I heard a story on local talk radio that intrigued me because it involved New Orleans, which is my home and my other favorite place to live – Maine. I spent about half my childhood in Maine and even went to high school there for a year. A club in a high school in Maine wanted to send some students down to New Orleans to volunteer. A school board member objected, calling New Orleans a war zone. Many NOLA bloggers are up in arms about it, and a New Orleanian responded with a letter to the editor in a Maine newspaper:
New Orleans resident speaks out – Maine Coast NOW – A Courier Publications Information Source
Greetings: Through a colleague, I was led to an article by Stephen Betts in The Courier-Gazette, where he reported on the Rockland school board meeting last Thursday night. In this meeting, board member Jennifer Daniels referred to the city of New Orleans as a war zone.I find it hard that an educated person, especially one serving in an administrative role for educational institutions, could make such an ignorant statement.
New Orleans was hit extremely hard by the failure of the federally designed, constructed, and maintained levees. We have lost much of our population, much of our tax base, much of our infrastructure.
We still have our spirit.
We still have our indomitable will, our pride and our culture.
I raise my three children in New Orleans because I honestly believe it is the best place to raise children. They will be exposed to brass bands, amazing music, hundreds of years of culture, the best food in the world, Mardi Gras Indians, and a racially diverse populace.
We are not, as Ms. Daniels referred to us, a “war zone”.
All those things are undeniably true. And yet… as NOLA blogger C.B. Forgotston poignantly reminds us on an all too regular basis, there have been over 200 murders this year. One of those murders was a relative of L’s. Another memorable murder occurred several blocks from my house.
It’s also true that I travel around the city and don’t worry too much about it. And yet… I was on my way out to take some photos for a client a few hours ago. When I told my husband where I was going, he insisted I bring my gun, and gave me several anecdotes why. And I did.
No, not a war zone. But not safe, either.
How can it be a war zone when NOPD snatched up so many guns owned by the law-abiding citizens in NOLA? (referring to the story about the NRA lawsuit)
Seriously, people in the North have so little real understanding about Southerners. They only know what Hollywood and the MSM tells them.
I have had the pleasure of spending a few weeks in Maine (which I loved) and I actually had people ask me if we wore shoes in my home state. I responded jokingly by saying – Why yes, but only when my
cousinum, husband allows me. They match the overalls perfectly. Nyuk, nyuk. (not married)Perhaps a trip to Iraq would give that board member a real understanding of a war zone.
Yes, I know about that gun grab, there’s even a book about it – unbelievable!!
You’re right, Yankees really don’t get the south – especially the new south – at all. It’s amusing, in a sad way.