THE LOST SOULS AND THE SOULESS THAT REMAIN IN POWER

****[ It is now almost the One Year Anniverary of KATRINA and over the next two weeks I am going to post some Anniversay Posts regarding KATRINA, because while we have Criminals in the White House that let People Die, we need to Honor What was Lost Last August. This is Followup to the Story of Ethel Freeman- the lady that died sitting in front of the Convention Center, she died waiting for Aid, food , water, and shelter. Her son was forced by the Authorities to leave her, and it took monthes for him to find her. I originally posted this in November 16th,2005 and then again February 11,2006. This week her son filed Suits against the Federal Government. This is the Story of Ethel and her son , Junior. ]*****

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IN HONOR OF MS. ETHEL FREEMAN WHO DIED ON SEPTEMBER 1ST DURING THE KATRINA DISASTER.
( This piece is to also honor the other Lost Souls of the Disaster that are gone, but not forgotten)

*** This Piece was originally posted on November 16th,2005. I am Reposting it since I am honoring Women this week.
and Since Brownie appreared before the Katrina Hearings, and maybe some people need to remember ALL that was lost.
And yes, this post is about the Woman who died sitting in her Wheelchair by the Convention Center and was seen by millions.

Ethel Freeman was finally laid to rest this week,Today. It is now seven weeks since Katrina struck the Gulf Coast. She was a strong woman with a frail body , she survived the Hurricane with the aid of her capable son, but she did not survive the Abandonment of the Aftermath. She was a fine woman and mother of Herbert Jr. "Junior" was known for taking beautiful care of his mother with love and attention to details. Matter of fact he had taken care of her for many years. She lost her Herbert Senior in 1976, so he has been the man of the house for many years. She was a grandmother and a great-grandmother. She had lived in New Orleans for many years, many of her neighbors knew her for 30-49 years. She was a humble quiet woman that was a part of the neighborhood in an gentle unassuming way. She worked for many years at the Tulane Medical Center, so she definently understood the importance of people recieving good medical care. In 2000 she broke her hip and within monthes her health slipped rapidly with heart problems that needed correction with a pacemaker,and also a feeding tube for her nutritional and hydration needs.

Katrina barreled into New Orleans and people battled it out at the Superdome, on roofs and in the Streets. They took care of their granbabies and their granmommies. We should hold these people with the greatest respect and admiration , and as I posted earlier in October there are STILL more than 12,000 MISSING OR DEAD ADULTS AND 2661 CHILDREN. ( please see post dated 10-10-05, and it lists PDF that is issued by the government). The Government' Silence and Lies is not honoring of these dead families.

Junior rode out the storm, the worst storm in America's History with his mother. And then the flood waters rose, and after 30 hours he and his mother were rescued by boat and taken to the streets leading to the overpass. Junior pushed her in her black wheelchair to the overpass, through streets of flood slime and garbage and rising fetid waters to the Convention Center as they had been instructed by local officials. He pushed her there consoling her and telling her that there would be medical people to help take care of her and help rescue her and take her to safety. He pushed her with care as she was 91 years old and fragile. He worried about the effects of the stress and heat on her already weakened heart. And they arrived at the Convention Center to find 1000s of people languishing in the Heat with no food and no water, and no rescue imminent. They waited together there for FOUR days. He thought that she would be rescued first and instead he was ORDERED on a bus to places unknown. There was never any medical care at the Convention Center, never any food or water, or any one offering Comfort or Answers.

And he knew that Thursday morning that she was alone and frail, and that yelling for food, or water, or medical care was fruitless, there was no one and nothing. He could hear helicopters flying over, but he knew that they were not coming for her. He carefully placed a note in her pocket with all the needed information about how to best contact him. He wrapped a plaid shaw around her shoulders with tenderness and made sure that her soft pink terry slippers were still on her feet. He knelt with her and prayed.

And that same day Kyra Phillips on CCN around noontime got in a heated argument with Mr.Browne from FEMA, you all might remember it . he refused to acknowledege that people were trapped at the Convention Center.He even said things are going "Relatively Well". He claimed he wasn't aware that 1000s were dying and starving at the Convention Center, he also said that "These people had Refused to Evacuate, they did not heed the Advance Warnings" implying they deserved their fate. He was interviewed with Ted Koppel in the same 24 hour period, and Mr.Koppel came right out and yelled ' Don't you all watch TV ??" And now we all know thanks to his own self-righteous pompous emails that he did have access to TV and was mostly worried about his grooming, and his resturante meals, and his appearence of being "hardworking". He had to make decisions about how to roll up the Norstrom sleeves to send the right Image. And the same morning the Flyover President went on morning talk shows and said speaking for his own arrogant self that NO ONE Expected the Levees to fail. And all watched the Lies continue. ( And the lies have persisted in the past two monthes with the Criminal Mr.Browne even getting paid for two extra monthes as a "consultant".) And millions of Americans emailed, made phone calls and tried to get help for the Abandoned Folks of the Katrina Hellzone.
And we yelled WHAT is Wrong with these "Leaders" ? Are they Incompetent ? Are they Ignorant? Are they Rascist ? Is this Genocide ? Is Our Country being run by the Klan?!!

Are these Men in fresh pressed shirts Souless? Clueless ? How can they be so utterly detached and heartless ?Do they have a Conscience ? Don't they have grandparents and children ? Wrapped in yet another ill conceived illusion they keep saying they are doing a Good Job, and are Hardworking....

