Today I addressed the Louisiana Senate Insurance Committee. I heard the stories of dozens of people in similar and worse situations than us. In the end I think it was a huge victory for the people and a major slap in the face for the insurance industry. SB 620, which increased the penalty from 25% to 50% of the claim, and also added attorney's fees to the penalty, passed the House Committee and now looks likely to be passed by the Entire House. So that means I won't be hiring a lawyer to file our case until this becomes law. Also HB 510 passed the Senate. This meant that insurance companies had to pay what they covered even if something happened later that they didn't cover. For example, one guy's house was destroyed by a tornado, and a week later the ruins of the house flooded. His insurance company denied the wind claim because of this. Anyway, I'm so glad I testified, and I think it was a real victory for people like me who are being screwed by the insurance industry. I wrote the following speech yesterday, though I didn't look at it while I testified because I wanted to speak from my heart. But it was fairly close to the text, and here it is:
First, I would like to thank the Chair of this committee, Representative Carter, and the rest of you distinguished Representatives for your time today. I know you are busy, but what I have to say today I feel is important. And I would like to add that this is the first time in my life that I have addressed a legislative body. I'm pretty excited about that. But what brings me here today is the personal unfortunate odyssey that my family and I have suffered through because of the bad faith of Allstate Insurance over the past nine months.
My wife and I purchased our first house about five years ago. We moved from Jerusalem to New Orleans when I accepted a position to teach Theology at Xavier University. We were very attracted by what New Orleans and Louisiana had to offer. We were also committed to making New Orleans a better place to live. To reach this end, both my wife and I went in to education. She is a school teacher in the New Orleans Public Schools, where our children also attend. Our home is in Mid-City, a great neighborhood in the heart of the city. We also got involved in neighborhood organizations, and volunteered much of our time at worthwhile charities such as Habitat for Humanity. In short, we were doing great. We were doing jobs that we loved, working to make New Orleans a better place, and at the same time we were building up equity in our beautiful 100-year-old home. However, our dreams were literally blown and washed away on August 29th of last year.
The winds of hurricane Katrina racked our two-story house. I was inside the house during the storm and it was like being on a large boat rocking back and forth from the wind gusts. Then flood waters covered the first three feet of our house and they remained at least 10 days damaging the foundation and piers so now our house leans even more. Right now as I speak our home is in danger of falling onto our neighbor'’s house. We have been told by several experts not to gut the house, as if we did, it would likely fall over. Because our schools reopened in December, we moved back to New Orleans. Allstate kept delaying our claim and not returning our phone calls and letters. Because we weren'’t assured Additional Living Expenses, we moved back into our racked house and have spent the past five months living upstairs where it didn'’t flood. And we waited, and waited, and waited on Allstate.
We filed our claim for wind and flood two days after Katrina. We expected things to move along quickly, but we were wrong. It took us more than eight months to hear back from Allstate, and when we did it was horrible news. They are denying coverage for the structural damage of our house based on a fraudulent engineer's report submitted by Haag Engineering. This report actually claims that the winds of Hurricane Katrina were not strong enough to rack a house, and they even seem to question whether or not our house flooded, even though the flood line is still visible nearly 3 feet above our floors. At one point the report even refers to our house as "the Wilson house," which shows the same outfit is denying many similar claims. They claim that our house was racked before Katrina, ignoring the broken boards on the front of our house showing clear and recent separation. Thankfully, I have extensive photo and video documentation that thoroughly addresses every point made by these so-called engineers. Moreover, my wife and I have kept an extensive journal documenting every phone conversation, unreturned calls and letters, and interactions we have had with Allstate. I want you to know that a wind adjustor visited our house for the first time just two weeks ago. We recently filed a complaint with the LA Insurance Commissioner James Donelon. We are in the process of getting an attorney to take Allstate to court. We believe that our situation exemplifies the bad faith with which Allstate and other insurance companies are acting towards the citizens of Louisiana. In short, we are fighting back and have the truth and extensive documentation on our side, and I'm confident that in the end through the court system we'’ll prevail. But I think that Allstate is counting on many to not fight back. If my mother was in our situation, for example, I imagine she would just give up and not fight, because fighting Allstate has taken an incredible amount of time and energy. I have published several books in my career, and honestly dealing with Allstate after Katrina has taken much more time and effort. I wish I could get back to writing books.
