved Partners and Friends

 

The horrible events that have hit the USA in the past three weeks have truly exposed where people are standing and have acted as a huge barometer for the entire nation.  Many things have come to light and many more will.  In the midst of this enormous disaster and tragedy, the world has stood back aghast and helpless and that is pretty much how we in Africa have felt:  helpless in the face of the mighty giant of nations being unable to cope with a natural disaster of gargantuan proportions.   And yet, we are not helpless for we have a power beyond what anyone can imagine.  Tragically, this power is no longer recognized even by the Church and is even less practiced.  The POWER OF PRAYER is above and beyond anything imaginable.  I have watched in helpless agony as events have unfolded and yet, no leader, SPIRITUAL or SECULAR has called the nation to pray.  I agonize and weep in both frustration and heartache to watch the senseless, needless loss of life and possession all for the fact that people at large will not pray.

 

Our hearts reach out from Africa to you all - not only to those who have lost relatives and friends but to all of USA.  We are moved at your plight and can only offer up cries to the FATHER of LIGHTS who will move as our pleas touch His heart.  What will it take to move a nation?  Oh what will it take to set a people back on course with the Lord?  I am not offering any stock answers for the disaster.  It was the BIG ONE but it is also a wake up call not only to USA but to the world.  The earth is already reeling like a drunken man.  In the light of the Tsunami, the whole earth has gone crazy:  droughts, floods, disasters in every nation is the long term consequences of the Tsunami that rocked the earth.  Personally, I cannot say that this was the specific judgment of the Lord on New Orleans or any of the States that are now declared DISASTER zones.  There are many fine Christians in all of those States – fine African American Christians and fine white Christians.  Some have died, doubtless, whilst many have escaped.  Yes, I most certainly believe in the judging power of Almighty God but Katrina was not His judgment.  It was a natural disaster. BUT, if God's people had truly prayed, the Lord would have re-routed that hurricane.  I have no doubt that we will hear the most amazing testimonies of how people were delivered by the mercy of God even as  at 9/11 but let us prevail upon our pastors and leaders to call the nation to prayer.

 

This is not a time for recrimination.  I watched in horror the news interviewing some of the actors and actresses at a film festival as they vent anger and venom upon President Bush.  There they were, far away in Europe in all their glamour and luxury protected by their millions in bank accounts... Silly, silly, silly. The nation needs love, healing and unity at this time.  We offer that to you, Beloved Partners and friends, from Shekinah/Kalibu Ministries.  From far away Africa, from United Kingdom and from Finland and Europe where we have our works and workers, we offer you our love and support, our unity and COMPASSION and we pray for you all - for those who have lost and for the entire nation that has lost.

 

My own personal cry is, "Lord stir again, the nation that once had YOU as their God and has lost the way. Use this disaster to turn many and make America conscious of their need for You.  Begin with the least. Pour out your blessed Holy Spirit again to melt hearts and warm lives to be set on fire for you.  Forgive the Church, oh Lord, in their failure to lead your people to the fountain of LIVING WATER so that they may truly eat and drink of your bounty."

 

May the Church rise up and lead in this hour.  I know many are doing much but there needs to go forth a cry; a united cry of repentance and plea for mercy and love.  I have been a homeless refugee with NOTHING but a small suitcase.  It IS HORRIBLE.  Please reach out to the Lord in prayer for everyone who has lost loved ones and all their possession and ask the Lord to fill the void and make the difference. He will.  You may never know and will never see the power your prayer will have, but power it most certainly will have.  You can touch a life today as you stop and ask the Lord to healing the hurting, soften the bitter, and flood the hopeless with love.

 

We love and honour you as Americans and as those who have done so much to support us and the nations of Africa and the world.  Receive our love and support and the best that we can offer - a cry of help to the Lord who surely hears us and answers us.  This is not only about those directly affected but the entire nation./SPAN>

 

Truly, the Lord bless you and God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ bless America.  We love you, we thank you, and we stand with you.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Since 1900, the U.S. Gulf Coast has been hit with 17 Class 4 hurricanes (Galveston was demolished by one in 1900).  One Class 5 monster, Hurricane Camille in 1969, came within a hundred miles of New Orleans.  The people of Louisiana have known for over 100 years they needed to have (at least) Class 4 hurricane protection for New Orleans.  The $2.5 billion (in today’s dollars) that was needed, with congressional barons from Louisiana like F. Edward Herbert and John Breaux, could have come mostly from the Federal government, but nothing was done.  Even the “Class 3” protection they supposedly had failed.  Engineers were astonished to see that, instead of the feared Class 4 wave surge pouring over the top of the levees, the levees broke a day after the hurricane left, indicating improper construction or maintenance. 

The Louisiana Governor, Kathleen Blanco, admitted in a Sunday morning press conference that President Bush called her on Saturday to plead with her to issue a state of emergency for Louisiana and a mandatory evacuation of New Orleans. A year ago when Hurricane Ivan barely missed the city of New Orleans, both the Governor and city planners took heavy criticism for the inconvenience they caused their population when hurricane Ivan didn't hit their city. When Bush called on Saturday to ask what the heck was going on, the governor finally issued a state of emergency proclamation because she now had her scapegoat should Katrina not hit the city.

