Good morning, Friends

This morning I arose, clear as a bell. I will begin new postings of what I recorded daily in Mississippi. I just need to retrieve them from the portable. Expect one shortly and another this afternoon. I have a slate full of clients, but I'll get it in there somewhere.

Thank you, Anonymous. Your comments have highlighted several important issues. The reason I went alone this time was because I didn't need to be responsible or even solicitous of the needs or safety of others. I've done this before. I know how to not be a burden on an already over-taxed system. I was there to contribute, not to draw on. I also know how to take care of my own needs and I am very resourceful. Secondly, my prediction is that the Red Cross will have a GREAT deal to account for, and all of you will see this in the upcoming postings. I have seen this everywhere. I call it the Politics of Humanitarianism. Every large group or corporation gets itself to a place where it takes much more of its money (donations) and resources to support its structure than to deliver its mission. 85% of all the goods we received in Pearlington didn't come from "official" sources. It came from people hopping in their cars and trucks (or renting trailers, U-Hauls and tractor trailers) to just show up and do some good. They had to. Many had tried to hook up with the Red Cross and others and it would have taken WEEKS. People of good conscience cannot tolerate this. Review the track record of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees during the Bosnian war and you will see what I mean.

The thing we needed most in the Gulf was HANDS. People willing to unload and sort, comfort and fetch, deliver generators and tents and blankets to those who could not get out, movers, shakers, ass-kickers and name-takers. People who weren't afraid of taking risks and just getting the damn job done. Renegades. Only at the end of my tour there did we get enough of these. It was a sight to behold. People I came to love, admire and respect in the few days that would have taken a lifetime in the "real" world. This IS the real world. As real as it gets. They are my brothers and sisters now and we have each other's back. Always.

It's not for everyone. It's lonely and we all know that when we return home, no one who wasn't there will truly understand what we saw and did and how we felt. How could they? Young Tom from LA was getting daily text messages on his cell phone from his wife about how the dog was pooping on the carpet back home. I watched Tom put all he had on the line, face every fear he ever had, and cry in my arms as I tried to help him understand that it's not her fault. She wasn't there, didn't know.

That's why we will stay in touch with each other. We saw the elephant and now it can't be unseen. Your comments hurt - not because they were true or balanced - but because you weren't there.

I invite you, Anonymous, to step out of the shadows and join me the next time I go. It will be soon. If I were wealthy enough to not have to come back to earn the bill money, I would be gone again this morning. 9/11 affected 12 city blocks. Katrina devastated 90,000 square miles and now Rita, the third largest hurricane in history, is about to slam them again.

I'll watch your back and entrust mine to you. Avoid groups like the American Red Cross - you will leave more hollow than when you arrived. Step up to the plate and let Rita throw you a curve ball. I know you can do it. You obviously care. That's all I need to convert you from a clipboard to a renegade.

As they say on the bayou: "God bless ya, son."