When we purchased the house we entered a legal agreement with Allstate, and they insured our house for $160,000 against wind and flood damage. Now Allstate has violated that contract, and my family and I are in dire financial straits. We bought the house for $157,000. Before Katrina it was appraised at $215,000. Because of the current structural damage, it has been appraised at $30,000. In short, we owe $145,000 on our mortgage, and own a house now worth $30,000. We don'’t want to declare bankruptcy, though it might be the most sensible course of action. We have decided to rebuild, as we believe that the great city of New Orleans should be rebuilt. Even though we have accepted an SBA loan that likely has enough money to fix the house, in the end to get our house to where it was before Katrina, we would have two mortgages totaling $300,000, and our house redone isn'’t worth that even in the current inflated market.
In short I want you to know that there are many people like me, who were responsible, and careful, and civic minded, and we had insurance. But when the worst disaster in this country's history struck and severely damaged our insured home, Allstate purposefully waited eight months, and then told us that our insurance was basically worthless. They ought to be forced to live up to their end of our contract. I want you to know that my case is but one of many. Allstate, like the insurance industry after Katrina and Rita, is at times acting unethically, dishonestly, unjustly, and their actions are in violation of the laws of this great state. Thank you for your time as well as your attention, and I hope that you'’ll vote on bills such as SB 620 with people such as me, my wife, and our two children in mind. Thank you.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Katrina Insurance Victim Fights Back Against Allstate
Back in September 2005 we filed a claim with Allstate that Hurricane Katrina racked our house. Eight months later, they denied that part of the claim based on a fraudulent engineer's report by Haag Engineering Co. that both ignored the most obvious evidence and even claimed that the hurricane wasn't windy enough to cause structural damage. Now it's time to fight back.
First I filed a detailed complaint with James Donelan, the Commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Insurance. I carefully documented in writing and pictures how every part of the the engineer's report was either mistaken or fraudulent, and I also submitted a detailed timeline of our interactions with Allstate. I've been told that we are an incredible example of an insurance company acting in bad faith, though unfortunately, I am realizing that we are just one of thousands of examples.
Second, I've spoken to several attorneys and public adjustors about taking Allstate to court. Also I've contacted several people through this blog. Paige Rosato, an attorney in Mandeville, is one of the people leading the fight against the insurance industry. It seems that our state legislature has been in the pockets of the insurance lobby. So on May 31st I will be going to Baton Rouge to testify to the House on Bill 620. This legislation, put forward by Senator Murray, would increase the penalty if insurance companies don't pay claims in a timely manner. By law insurance companies are supposed to respond to claims within 30 days. As it now stands with Allstate, it would cost about $100,000 to fix the structural damage of my house. Since they denied my claim, I'll have to take them to court. If we won in court, which I'm confident we would, my attorney fees would be approximately 25-35 percent of the settlement. So I would still have to come up with the funds to finish the work. It doesn't sound fair to me, and of course the insurance agency is fighting this and other similar bills ferociously. They claim that it would drive insurers away from Louisiana. The insurance industry had record proffits last year, even with the hurricanes, so to me it seems this is purely greed driven. And the entire country had better be scared about what is happening down here, because if your city floods, burns, or is hit by a tornado or whatever, many of you will have to deal with this corrupt industry.
I would encourage anyone else in a similar situation to come to Baton Rouge that day as well. At the very least, let your state and federal elected leaders know about what is happening to their constituents.
I'm also going to make my case as public as possible to inform people about the fraud taking place down here. So Allstate, I'm down, but not broken, and I've got a score to settle with you.
Later note: I just recorded my story on the Allstate Insurance Sucks website. I also wrote detailed letters to each of the state senators and representatives who serve on Insurance Committees. I'll testify before the House for SB 620 on May 31st.
First I filed a detailed complaint with James Donelan, the Commissioner of the Louisiana Department of Insurance. I carefully documented in writing and pictures how every part of the the engineer's report was either mistaken or fraudulent, and I also submitted a detailed timeline of our interactions with Allstate. I've been told that we are an incredible example of an insurance company acting in bad faith, though unfortunately, I am realizing that we are just one of thousands of examples.
