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It has become quite clear that the general understanding of I mean by "Sensationalist Media" is mis-interpreted. However, being that certain individuals have postured themselves to always be in direct disagreement with every word I will every write, this comes as no surprise.

So for the record, let me be direct: accusing the media of sensationalizing this disaster isn't suggesting that it's not as dramatic as its being portrayed. In all your getting, get an understanding. Or at least get a clue.

My working definition of the word "sensationalism" is best explained by Google's compilation of online definitions:

My disgust is on several levels. It is in regard to the desensitization that comes at the cost of networks trying to get the highest ratings. It is inhumane. I'm sorry, but this is not an opportunity for you to get an Emmy in reporting. This is human life.

My disgust is also in regard to the number of Americans willing to subject themselves to repetitive images of human despair as a psychological means of feeling better about themselves. It truly is the highway bottle-nose effect and it speaks volumes to how far we have fallen from our Maker.

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It's amazing to see how much more diverse and insightful the blogosphere is in comparison to the echo chamber of mainstream media.

Amid the morbid reports, heroism is rising up among those who are properly taking matters in their own hands. A prime of example of when there's a place for illegality, 20-year-old Jabbar Gibson (although I heard he was really 17) comandeered a school bus to rescue citzens and drive them to the Astrodome.

Oklahoma City University is offering free tuition to any hurricane affected college students.

The Anchoress takes a big picture perspective of where have come thus far.

Blogger Eddie Butler asks "Where is the church?" Good bloody question. My best guess? Running emotionally-charged whop-fest telethons with no tangible fruit and raising money to keep themselves on the air.

The harvest is ripe, but people never seem to be prepared. Churches in South Texas are forming a list of resources. I'm certain there are many more that don't have websites because like in all things, the church is behind.

Blogger Michelle Malkin linked to an article on a vivid personal account of a tourist caught in the chaos. I read it and stumbled on some interesting information. It reads:

Did I just read that correctly? Foreign tourists are being sheltered at the Hilton?

I quit.

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For the life of me, I cannot comprehend why the American solution to everything is money.

Currency is both fake and temporal. In a matter of days, our entire system of currency could be wiped out before our very eyes. Money is only as valuable as we decide. A community of people could easily come together and decide on a different form of currency. Airlines do it every day. They are called frequent flyer miles. I am bothered if not perplexed by the extreme amount of attention being placed on the need to give finances towards the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. I trust this will be an unpopular opinion.

Long-time readers of this site know that I am not a huge fan of large fundraising organizations with high overhead and little financial accountability. Today is no different. I have never been one to give out of manipulation, compulsion, or guilt. That is not the true spirit of giving. I give because I feel led, feel a responsibility, or see a need. And boy is there a need! At this time, I am not entirely convinced money is what New Orleans needs. Not right now. Right now they need relief. They need resources, but they don't need money. Resources and money are not interchangeable realities. I know this may not seem time-appropriate, but it needs to be said. Where an abundance of un-allocated money is present, evil usually follows. And in case there is any doubt about the inherent nature of unredeemed humanity, let's just examine the events that have transpired over the last 48 hours in our dear Creole city down South.

I am having trouble reconciling exactly how these nonprofit organizations plan on distributing said funds. When tens of thousands of people have been homeless and without food for going on four days now, scraping together a financial plan just doesn't seem paramount. True leadership needs to rise up and start calling shots. That isn't to say I won't give. I will. But I am of the belief that money does not solve all problems.

Christians attempt use Ecclesiastes 10:19 as a foundation for the "money solves everything" philosophy. The scripture reads:

However, few people correctly examine the context of that scripture--namely the fact that nearly the entire book is written and narrated in sarcasm. Sarcasm is often used in the Bible to convey attitudes and expose hearts.

In true American conscience-appeasing fashion, we are all able to throw a few hundred dollars each at the hurricane victims on a hope that in some way we've done our part. During the aftermath of 9/11 it manifested as ridiculous amounts of blood-drives resulting in pints of unusable blood. After which time, we can then sit back and watch the soap-operatic like media coverage, feeling glad we helped and just a little bit relieved it wasn't our brother working at the World Trade Center, or our house under water.

I submit that within America, we have all the resources we need to accommodate this disaster, but there is no desire among American citizens to sacrifice. It is my very best estimation that Americans are giving finances out of their abundance, and not from a place of sacrifice. (It is important to note that abundance and sacrifice are relative words) We live in the land of abundance. There are plenty of people with unoccupied buildings and massive amounts of space to house displaced victims. There are stadiums, there are gyms, there are football fields. There are factories, businesses, and restaurants that have food that can be given away. There are excessive amounts of unused clothing collecting moth holes in warehouses. There are businesses that can offer their services free of charge if they were willing to sacrifice. But somehow, giving money is the easy way out.

Does the government have a responsibility to put in a plan of action to accommodate its tax-paying citizens? Absolutely. But in the absence of true leadership, there should be some burden of responsibility felt by those who are in a position to do more than just throw dollars. It is a sad commentary on what suckers of government teats we are when all we can scrap together is some eloquent whining about what the government is not doing to help. And I agree they are not effevtively helping the situation. AT ALL. But there is an element of personal responsibility and accountability that is being glossed over for the sake of making excuses.

I admire and appreciate all that Wal-Mart is doing especially in light of their own victimhood to looters, but it is very easy for Wal-Mart to pledge 15 million dollars. That is no skin off their gigantic backs. That is a check that can be written by one Walton family member alone. Do not hear me wrong, we need corporate donations. But I am thoroughly convinced that giving money is the easy way out.

