OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Disaster Brings Out the Best in Human Nature

Date: Sept. 20, 2005
Issues: National Security


DISASTER BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN HUMAN NATURE -- (House of Representatives - September 20, 2005)

(Mr. GINGREY asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)

Mr. GINGREY. Mr. Speaker, I wanted to take this opportunity briefly to just say that in the aftermath of this terrible natural disaster known as Katrina we certainly have heard a lot of name-calling and finger-pointing on both sides of the aisle in regard to who might be responsible, who did good, and who did bad. I think at the end of the day, after we have an opportunity in this House to thoroughly investigate that, we will have answers to those questions.

In the meantime, Mr. Speaker, I just wanted to let my colleagues know that when I had an opportunity to go down to Baton Rouge to one of the shelters over the Labor Day weekend, I did not see the worst in human nature, as depicted in some of the TV scenes with the looting and the crime in the immediate aftermath of the levee break. I saw the best of human nature. I saw people pulling together, working hard; the Red Cross folks and volunteers doing all they could, driving down to Baton Rouge or trying to get down into the gulf coast or into Mississippi or New Orleans; just dropping everything and taking days off work and bringing supplies. It was really an amazing show of the best in human nature.

It is something that I want to tell my colleagues that have not seen that side of the issue, a lot of good is coming out of this natural disaster. Hopefully we will continue to see that good as we help the people in the gulf coast, and particularly in the city of New Orleans, put their lives back together.

Mr. Speaker, I appreciate the time to touch on this. As we go through this week and the next several weeks, we will be talking more and more about this, hopefully during Special Orders, and drawing from other experiences, and experiences I experienced myself a week or so ago in the gulf coast area.

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