Second, I've spoken to several attorneys and public adjustors about taking Allstate to court. Also I've contacted several people through this blog. Paige Rosato, an attorney in Mandeville, is one of the people leading the fight against the insurance industry. It seems that our state legislature has been in the pockets of the insurance lobby. So on May 31st I will be going to Baton Rouge to testify to the House on Bill 620. This legislation, put forward by Senator Murray, would increase the penalty if insurance companies don't pay claims in a timely manner. By law insurance companies are supposed to respond to claims within 30 days. As it now stands with Allstate, it would cost about $100,000 to fix the structural damage of my house. Since they denied my claim, I'll have to take them to court. If we won in court, which I'm confident we would, my attorney fees would be approximately 25-35 percent of the settlement. So I would still have to come up with the funds to finish the work. It doesn't sound fair to me, and of course the insurance agency is fighting this and other similar bills ferociously. They claim that it would drive insurers away from Louisiana. The insurance industry had record proffits last year, even with the hurricanes, so to me it seems this is purely greed driven. And the entire country had better be scared about what is happening down here, because if your city floods, burns, or is hit by a tornado or whatever, many of you will have to deal with this corrupt industry.
I would encourage anyone else in a similar situation to come to Baton Rouge that day as well. At the very least, let your state and federal elected leaders know about what is happening to their constituents.
I'm also going to make my case as public as possible to inform people about the fraud taking place down here. So Allstate, I'm down, but not broken, and I've got a score to settle with you.
Later note: I just recorded my story on the Allstate Insurance Sucks website. I also wrote detailed letters to each of the state senators and representatives who serve on Insurance Committees. I'll testify before the House for SB 620 on May 31st.
Wednesday, May 17, 2006
Katrina Tears & My Vote for Mayor
I cried daily when I was a baby due to colic. I didn't cry much growing up, and I probably didn't cry even once from the age of 18 on, at least until this whole Katrina thing ruined my tearless streak. I cried hard on the morning of September 2nd 2005 as I lay in my bed in flooded New Orleans and listened to Garland Robinette interview Mayor Nagin. It had been five days and no help had come to the city. The day before I swam to Xavier and witnessed several dead bodies, and thousands of people in need of help. It was incredibly frustrating. During the radio interview, both Robinette and Nagin cried to the point that they were speechless. It was very emotional for me, and out poured my tears. Since then I cry quite a bit. Usually I don't cry alone. For example, when Springsteen sang "When the Saints Go Marching In" at Jazzfest, everyone around me was blubbering too. But sometimes I cry for the strangest reasons. I got a few tears in my eyes last night as I was watching the Mayoral debate. It's come down to Nagin vs. Landrieu. In the end I think I am going to vote for Landrieu, but it is hard for me. I think Nagin is a good person, and his heart is in the right place. He wasn't corrupt, and I grew a bond with him as people attacked him for his tirade against the lack of response from the federal and state governments. I also don't hold anything against him for the infamous Chocolate City rant. People who aren't here can't begin to understand how difficult life is, and the stress can add up and manifest itself in strange ways. But I think a change in municipal leadership would send a message to congress that we need help and we are through with business as usual. For me it's as if Nagin is the Suffering Servant in Isaiah 53. So I'm sorry that I'm not voting for him. The race is predicted to be very close. I think either candidate would do a pretty good job, but I'm going to have to vote for Landrieu.
Thursday, May 04, 2006
Allstate Calls Me A Liar
Today was a bad day, one of the worst in my life. We didn't receive any mail for two weeks, and then this afternoon we got about a month's worth. Included in the giant pile of overdue bills was the long awaited report from the engineers that Allstate hired. Hooray! I thought... The hurricane hit New Orleans August 29th, so that makes it 8 months and 6 days later. Our lives had been on hold waiting for this report. I opened the letter anxiously, thankful to finally have it in hand, thinking now that our drawn out problems with our insurance company would be over at last. Instead, it turns out that Allstate is denying our claim.