I received an instant message from my sister a few moments ago. She is a student at the Honor Academy in Garden Valley, Texas which is just outside Dallas and six hours from New Orleans. She mentioned that their 500 acre campus is considering opening itself up to Hurricane refugees. That is what I'm talking about. It didn't take 400 donations to the Salvation Army for them to decide they could do that. It just took an attitude of sacrifice for the sake of others in need. Supermarkets and grocery stores can come alongside them and donate food and personal hygiene items for housed victims. We do not have time to be doling out dollars right now. Save that for later.

It's not just about money. It's about shifting resources folks.

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I'm going to be blunt here. If you believe everything the television and the news sources tell you from the exact angle at which they are telling it, you are incredibly dense. I mean that. The amount of bias present in post-hurricane coverage is just sickening.
One of the tendencies of media is to get entirely too caught up in voyeuristic commentary and theorizing. I watched last night as Ted Koppel argued with the Director of FEMA over whether or not they mis-represented the number of people the Astrodome could accommodate and if they should have sent in more buses. I am certain the debate is worthwhile and I am certain there are plenty valid places at which to point fingers, but right now, people are dying. For the love of God (and I mean it), forget trying to get a good story topic and focus on the task at hand.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette article "Desperation, death make compelling television" says it beautifully:

And that my friends, is just disgusting.

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"But for the grace of God, there go I."

For nearly three days, I have stared at my computer screen. Lots to say with no real way to say it. The reality has set in that no matter how beautifully you frame a situation with your words, the circumstances are so incredibly ugly and grave that you must drudge through the English language in search of adjectives that appropriately capture the grief you feel for loss, destitution and the state of Southern America.

Tragedy doesn't care how smart you are, how much money you have in the bank, or even what color you are. From the affluent to the poor, the flooding doesn't have an affirmative action plan.

To begin with, let me say I am utterly disgusted and dismayed at the current state of humanity in the wake of hurricane Katrina. The devastation and lives lost is tragic and to the human eye unfair and unnecessary. But beyond even the loss, I am disappointed with the living. Everyone. Our president. Civil government. Our citizens. Survivors. Law enforcement. Our media. Columnists. Bloggers. The whole lot. It is embarrassing on so many different levels it's difficult to even pick a starting point. But don't think I won't try. Here's one: sin.

Shooting, looting, survivors dying in wait of care, corpses outside the Superdome, rapes, relatives murdering one another over ice, people starving, people fainting from head exhaustion, babies sick, elderly people left to die in their wheel chairs. Surely this is not how God intended humanity to live.

Chaos is putting it lightly. I firmly believe that what we are seeing right now is only a glimpse into the complete and utter insanity that would be present in a lawless society.

What we are looking at isn't just a national tragedy or a natural disaster. We are looking at fallen man and the downward spiral of human nature. There is a harsh truth at work here. When put under extreme pressure, our internal belief system kicks in full force. Not what we say we believe, but what we have internally accepted as right or wrong. We are observing what happens when you mix fallen humanity with desperation. Interesting how all psycho-babble about how humans are inherently good goes out the window during times like this.

I once wrote that the most important commodity in situations of distress isn't money, but bullets. For those who thought my suggestion was off-base, I submit to you the events currently taking place in New Orleans. In situations of distress the rules of engagement change. As currency, the American dollar is only as valuable as we deem it. In fact, currency in a society can become whatever holds the most value at any given time. All this talk of restoring order is futile when dealing with people who lost everything and have nothing to fear.

In the last 48 hours we have observed blatant displays of exploitation, racism, lawlessness, poverty, thievery, anarchy, inhumanity, manipulation and sensationalism. I find myself wondering at what point we will stop showing pictures of dead bodies on national television. Is there no restraint? Not only is there chaos in the city, there's chaos in the newsroom. To capture images for journalistic purposes is one thing, to exploit people at their lowest point is quite another. At the very least, the dead deserve not to be repeats on the news clip reel.

I am frustrated and grieved. Even the coverage of the hurricane is chaotic. There are people looting out of necessity for basic hygiene and food items and then there are people running away with televisions and DVD players. There are people stealing firearms, smashing ATMs and stealing money, and then there are people grabbing pampers, Advil, and apologetically clothing their entire families off the rack.

I believe guilty parties should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, but there are two ends of this spectrum folks. There are people of all colors doing the looting for basic needs, police officers included. Why are we not hearing about this on the news? Depending on where you read, some people are "just getting groceries" and others are "thieves." But guess what? The law enforcers are stealing too. Yet amid these two extremes, neither of which can be judged at face value, we have columnists demanding that looters be shot. We also have bloggers backing this up. I'll buy-in when the first police officer gets shot for stealing. I'm usually the first to suggest capital punishment, but at this point, it is difficult to decipher who is properly using their authority here.

And forgive me for saying it again, but this is not how we were designed to live.

It is a sad state of humanity. Politicians are politicizing and spending more energy saving face in front of the cameras than actually addressing the needs of the people. Someone please tell me why is Jesse Jackson is being interviewed on national television? What in tarnation could he possibly have to add here? I'm with Bill Frist on this one. This country can barely remember a true refugee challenge. It's time to step up. As Frist stated on Larry King last night, "don't politicize it." Get busy.

I challenge us all to pray that order be restored to New Orleans as soon as possible.

(Photo courtesy of Reuters)

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