And meanwhile sitting in her black wheelchair with her weak heart and her empty feeding tube, and with 1000's of other distressed folks, all trying as best they could to look out for each other. Ethel got weaker and weaker, but she sat as tall as she could and hoped and prayed for rescue, just like Junior had said. She wondered where that bus took him. And she got tired in the heat. And she died.

And sometime that day some well intentioned soul pushed her over by the Employees entrance and hoped and prayed that someone would come back for her. And by later that day there was another soul placed with her wrapped in a white blanket. And photographers were horrified, and furious and they took the pictures of the fragile souls by the Entrance to Hell. And Anderson Cooper even showed her on LIVE TV, and you knew he did it because he was worried that she was alone, someone's grandmother, that was loved and deserved better. There was nothing exploitive in the footage. We all felt his agony and his pain. His outright grief-stricken Horror. The Outrage Knew no Bounds.

But our agony does not compare to that which Junior would experience in Alabama worried only to see pictures of her fate across TV screens and newpapers. And then his continued angst as it took SEVEN weeks to get her body back from the Government run Morgue in St.Gabriels. And finally today Junior was able to bury his beloved mother with love and care , as he had cared for her in life. And the Reverand said "It took Courage for Herbert to do what he has done and experienced".

But I have to say that we all know that Herbert Jr. is not going to picture her cared for , and loved and well tended this loving son will be haunted forever by the image of his mama sitting in the Katrina Hellzone, sweltering and abandoned by her own government. Was she abandoned by Arrogance ? By Greed ? Was She abandoned because she was Black? Because she was Poor ? Was she abandoned because she was Elderly ? Was she abandoned because she was frail and in poor health ?

We hear so much from this so called Christian Right To Life Compassionate Conservative Regime that teaches and preaches Intelligent design , yet what we see is that it is coming down to the Survival of the Elitist, the Richest , and the Arrogant.
And Ironically Mr.Bush has placed many Lawyers in positions of Power, thinking that even if they are incompetent, that any situation can be Lawyered. Even if people have died, he has rationalized. He is Incorrect and it is about to be proven as Junior has hired some very fine lawyers to sue the FEMA and the Federal Government, because Ms.Ethel "was an Incredible Symbol of Neglect".( The Government failed Ms.Ethel and dishonored all the fine years of care that Junior provided).

Mr.Bush , I have a messege for you, when you have come home from your Imperial Road Trip you need to sit down and write Mr.Herbert Freeman Jr. an Apology. And before you ever set foot in New Orleans again to have another Dramatic Well Lit Disney Moment, maybe you should go to Miss Ethel's grave and lay some white roses to show honor and respect. And Bow your head in Shame.

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The story above was compiled from over 40 newspaper articles. I had spent weeks attempting to research the Bodies by the Convention Center as well as the 1000s still Missing, like many other concerned bloggers. Please do read the Previous article on Oct10th regarding the Missing and Dead, this issue will haunt this country for many years to come. Whole families Gone.lost and dead, More than 12,000 adults and 2661 children.

Junior was evacuated to Alabama and he also met a lovely woman named Veronica that has been his support through much of this wretched ordeal. I like to think that Ms.Ethel in way had a hand in in helping her son find Love, a caring soul in this Disaster. Junior is engaged to marry this other brave tempest tossed survivor.

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My Great Grandmother was a Strong Southern Woman from Kentucky , she was widowed young and raised two headstrong willful boys in a small apartment. Her name also was Ethel. We called her Granny Ethel. She took in knitting, sewing and taught piano to make ends meet. She taught me that there are times to play the piano, knit socks for soldiers, and take care of neighbors, and also that Elders are to be respected. She taught me how to Set-a-table, cut Fresh Mint with scissors for the SunTea, and how to put lemon and basil and cilantro in Egg Salad and sprinkle with paprika. She also taught me how to call a Bluff. She also taught me that Evil Men can be and should be openly Cursed. During Watergate Summer, as I cleaned her tiny apartment, because by then she was blind , she was listening to the News, and she said , " Have they arrested that Evil Son-of-a-Bitch yet ?" And I said No. She said in her toughest not so lady like drawl, " Well, they Better, he's getting those boys in Vietnam killed."

And I knew by that time that part of her savings had been used to send my one compassionate cousin ( with the low lottery number) to Med School in Canada. Our family had conscientious objectors and soldiers, it was an interesting tense time.

{{ And for those who have read of my Palmolive moment a few posts back for calling Tricky Dick a" Dickhead "one Thanksgiving when I was eight, she had heard about the event and the next time I went to see her she taught me how to make Angel Food Cake to compensate for the Palmolive moment.}}

My Granny Ethel tried to teach me how to knit, and how to play the piano, all without success. But she did teach me poetry. Below is her favorite.
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Another Note to Mr.Bush:
The Next time you are in New York, maybe you need to go back to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island, if it is open to the Public yet. It has a poem called "The Collusus" that is honoring the Great Lady, but also is honoring the Plight of ALL Refugees. And at this point we have 1000's of Refugees that need to be remembered , sheltered, tended and loved.

"....Give me your tired,
Give me your poor,
your huddled masses,
yearning to breathe free,
the wretched refuse of your teaming shore.
Send these the Homeless, the Tempest tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the Golden Door."

Emma Lazurus 1883
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