Let me be clear. Our home was insured for approximately $150,000 for wind (homeowners) and the same for flood. Allstate has already granted us 60,000 for the flood damage. The bigger problem is that the winds of Katrina racked our house. Moreover, the 3 weeks of saltwater did severe damage to our piers and that caused the house to lean even more. It will cost about $80,000 to straighten our house, and then on top of that, another $80,000 to redo the walls, electricity, floor, cabinets, and all the other damage from the flood. Of course these are estimates. Probably these estimates are low, because prices rise all the time here, and good luck finding a contractor. We thought for sure that Allstate would lie and claim that the flood caused our home to lean. That's because flood is backed with federal money, and so even though the wind was the major force that racked our house, Allstate would claim, we thought, that flood caused our home to lean, and we were fine with that. Pay us to fix the place, and if they could save some money by saying it was flood and not wind, and so be it.
But now Allstate is claiming that our house was structurally damaged before Katrina. I was here during Katrina, and being in the house was like being on a large boat. It moved considerably. So Allstate is claiming that I am a liar.
The Allstate engineer's report begins with a long segment explaining that the winds from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans were not powerful enough to cause a house to lean. Interestingly, this engineering firm hired by Allstate must be denying many similar claims, because in the lengthy section in which they explain the moderate nature of this storm, they refer to our residence as the "Wilson house." Oops! If anyone thinks I am a liar, as does Allstate, I would invite you to come to my neighborhood to witness many homes that are leaning the same direction as ours. For Christ's sake, take a look at the Superdome or any damaged building here and tell me, as these Allstate engineers are doing, that our home was not damaged by wind. Thanfully I shot some video footage that shows the incredible winds from Hurricane (sic!) Katrina.
Then they go on to say that our house was "out-of-plumb" prior to Katrina. They say the evidence from this comes primarily from the front door. To be able to open and shut our front door, back in October, I had to saw off a large portion of its corners. To get inside our house initially I had to kick the heck out of it just so it would open. So now our door is not a perfect rectangle. The door was obviously cut recently, so it as if they had their minds made up that they would deny our claim before entering our house and they were searching for evidence, weak as it is. They also say that upstairs they noticed windows that were not plumb and had been painted since being out of plumb. I invite anyone to find a 100-year-old house with perfectly symetrical 100-year-old windows.
It's hard not to get emotional with this. I am so tempted to write the engineers working for Allstate and tell them my honest opinion about the merit of their work. Similarly, I would love to write the engineers responsible for inspecting the levees. Allstate's engineers wanted nothing to do with me from the moment they were invited inside of my home. If they would have asked me about the door I could have explained it to them. But I don't think they were after the truth. I wonder if they sleep well at night thinking they are stopping fraudulent people like me from collecting on unjust insurance claims? I'll bet they are paid well. I'm sure Allstate will make a fortune by denying claims like ours, thinking people will just give up. God knows that life in general in New Orleans is difficult enought to make people give up. And you know, I would gladly have left the house in the same condition it was after Katrina, with mold and garbage all over the place without cutting the doors. But because we had insurance, FEMA would not pay our rent to live elsewhere. So we were forced financially to move back to this moldy and racked property. To make it livable for us and our kids Therese and I cleaned it extensively and made it so we could open and shut our front door. These engineers also had the nerve to claim that our original cypress floors didn't look extensively ruined; therefore, how could the structure be damaged from the flood? They also included a picture of a pier supporting our house that was in good shape. But they could have easily taken a picture of the many piers next to the solid one that had crumbled as the salt water sitting there for three weeks destroyed the mortar.
So now our complicated lives get more complicated. Tomorrow I try to find a public adjustor to take our case, and we have to hire an engineer and go to court to fight this mess. There is plenty of evidence, of course, that I am not a liar, and that our house was racked due to the winds of Hurricane (sic!) Katrina. We have pictures just months before the storm of a straight house. I miss that home. We have hundreds of pictures after Katrina of a racked house, with fresh cracks in the wood from separation. These Allstate engineers actually claim that the many recent cracks inside our house were caused by electricity being out for "at least three weeks following the hurricane. It is common for expansion and contraction of framing and finish materials to result in cracks like these due to temperature and humidity variations." That must be have been what happened to the Superdome roof as well. Forget all the video documenting that Hurricane Katrina was actually pretty damn windy. Go figure.
