disaster

Dear Mr. President, I am writing this on a bus, traveling to Maine from Washington, DC. I am returning home, having just participated in a civil disobedience action to protest the proposed Keystone XL Pipeline (see tarsandsaction.org). Before the action, I was interviewed briefly by a radio reporter, and the last question she asked me was, “Will you still vote for Obama if he approves this pipeline?” A long silence followed as I struggled to formulate an answer. I finally said, “Yes, I’ll probably still vote for him, considering the other options.” Your campaign advisers are probably telling you there are a lot of people like me out there. But I would like to let you know that, though you may not lose my vote by authorizing this pipeline, you will lose my support. I have, in the past, been a staunch Democratic donor and volunteer (for your campaign and for numerous others), and I am sure I am not the only one among those of us who participated in this action. Voting is easy. Under the circumstances, you don’t have to do much to get my vote, but if you want me to invest my time and money in your re-election campaign, you need to revive my hope, my belief that getting my candidate into office will actually make a difference. Human caused climate change is the single biggest threat to our future, both nationally and globally, and without your bold and decisive action now, we will soon pass the global tipping points that the scientific community has warned us about. Soon it will be too late to act, and, at that point, it will hardly matter who gets elected to the Presidency. Mr. Obama, I am losing hope not just in your ability to lead the country, but in our civilization’s ability to survive on this planet. Your decision on the Keystone XL pipeline is key, and this is one instance where you have the ability to act in a way that will truly make a difference. You have my vote, but you still need to earn my support. Please, deny the Keystone permit.

Dear Mr. President, I am highly concerned about the potentially globally disastrous situation which persists in Japan. I agree with your initial stance in assuring the public that we are "not at risk" from significant radiation exposure at this time. However, the sheer fact that we are all alive on the same planet and the fact that this planet is a closed system puts everyone in peril over this situation. The dispersal rates of airborne radiation may be deemed as "negligible" in our country at this time. However, every day the meltdown and leaks continue we experience an accumulation of radiation in the environment that will likely effect more people than is being alluded to currently. It is my fear that this will have a significant impact on future generations. The dispersal situation in the Pacific Ocean will have devastating effects to marine life and our food supply. I can understand that the situation is tied in with economics and both Japan's government and ours must deal with economic & political strategies simultaneously. However, I am disheartened by the fact that something that is producing devastatingly detrimental effects to our planet as a whole is not being tackled with every single resource and precaution available from all countries capable of helping. Maybe I am overestimating our country's ability to bring resolution to this disaster. I view our country and it's leaders as having the ability and capacity to tackle seemingly insurmountable tragedies with intelligence, cutting-edge resources, and a cohesive plan. How are we responding to the nuclear crisis in Japan currently and how can you help your citizens to feel comfortable with the fact that this situation is honestly being addressed in a swift and severe manner? Thank you for your time. Respectfully, Monica Cook San Diego, California

Dear Mr. President,   My name is Becky Kalucki and I reside in Lake Township, OH.   I know that you know who we are; our community and our high school were destroyed by a tornado on June 5th; 12 hours before our graduation ceremony.  I have a daughter who will be the Vice President of the Lake High School junior class in the fall.  I need you to explain to me, so I can explain it to her, FEMA’s denial of our community’s request for federal aid?    Have you seen Lake Township?  Not just in videos, not just in pictures, but have you been here?  You were in Ohio just shortly after the tornado hit; did you fly over?  Did you see the broken foundations where homes used to stand?  Did you see the empty lots filled with twisted metal and debris, where children used to play?  Did you see the high school, whose halls once rang with laughter and learning, now split open at its heart?  The utter destruction is gut wrenching from up above and beyond words from down below.  I don’t understand how or why federal aid was denied.  How is it that any reasonable person could chose NOT to declare this a disaster area?  We are a working class, farming community... we pay our taxes and support our troops and give generously to other victims of disaster who someone in some office deems eligible for federal aid, and yet, when we need you, when we bow our heads in humility and extend our hand for help; the government instead, slaps it?  Where is the compassion?  More so, where is our duty to help our fellow neighbor?  Millions and millions of aid is funneled to other disaster zones, both domestic and foreign, and yet there is nothing for us?  How does that happen?  How dare anyone say our loss is not BIG enough?  How dare anyone say that the damage isn't wide-spread enough?  How dare anyone say our tragedy just doesn't rate high enough?  If it were your hometown, my bet is you would ensure federal aid was granted.  Your FEMA directors would jump through hoops, circumvent minimum requirements and issue a check.  But because you have never lived here, because you did not walk the halls of Lake high school or have personal ties to this community, we become insignificant?  I guess it is about who you know.  The disappointment in finding out that my belief in you and your administration may have been over-rated, makes me sad.  Someone with more conscious or clout needs to revisit this area and reverse the denial of federal aid.  Just because the hard working members of this community came together immediately and quickly began the clean-up process, we are now being penalized?  Perhaps we should have just sat on the curb in front of where our houses used to be, waiting to be rescued and then you would have seen the totality of the devastation the tornado on June 5th left in its wake.  Instead, we got right to taking care of business, because that's what hard working communities and farmers do.  For FEMA not to lend a helping hand is a travesty.  We're not asking for favors, we are asking for what should be given without argument or hesitation.   You make important decisions every day… this is one of those decisions.  It may be little to you, but to us, it’s our whole world.  Please help.   Sincerely, Becky Kalucki Lake High School - Class of 1987 Read more about FEMA- Tornado Recovery Assistance