Every state governor has a National Guard at their disposal, not to mention all the State Police and law enforcement agencies at their call. Louisiana still retained 66% of their National Guard for a crisis just like this. After the state of emergency declared by the president on Saturday, the governor not only has the power to request federal resources, she can request the National Guard from surrounding states. She did neither before this storm, nor did she order a mandatory evacuation.

But what makes matters worse is Blanco failed to use her own National Guard for the purposes of law enforcement. This was a political decision because she did not want to be the person giving orders that might result in the shooting of "poor, black people."   Instead, the Attorney General of Louisiana justified the looting. On Tuesday, while water was pouring into New Orleans (and over hundreds of idle school buses that could have been used for evacuation the Monday after the hurricane left), the Mayor insisted everything was under control.  On Wednesday, after shooting and looting broke out all over the city, the Mayor was screaming for Federal help.  Bush should have been ready at that moment to send in Federal troops.  But I can understand his hesitation.  Even then, if somehow the local and state authorities got things under control before the Federal troops arrived, he would have blamed for “political grandstanding”.

The moral of the story is never trust a politician with a life and death decision.  Like the need for better hurricane protection in New Orleans, it’s obvious something catastrophic is going to happen to our government finances if something isn’t done now about out of control spending, Social Security, government agencies like Fannie Mae or our huge trade deficit.  But here’s the dirty little secret of government---it loves to create problems it can “solve”. The voters will probably get rid of Blanco and Mayor Nagin, but the Louisiana political establishment will cash in more on the hundreds of billions spent on reconstruction than they would have if things had stayed the same.  Something to think about the next time a politician promises a new program to  “solve” some problem the government created in the first place.

GN Illinois

SOME INTERESTING FACTS

Every year for a week over Labor Day weekend New Orleans celebrates “Southern Decadence.”  This parade has been taking place since the mid 70’s and has now grown to over 100,000 people who are allowed to parade with permission to "commit lewd acts in public."  The following are details of the parade and the economic impact they have brought to the city and this is in addition to the monies generated by Mardi Gras and other such parades.  Why weren’t some of these finances used to update outdated pumps and levees and anything else required to make the city safer in the face of a natural disaster?  Why has Holland managed to install various equipment to keep their “below sea level” lands free from North Atlantic storms?

Details of Southern Decadence since 2000.

2000's Grand Marshals Tony Langlinais & Thom "Smurf" Murphy chose Grand Marshals XXIX Bianca Del Rio, Pat "Estelle" Ritter & "Big" Rick Thomas July 7, 2001. 2001 is history: Theme - "Menage a trois"; Colors - Purple, Pink & Red; Song - Lady Marmelade; Revelers - 100,000; Economic Impact - $80 million.

2001's Grand Marshals Bianca Del Rio, Pat "Estelle" Ritter & "Big" Rick Thomas chose Grand Marshal XXX "Irish" Mike Sheehan July 20, 2002. 2002 is history: Theme - "Fairy Tails"; Colors - Any & All; Song - Remix of "Over the Rainbow" into "Never Ending Story"; Revelers - 110,000; Economic Impact - $88 million.

2002's Grand Marshal "Irish" Mike Sheehan chose Grand Marshal XXXI Rusty LaRoux July 19, 2003. 2003 is history: Theme - "Carnaval Decadence"; Colors - Vibrant Colors of the Rainbow; Song - La Vida est Un carnaval by the late Queen of Salsa ~ Celia Cruz; Revelers - 121,000; Economic Impact - $96 million.

2003's Grand Marshal Rusty LaRoux chose Grand Marshal XXXII Donald "Donnie 'Jager' Jay" James  July 18, 2004. Theme DAYDREAMS & FANTASIES: Welcome To My Harem; Colors - Electric Blue, Silver & Black; Song - Welcome To My Harem by Sara Brightman Dance Mix; Revelers - 125,000; Economic Impact - $100 Million.

 

City of New Orleans Welcomes
Southern Decadence Visitors
 

Due to the significance of Southern Decadence's importance to the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, and the millions of dollars in economic impact, the past three Mayors of the City of New Orleans have issued an official proclamation welcoming visitors to Southern Decadence, including Sidney Barthelomew, Marc H. Morial and C. Ray Nagin. All three mayors' proclamations appeared first and exclusively in Ambush Mag , Official Southern Decadence Guide. The last two mayors' proclamations also appeared first and exclusively on-line at SouthernDecadence.COM, the original and only Official Website of Southern Decadence. Additionally, in 2000, the New Orleans City Council issued the first proclamation recognizing the Official Southern Decadence Grand Marshals that year.

 

If this was God’s judgment on New Orleans why is it that the French Quarter is the least damaged area of all of New Orleans when it is here that all of these parades take place?