Those of you who bought my book—promised to be autographed--before it was on sale with the big online booksellers know that there has been a huge delay in getting those books into your hands. The day before yesterday, I sent out an email informing each of you that the books would be here at my house today. Well, early this morning, my publisher sent me an email saying that the delivery date is now the 10th.
Normally, I’d be feeling pretty frustrated about now. But ever since my publisher told me that the printers were located in Tennessee, the urge to look deeper at the disaster there has been stronger than my need to smack my fist on a table for not getting what I want when I want it. So, I looked and I am flabbergasted.
People are dead and another American city rich with history—Nashville--is under water. It is Katrina minus the demagogy of the Left.
Flash flooding and storms killed at least 29 people in Tennessee, Mississippi and Kentucky and at least two people were still missing Wednesday. The flooding was caused by rains of more than 13 inches and affected both rich and poor in this metropolitan area of about 1 million.
Mayor Karl Dean estimates the damage from weekend flooding could easily top $1 billion in Nashville alone.
As the rain-swollen Cumberland River continued to recede Wednesday, Nashville's downtown remained without power and one of two water plants was disabled, but officials said progress was being made on both problems.
From Newsbusters:
And instead of waiting for a handout or a symbolic gesture from the federal government, Country Music stars have already begun the process of rebuilding Music City.
Radio fundraisers are taking place, and star-studded benefits are in the works after 19 people died in weekend storms in Tennessee.
Among the events is a telethon Thursday with Vince Gill for NBC affiliate WSMV-TV to benefit the Red Cross, Salvation Army and Second Harvest Food Bank.
"Nashville is a community of great spirit," country superstar Keith Urban told CNN's Rick Sanchez via Skype from the Nashville-area home he shares with his wife, Nicole Kidman, and their daughter.
Michelle Malkin has a list of those who are making it easy to donate and/or assist in other ways.
And Ed Morrissey calls this The Disaster America Ignored.
I cannot point fingers, for I am guilty of feeling only vaguely sorry for these people until their plight affected me personally. But this isn’t about my mea culpa while sitting here in my nice, dry home office with my nice, dry worldly possessions. It’s about the little and big taps on the shoulder which the Almighty gives Christians all the time to remind us of the second of Jesus the Christ’s two commandments: “Love your neighbor as yourself.”
As was so when Hurricane Katrina battered the Gulf Coast (which is having contemporary problems again of its own; discussed in a bit), a philanthropy link for Tennessee flood victims will appear at the end of each post for at least two weeks.
Let’s start by lifting one from Michelle. I’m sure she won’t mind.
(Thanks to Anita Moncrief; cross-posted at The Professional Black Writer and at Tale of the Tigers)