Hi Mr. President! I know that you have a LOT going on!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! But We NEED to get to the bottom of what is going on! You CANNOT cover what the TRUTH is and we are all waiting for the RIGHT response from YOU!! YOU have the power to DO the RIGHT thing!!! Incarcerate the people that are responsible for this IRREVOCABLE DISTASTER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! We are 100 Years from getting out of this disaster...YOU are the ONLY one that can MAKE A DIFFERENCE!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Incarcerate Halliburton, BP and any other execs that are RESPONSIBLE!!!!!!!!! How do you think that America has become a joke? Because we NEVER hold anyone responsible anymore....who will lead the country in ten years??? At this rate, NO ONE!!!!! Please DO THE RIGHT THING!!!!!

Dear Mr.President,    It amazes me that with all the natural resources that we have in the USA, and they are lwo cost to free, we are not utilizing them. For instance, hay, think of all the farmers in the USA, they all have hay, and hay has awesome oil absorbing properties. And the cost of a hay bail is way under that of disperrcents not to mention it is envionmentally friendly. Another example is human and pet hair. Clean human and pet hair also has awesome oil absorption abilities. And again it is low cost, in this crisis it is donated. What about running commercials and notifying the people about donating hair?? Now that I know they actually can use it and are asking for donations, I am waititng til I can afford a haircut and I am going to cut my hair. My hair is thinck and is now down to the top of my hips. They will be getting a large amount from me alone. They make mats out of the hair, they put it on the oil spill, allow it to soak up the oil, then they wring it out and it can be used over and over again. And the oil can be put in a container, who knows maybe they can recycle it. We are losing  a lot of wildlife and natural habitats. We need to do something, and by using these simple and low cost materials, we can save the environment without breaking the bank so to speak. and if we can get enough people donating these materials, there will be a need for labor, so at least some of us can get b ack to work. What do you say Mr. Pesident? Please look into this. Sincerely, April E. Greene

