Can't Help But Think

Horrible watching New Orleans descend into madness and mayhem. So much seems to be coming home to roost there. I mean, sure, go ahead and structure a society so that you have a predominantly African-American underclass trapped in perpetual poverty, shut out of education and healthcare and services, but don't be surprised when decades of neglect erupt into fury and pandemonium.

And it leads me to recall New York City, when we had a blackout for sixteen hours in the largest city in North America, and it resulted in a great big party, with stores giving away free ice cream before it melted, folks checking on elderly neighbors, and the Fire Department making sure no one was trapped in any elevators in the entire city, and folks stepping up to the plate to direct traffic, and an entire town sitting out on their candlelit stoops with their neighbors. No looting. Not even, as far as I'm aware, any surge in crime. Makes me bust my buttons with pride to have been a part of that.

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