We have extensively documented that Allstate has been acting in bad faith. We have recorded in writing every phone call, or more accurately, every unreturned phone call we have made with Allstate. We have had to date six different claims adjusters assigned to our case. Some seem like nice enough people. In fact, I think our Allstate agent, Toni, is one of the finest people I have ever met. But they are representing a corporation that is treating us like crap on purpose to make more money. It all makes me wonder why we even had insurance. If we didn't, the government would be paying for us to live somewhere else right now. Allstate was one of the insurance companies that used Katrina as an excuse not to insure people in the Gulf Coast, even though they made record profits in 2005. According to Allstate VP Fred Cripe: "If last year's hurricane season had occurred 10 years ago, it would have been devastating for the company. Last year, it was merely disappointing." I'll tell you what is disappointing: it is having Allstate Insurance. It sucks!
Let me be clear. Our home was insured for approximately $150,000 for wind (homeowners) and the same for flood. Allstate has already granted us 60,000 for the flood damage. The bigger problem is that the winds of Katrina racked our house. Moreover, the 3 weeks of saltwater did severe damage to our piers and that caused the house to lean even more. It will cost about $80,000 to straighten our house, and then on top of that, another $80,000 to redo the walls, electricity, floor, cabinets, and all the other damage from the flood. Of course these are estimates. Probably these estimates are low, because prices rise all the time here, and good luck finding a contractor. We thought for sure that Allstate would lie and claim that the flood caused our home to lean. That's because flood is backed with federal money, and so even though the wind was the major force that racked our house, Allstate would claim, we thought, that flood caused our home to lean, and we were fine with that. Pay us to fix the place, and if they could save some money by saying it was flood and not wind, and so be it.
But now Allstate is claiming that our house was structurally damaged before Katrina. I was here during Katrina, and being in the house was like being on a large boat. It moved considerably. So Allstate is claiming that I am a liar.
The Allstate engineer's report begins with a long segment explaining that the winds from Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans were not powerful enough to cause a house to lean. Interestingly, this engineering firm hired by Allstate must be denying many similar claims, because in the lengthy section in which they explain the moderate nature of this storm, they refer to our residence as the "Wilson house." Oops! If anyone thinks I am a liar, as does Allstate, I would invite you to come to my neighborhood to witness many homes that are leaning the same direction as ours. For Christ's sake, take a look at the Superdome or any damaged building here and tell me, as these Allstate engineers are doing, that our home was not damaged by wind. Thanfully I shot some video footage that shows the incredible winds from Hurricane (sic!) Katrina.
Then they go on to say that our house was "out-of-plumb" prior to Katrina. They say the evidence from this comes primarily from the front door. To be able to open and shut our front door, back in October, I had to saw off a large portion of its corners. To get inside our house initially I had to kick the heck out of it just so it would open. So now our door is not a perfect rectangle. The door was obviously cut recently, so it as if they had their minds made up that they would deny our claim before entering our house and they were searching for evidence, weak as it is. They also say that upstairs they noticed windows that were not plumb and had been painted since being out of plumb. I invite anyone to find a 100-year-old house with perfectly symetrical 100-year-old windows.
It's hard not to get emotional with this. I am so tempted to write the engineers working for Allstate and tell them my honest opinion about the merit of their work. Similarly, I would love to write the engineers responsible for inspecting the levees. Allstate's engineers wanted nothing to do with me from the moment they were invited inside of my home. If they would have asked me about the door I could have explained it to them. But I don't think they were after the truth. I wonder if they sleep well at night thinking they are stopping fraudulent people like me from collecting on unjust insurance claims? I'll bet they are paid well. I'm sure Allstate will make a fortune by denying claims like ours, thinking people will just give up. God knows that life in general in New Orleans is difficult enought to make people give up. And you know, I would gladly have left the house in the same condition it was after Katrina, with mold and garbage all over the place without cutting the doors. But because we had insurance, FEMA would not pay our rent to live elsewhere. So we were forced financially to move back to this moldy and racked property. To make it livable for us and our kids Therese and I cleaned it extensively and made it so we could open and shut our front door. These engineers also had the nerve to claim that our original cypress floors didn't look extensively ruined; therefore, how could the structure be damaged from the flood? They also included a picture of a pier supporting our house that was in good shape. But they could have easily taken a picture of the many piers next to the solid one that had crumbled as the salt water sitting there for three weeks destroyed the mortar.
