Our First Katrina Refugees

Jay Honeck wrote:

A bunch of buses went down from DC and came back mostly empty as well.
Washington and Iowa aren't on the top of people's list to relocate to.

DC I understand, but I wonder what the beef is with Iowa ... unless
they've been reading Jay's recent posts ... :-)


Well, given the number of states that have offered space -- and been ignored
or turned down -- perhaps the crisis is past?

Dunno, but doesn't it seem odd that folks are choosing to live in a flooded
cesspool rather than accepting free housing all over the country?

No, it doesn't. Accepting free housing all over the country means
leaving home and accepting change. These people are already going to
have to deal with more "change" than they ever wanted - they don't
want to add any more if they can help it.

These are people who cannot conceive of moving even to someplace like
Monroe, LA, because it would be so far from home and family, and it's
not just the under-educated that think this way. (My wife worked with
an engineer who turned down a job offer that would have involved an
equivalent scale of relocation because his wife thought this way.) It's
also an attidude that is not limited to the deep south - I've seen it
expressed even more forcefully in Appalachia.

To you and me the decision would be a no-brainer. These people aren't
you and me.

These are people who cannot conceive of moving even to someplace like
Monroe, LA, because it would be so far from home and family, and it's
not just the under-educated that think this way. (My wife worked with
an engineer who turned down a job offer that would have involved an
equivalent scale of relocation because his wife thought this way.) It's
also an attidude that is not limited to the deep south - I've seen it
expressed even more forcefully in Appalachia.

To you and me the decision would be a no-brainer. These people aren't
you and me.

It must be very limiting to be so tied to the land that you can't let go.

One of the greatest feelings of freedom I've experienced was when I realized
that "home" was a state of mind, and not a place.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

Jay Honeck wrote:

These are people who cannot conceive of moving even to someplace like
Monroe, LA, because it would be so far from home and family, and it's
not just the under-educated that think this way. (My wife worked with
an engineer who turned down a job offer that would have involved an
equivalent scale of relocation because his wife thought this way.) It's
also an attidude that is not limited to the deep south - I've seen it
expressed even more forcefully in Appalachia.

To you and me the decision would be a no-brainer. These people aren't
you and me.


It must be very limiting to be so tied to the land that you can't let go.

One of the greatest feelings of freedom I've experienced was when I realized
that "home" was a state of mind, and not a place.

Insanity is also a state of mind. :-)

Matt

"Jay Honeck" wrote in message
news:cOKTe.91515$084.4965@attbi_s22...

It must be very limiting to be so tied to the land that you can't let go.

One of the greatest feelings of freedom I've experienced was when I
realized
that "home" was a state of mind, and not a place.

I see what you're saying, but a lot of these folks don't have much. They
don't have much in the way of resources, so they hold on dearly to what they
do have, even if it's just memories or a "feeling" of home. I believe one of
the biggest failures of the emergency response to this catastrophy is
governments (local and federal) not understanding the issues of evacuating
people of little means.

Also, about home not being a place, I don't believe kids think like that.
Moving anywhere is downright traumatic to all but the youngest of them.
We've got refugees, excuse me, evacuees, here in NC and several are kids of
elementary school age. It's got to be really scary for them to lose all that
they have known, living in a shelter and to have no friends. Kids need
security and as hard as it is for adults to go through this, it is 10 times
harder for the kids.

-Trent
PP-ASEL

Also, about home not being a place, I don't believe kids think like that.
Moving anywhere is downright traumatic to all but the youngest of them.
We've got refugees, excuse me, evacuees, here in NC and several are kids
of
elementary school age. It's got to be really scary for them to lose all
that
they have known, living in a shelter and to have no friends. Kids need
security and as hard as it is for adults to go through this, it is 10
times
harder for the kids.

Oh, absolutely. As a kid, "home" was my house, my friends, and my toys. To
have that wrenched from me (as it was when, as an 9 year old, we moved to a
big, new city) was traumatic. I didn't come to my "home-is-a-state-of-mind
epiphany" until I was in my late 30s.

What N.O. kids are going through right now has to be combination of the
world's greatest adventure, and the world's greatest trauma... Luckily,
kids are incredibly resilient.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

I was taken from Laos, dropped off in Thailand at the age of three. At
the eight of nine, I was brought to Elheart, KS. Six months later I
was brought to Herndon, VA. I went to Herndon Elementary, Herndon
Intermediate, Herdon High. All in Herdon , VA. I went to Radford
Univ. also in VA. I now live in Sterling, VA not far from my dad who
lives in sterling bordering Herndon. I have been in VA since that move
from Kansas (Christmas '76). I'm reluctant to move far away because I
see Herndon/Sterling, VA as "home". My wife too! We had a chance to
live overseas, on the taxpayer's dime, for a few years, but passed it
up. We have our routine down pat as far as living here.

that should have been "age of nine" not eight of nine.

Home is where one feels 'at home'.

Elkheart, KS not Elheart.

Imagine seeing someone on the newsgroup that went to Radford. Pretty area of
Virginia, just a few hours drive from my house I tried like heck to find
a place around there and Roanoke to fly with no luck. Not much going on at
Virginia Highlands either.

Patrick
student SPL
aircraft structural mech

"Flyingmonk" wrote in message
oups.com...
I was taken from Laos, dropped off in Thailand at the age of three. At
the eight of nine, I was brought to Elheart, KS. Six months later I
was brought to Herndon, VA. I went to Herndon Elementary, Herndon
Intermediate, Herdon High. All in Herdon , VA. I went to Radford
Univ. also in VA. I now live in Sterling, VA not far from my dad who
lives in sterling bordering Herndon. I have been in VA since that move
from Kansas (Christmas '76). I'm reluctant to move far away because I
see Herndon/Sterling, VA as "home". My wife too! We had a chance to
live overseas, on the taxpayer's dime, for a few years, but passed it
up. We have our routine down pat as far as living here.

It's a small world ain't it? Made smaller by the internet. VPI has a
strip if I remember correctly.