Pickering's Mississippi E-Memo #44
Pickering's Mississippi E-Memo
Congressman Chip Pickering
Tuesday - 11/22/2005 - #44
THANKSGIVING E-MEMO: Congress is in recess for the Thanksgiving Day District Work Period. But this morning, FOX News Channel's "Fox and Friends" featured Congressman Chip Pickering as he discussed the recent announcement that the national generosity index again ranks Mississippians as the most generous in the country. Chip discussed this development in terms of what it means to Mississippians this Thanksgiving following Hurricane Katrina. That is also the subject of his column this week which follows below as this week's E-Memo.
THANKSGIVING AFTER KATRINA
The Catalogue of Philanthropy announced this week that Mississippi again ranks as the most generous and charitable state in the nation. The generosity index compares "having" and "giving" and while our average income ranks the lowest in the country, we rank sixth highest in giving by dollar amount; that ratio ranks us the highest of all in generosity. Reports like this reassure us those around the country see the positive image of our state, but no one who knows Mississippi and our people should be in the least bit surprised. To know our character, one would only need to observe our response to Hurricane Katrina.
We saw acts of courage and heroism from first responders and the National Guard and a little boy who swam through flood waters to save his younger brother. We saw acts of compassion from our churches and charities and a single mother who lost everything but was willing to share her only meal with neighbors.
The worst tragedies reveal the best character. America watched Katrina pound the Coast, flood our homes, level our towns. But when the storm passed over, we remained firm and resolute. With sorrow in our hearts for loved ones lost, friends and families scattered, and lifetimes of accumulated earthly possessions destroyed - together Mississippi took one day at a time and one step at a time. Those who could barely stand-up themselves helped their neighbors to their feet. This is the character America and the world saw in Mississippi. Families and towns and companies across the nation responded and the floodgates opened as food and supplies and fuel and prayers poured into Mississippi. The flood of personal compassion and generosity overwhelmed the flood and damage of Hurricane Katrina. For this, Mississippi is thankful.
While serving on the House Select Committee on Katrina Response, I see the mistakes of the federal government in preparation and response to Katrina. Part of America's character is not that we don't make mistakes, but that when we do we get back up and correct and improve. This strength - as much as our compassion - is the strength of democracy and provides a correcting focus for the future. Mississippi's resilient and compassionate character also embraces humility. We learn from our mistakes and seek to correct our plans and responses for the future. There will be another hurricane and next time we will be better prepared to handle the emergency. The examination of this catastrophe will help us save lives in future events around the country - be they terrorist attacks or natural disasters. Mississippi will contribute to this improvement of America's first response. For this, Mississippi is thankful.
Hurricane Katrina continues to be a crisis testing, refining and revealing our character as Mississippians. Our rebuilding is far from complete, but we are helping each other recover and we seek a renewal, a renaissance, a reformation of the Mississippi Coast. Many folks are still in dire need, but we have made progress. We will not only rebuild but we will attract new investments and vibrant businesses. Our towns and homes will be built stronger than before. And communities that have been through this tragedy together are now more unified and closer than ever. For this, Mississippi is thankful.
Thursday, my wife Leisha and our five boys will be in Waveland at St. Clair's Catholic School for a special Thanksgiving Day dinner. My parents and three sisters and their families will be there as well. Congressman Gene Taylor and his family, and MSNBC's Joe Scarborough will join us in a Thanksgiving Day banquet for one of the hardest hit communities on the Gulf Coast. This is an opportunity to share in both the heartache and the answered prayers of people who have lost everything but remain proud and determined Mississippians. There will be tears and there will be laughter; there will be times of reflection and discussions of the future.
This will also be an opportunity to remind the rest of the country of the needs of Mississippians on the Coast. We are a proud people who do not like to ask for help. But it is important for us to know that the rest of the country has not forgotten us. As Hurricane Katrina fades from the attention of the national media, many believe everything is now fine. They don't realize people are sleeping in tents on concrete slabs that used to be their homes. They don't realize kids are going to tattered school buildings that lack teaching materials. They don't realize that fathers and mothers are driving hundreds of miles a day to work and return home because their jobs on the Coast have been wiped away. We know if America sees the need, the goodness in people's hearts will continue to respond. But they need to know that Mississippi is not yet whole, but that we are working through faith and hope and love and that overcomes any despair.
Hurricane Katrina will remind us all what we're thankful for this Thursday. So much was lost, but we are still so blessed. We have the love of our families and friends. We have our lives. We have the freedom and opportunity of the greatest country on earth. We have the faith of the giver of all blessings.
I hope you have a great Thanksgiving and remember in your thoughts and prayers the needs of others. This holiday season will be a time when we all remember again, it is more blessed to give than to receive.
CHIP PICKERING ONLINE NEWS:
Congress OKs $10M to Meridian NAS (AP: 11/22)
Congress OKs funds for jet-testing facility (Meridian Star: 11/21)
Pickering Column: Thanksgiving After Katrina (Release: 11/21)
Pickering: $10.4 Million for NAS Meridian (Release: 11/21)
Pickering unlikely GOP rebel on spending bill, key votes (Jackson Clarion Ledger: 11/20)
Bill would fund Miss. Medicaid (Associated Press: 11/19)
US House appropriates funds for local projects (Starkville Daily News: 11/19)
Federal bill has $600K for Meridian (Meridian Star: 11/19)
Contractors hoping for part of coast's business (Columbus Commercial Dispatch: 11/18)
http://www.house.gov/pickering/EMemo44.htm