So now our complicated lives get more complicated. Tomorrow I try to find a public adjustor to take our case, and we have to hire an engineer and go to court to fight this mess. There is plenty of evidence, of course, that I am not a liar, and that our house was racked due to the winds of Hurricane (sic!) Katrina. We have pictures just months before the storm of a straight house. I miss that home. We have hundreds of pictures after Katrina of a racked house, with fresh cracks in the wood from separation. These Allstate engineers actually claim that the many recent cracks inside our house were caused by electricity being out for "at least three weeks following the hurricane. It is common for expansion and contraction of framing and finish materials to result in cracks like these due to temperature and humidity variations." That must be have been what happened to the Superdome roof as well. Forget all the video documenting that Hurricane Katrina was actually pretty damn windy. Go figure.
We have extensively documented that Allstate has been acting in bad faith. We have recorded in writing every phone call, or more accurately, every unreturned phone call we have made with Allstate. We have had to date six different claims adjusters assigned to our case. Some seem like nice enough people. In fact, I think our Allstate agent, Toni, is one of the finest people I have ever met. But they are representing a corporation that is treating us like crap on purpose to make more money. It all makes me wonder why we even had insurance. If we didn't, the government would be paying for us to live somewhere else right now. Allstate was one of the insurance companies that used Katrina as an excuse not to insure people in the Gulf Coast, even though they made record profits in 2005. According to Allstate VP Fred Cripe: "If last year's hurricane season had occurred 10 years ago, it would have been devastating for the company. Last year, it was merely disappointing." I'll tell you what is disappointing: it is having Allstate Insurance. It sucks!
Wednesday, May 03, 2006
Stoking the Fire
My schedule is out of wack. Courses for the Fall 2005 semester just ended last week. And tomorrow I begin teaching for the Spring 2006 semester. Teaching is a difficult job, and I don't feel like I was able to muster the energy and enthusiasm I'll need to be an effective instructor for this upcoming semester. The few days I had off were spent trying to get a handle on Katrina related issues such as insurance and lining up engineers to see if they can straiten our house. Other teachers at Xavier look more run down than usual, and the students looked burned out as well. We're facing a semester where we'll probably have to evacuate at least once due to storms in the gulf, and we're trying to fit in 15 weeks of material in just 13, and besides, summers in New Orleans are damn humid, too humid to do hard work. It's the Big Easy after all. So hopefully in the next few hours I'll find a muse.
Qatar's Gift
My university, Xavier, is getting 17.5 million dollars from Qatar. Thanks, or perhaps I should say shukran aktir Qatar. Five million will be spent on new scholarships, and the rest will be for a 60,000 square foot expansion of the College of Pharmacy. Qatar is donating a total of 60 million to benefit victims of Hurricane Katrina. Several other Gulf Nations, such as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates have also come through financially. More information is in this NY Times article, and the local paper covers it here. Thankfully, they are donating the funds directly, without using an intermediate agency such as the Red Cross. As I understand it, Xavier has not received even one dollar from the U.S. government. This country needs to do some serious reflection and soul searching in my opinion.
Sunday, April 30, 2006
The Boss
Today Bruce Springsteen closed out the first weekend of Jazzfest. It was pretty emotional for me. Unlike Bob Dylan on Friday, who didn't mention Katrina or New Orleans at all, Springsteen had much in his set that pertained to what happened here back in August 2005. For example, in his cover of "How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live?" he added the following verse:
"Now there was bodies floatin' on Canal Street when the levee fell, Martha get me my 16-inch and some dry shells. Them who got, got out of town. And them who ain't got left to drown. Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live?"
But the most touching moment of the performance came at the end, where he sang a very somber version of "When the Saints Go Marching In." He said it was a gift from New Jersey to New Orleans. It seemed like very few people in the audience lived in New Orleans, but it was a nice gift all the same. Thanks Boss.
Later note: Keith Spera for the Times-Picayune has a better summary of what happened Sunday night with Springsteen.
"Now there was bodies floatin' on Canal Street when the levee fell, Martha get me my 16-inch and some dry shells. Them who got, got out of town. And them who ain't got left to drown. Tell me, how can a poor man stand such times and live?"
