Let us all (there I go again with the ‘us’) be the change.

“You need to get hold of a Krewe of CRAPS (Crime Reports and Psychiatric Studies) songbook, ‘Home, Home and Deranged,’ ” the Poobah told Float. Lyrics include:

Yes we’re home, home and deranged

But we cheer for our Saints when they play

And through all may be heard

These encouraging words:

THOUGH WE’RE CRAZY, WE’RE ALL HERE TO STAY!

http://www.nola.com/living/t-p/lind/index.ssf?/base/living-0/1170400985232510.xml&coll=1

WE WILL rebuild this city and heal Her. Hang in there… last night during the invocation to St. Brigid, I “saw” something, and it was the city healed. But… it takes good folks to make this happen. It takes good souls, takes heart, and the One does not forget what efforts we make to put things aright.

“Day shall come again” (Sillmarillion). That has been my motto for the last 17 months… the city of my ancestors will be healed.

At some point I had to ask myself why I made the final decision to leave New Orleans. For me it came down to my 2 experiences with with guns. My life was threatened twice by drugged out men with guns. And the second time, it was not only my life, but the life of my husband and baby. Thank god both times we were physically unharmed.

After everything that has happened, I feel compelled to say it outloud. It is OK to leave, and for me it was OK to leave because I was scared of guns.

I think what people can do is research and kind a local group that resontates with them and adopt them. Come down, visit, lend a hand, send bucks, send computer equipment (or other stuff) you don’t need that’s taking up space at home.

Also, get the story out, one person at a time.

Most people don’t know that roughly 80% of the city was damaged by the levee failures (don’t call it Katrina), most people don’t know that the city is still struggling with its schools, infrastructure, health care, and all the other things that make up a modern city, most people don’t know that this is a multi-year (maybe even multi-decade) process.

I grew up near Newark, NJ, an economically challenged city, which was devestated by riots in the sixties. I also watched the South Bronx burn. Because these urban areas were not turned around quickly, the despair and dysfunction got locked in for decades. They’re still trying to come back.

Let’s face it. Newark and the South Bronx were out of luck.

They didn’t have the draw and glamor (yes, glamor) of New Orleans. It was the very rare person who was willing to travel across the country or world to rebuild burned or tutor kids in Newark or the South Bronx. New Orleans doesn’t have THAT problem.

The citizens (f*** waiting for the politicians or anyone else), the citizens need to get super creative, organized and focused about using the web not just to tell personal stories (as important as they are), but also to tell the New Orleans story to the outside world and show concerned people specifically, how they can plug in to help, and why New Orleans is still a great, if much battered, city.

New Orleans can’t do it alone. No disgrace there. Japan and Europe had to receive massive outside help to rebuild after World War II because of the scale of the destructions. New Orleans is in the same boat. Outside aid is essential.

This is test site I’m working on to show what I mean by telling the story and helping people find groups to link up with. It’s very rough and just meant as a test, but I think it points at what’s possible.

http://www.FoodMusicJustice.com