The gulf oil spill is a real mess. It is still causing a lot ofdamage, and the estimates are now even higher on how much oil isspewing forth.Each disaster scenario has these three elements: TC, TP and ME.TC is the entity that caused the disaster. TC is The Company.In this case it's the formerly named British Petroleum now knownpopularly or unpopularly as BP. Some disasters such ashurricanes and earthquakes are acts of God harping from above.TC is the big company or entity that caused the thing whetheryou know all of the true details of the cause or not.There is a lot of justifiable focus on TC. This time TC appearsto have been neglectful in their duties to responsibly dothings and thus caused the disaster simply by sloppiness.Those affected by the disaster have a right to be angry at TC.Then there's TP. TP is The President. He is the second targetof the mess caused by TC. People get mad at TP because he (orsomeday she) didn't act fast enough, decisively enough,intelligently enough or compassionately enough. TP didn't dowhat we thought he should do and he didn't do it when wethought he should do it.When stuff really goes wrong, people blame TP.Maybe if TC had done everything right the well could have stillblown up. Stuff does happen. Maybe if TP acted with the speedof a Blackbird jet, stuff still would have flowed as fast andgummed and slicked up the environment just as much. Maybe.The point is, no matter how much we fuss and blame the TCsand TPs during the current and future disasters (for they willcome), the only entity whom we really have control over is ME.What am I (ME, not TC or TP) going to do about it?In the gulf crisis, people's incomes have been surely hurt.Fishermen are suffering. The tourist industry is downtremendously because most Americans have cancelled theirvacation plans to go to the stricken areas and have decided togo elsewhere.This is what ME is going to do.I'm going to the gulf within the next 30 days. I'm going tofind one of the worst hit areas. I'm going to book a hotel onthe beach. I'm going to look for one with oil on it. I'm goingto go to the local restaurants and leave extra big tips becausethe waiters and waitresses will probably be some of the hardesthit during the crisis. I will leave a large tip in the room forthe maid.I will go along the beach and try to patronize some businessesthat have been hard hit by the disaster. My feet may get oilybut my soul will feel cleaner. Perhaps, I will put a littlewatery crude in a jar and bring it back. Like it or not, thisis history and I have a chance to be a part of history insteadof just watching it on TV.That's what ME can do. Not TC or TP - ME!We can shake our heads and say what a terrible job TC and TP aredoing or we can look in the mirror and realize that we can'tchange the entire situation but if 5% of Americans took the MEresponsibility, together we could ease the plight of many onthe coast.TP asked Americans to vacation in the affected areas. Peoplecomplained and asked if TP was going to take his family there.It doesn't matter whether TP takes his family there or not,that's on TP not ME.What matters far more is will ME (and you) take the family there.When The Times invited several eminent authors to write essayson the theme "What's Wrong with the World?" The great writerG. K. Chesterton's contribution took the form of a letter.It was the shortsest response of any of the great writers.His full letter is below:Dear Sirs,I am.Sincerely yours,G. K. ChestertonPresident Kennedy said it best, "Ask not what your country cando for you, ask what you can do for your country."Ask not what TC and TP are going to do for our strickencountrymen and women. Ask what will ME do.TC, TP and ME.Fuss, fuss or act (donate, volunteer, vacation).Choose~A MountainWings Original~From The Mountain:If you are in an affected area, contact MountainWings on whya MountainWings reader should come to your town. We maypublish your story.I don't ever recall specifically asking you to forward aMountainWings issue to your friends, but the people in the gulfcould use all of the help and encouragement they can get.

Hi, Mr Obama: I am a proud american citizen. I saw how you gathered the millions of people for your campaign. If you use the same strategy and energy to stop the mess in the gulf i am sure you will be able to turn things around. I am very surprised to see the pollution at the gulf and that our powerful nation is so slow at controlling such desaster. Any way please do not let us down. Get all your resources to allow every one to go there and start cleaning. One person ccould clean 100 gallons a day, 50000 can 5000000 a day.. This is duable by only you Obama. God bless you, Pat    

Dear Mr. President, We are a nation exceding in talent!  We have walked the moon, and can flip coins off the bow of the sunken Titanic with our robotic subs. Can't the Navy simply take a sub to the gulf and stick a plug in that pipe?! I own a small welding shop, and I can't help but believe how simple a solution to this would be.  Don't listen to them nay-sayer pinheads, it is not that complicated. Man the enviroment down there will be ruined forever if we don't get that thing fixed. Thanks. Mark Davenport

I voted for you because I felt that you were a leader and could get things done.  This is my first correspondence to you since you have been President.  The oil spill is a National Emergency and you should ADDRESS THE NATION as soon as possible.  YOU HAVE WAITED TOO LONG!  OUR COUNTRY IS WAITING ON THE FOLLOWING: 1. Background of the spill 2. What you have done from the beginning - in chronicle order (your creditability is at stake here)            

Dear Mr. President Obama, I just read on the internet news sheet that you are giving an additional $400 million to aid GAZA....What about us in the Unitied States.  I live in Nothern California, my husband has been out of work for 2 years, I have 2 children in College, one in a UC with multiable loans and a mother in law living with us that has Alzheimer's, and struggling to make ends meet.  I have worked in the same job for 9 year and have not only had a wage freeze, last year it was decreased 10%, Profit Sharing plan terminated, and an increase in medical rates for my family which I have to cover since my husband can't find a job!!! And you want to give out more aid to GAZA.  Our fathers, sons & daughters are giving their lives to help protect countries around the world and how if protecting us at home? Everytime I hear about incresing foreign aid or helping another country (especially those country's that hate us) it makes me very angry.  Let start taking care of the homeless here in the US, help with medical insurance for all, aid states with disasters, care for the elderly and feeding the needy. No wonder so many cities, towns, states are in financial need.  You work for us...United States. Sincerely, mc in California