But the most touching moment of the performance came at the end, where he sang a very somber version of "When the Saints Go Marching In." He said it was a gift from New Jersey to New Orleans. It seemed like very few people in the audience lived in New Orleans, but it was a nice gift all the same. Thanks Boss.
Later note: Keith Spera for the Times-Picayune has a better summary of what happened Sunday night with Springsteen.
Monday, April 24, 2006
Why Religious Studies Matters
On April 20th, 2006, at the University of Nebraska at Omaha, I received the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the Department of Religious Studies. I delivered the following speech, entitled "Why Religious Studies Matters."
Preface: Much of what I’m about to say tonight isn’t polite, in that it addresses two topics that well-mannered people advise to avoid: religion and politics. Of course the first can be forgiven in that this is a dinner celebrating Religious Studies. But concerning politics, I wrote this speech in my severely damaged house in the still devastated New Orleans, and much of what goes through my mind there might seem angry and partisan in more serene environments such as Omaha Nebraska. I do not want to apologize for what I’m about to say, but only to say that since Katrina I have worn my political feelings on my sleeves, and I think it’s important.
This evening I would like to thank the Religious Studies faculty for the sacrifices they made for me, and for the sacrifices they made for other students. Teaching as we know does not pay well financially, but it’s important, even sacred, and I want you to know that I very much appreciated the time and energy you invested in me. I would also like to congratulate the Religious Studies students. I want you to know that despite all of the people who have asked you “what the hell are you going to do with a degree in Religious Studies?” that studying religion is the most important academic endeavor available today. My mother, who is here with me tonight, knew that studying religion was important, and while I’m thankful to her for many things, tonight I’d like to thank her for her constant support in my academic pursuits, especially when they involved majors such as this one that society at large fails to adequately value. You students should be proud of your choice to study religion, and you should know that the scholars under whom you are studying are first rate teachers and people, and that when you graduate, you will owe them, because there is a responsibility that comes with education. Your teachers have invested in you, and upon graduation you will be honored and burdened with the responsibility of making the world a better place. A degree in Religious Studies provides an excellent foundation to do just that.
In 1993 I graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies. At the time, I knew what I had learned from many of the teachers in this room was important, but I lacked the perspective to realize the full value of my education. Now, 13 years of perspective later, I have experienced some wonderful things in life including marriage, being a father, travel, and academic employment, and I’ve experienced some awful things such as wars, illness and the death of friends and family, and even Hurricane Katrina. It is with this experience that I say with confidence that the academic study of Religion is more vital today than ever. Why? Because religious ignorance is making the world drastically unsafe. People seem unaware that demagogues are gaining power through exploiting fears brought about by a lack of knowledge concerning religion. Let me give you three examples.
First, a few neoconservatives were determined to invade Iraq for control of oil, and citizens in this country let them get away with it because they do not understand that someone who takes a radical interpretation of Islamic Law such as Osama Bin Laden, and the September 11th hijackers, hated secular Muslims such as Sadam Hussein. Osama Bin Laden does not hate America’s freedom, as some will tell you, instead he is fundamentally opposed to the U.S. military having bases near the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, as well as the unbalanced U.S. policy towards Israel and Palestine. I know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite, and I believe that if Paul Wolfowitz and Donald Rumsfeld did as well the occupation of Iraq would have gone smoother. I am also outraged by the media’s lack of understanding concerning Islam. Can you imagine after Timoth McVeigh blew up the building in Oklahoma City, reporters interviewing the Pope or Billy Graham and asking “What is the problem with the Christian religion, and why is it so violent?” But that’s exactly what happened after September 11th, when people in this country blamed all Muslims for the violent actions of a few criminals. So in large measure, because people in this country do not understand Islam, today Hamas is ruling Palestine, Iran is pursuing its quest for nuclear power, the United States will occupy Iraq for decades, and our country, once the envy of world, has lost its moral credibility. People in the world hate this country with more passion and anger and determination than ever before, and as a result, the world is a more dangerous place.
My second example of why Religious Studies is more important than ever has to do with using the Bible or other religious texts irresponsibly. In the course of studying religion in academia, I learned that a priest in ancient Judah wrote that “A man shall not lie with another man as with a woman; it is an abomination” (Leviticus 18). Then 2500 years later, modern demagogues use that single verse to argue against gay marriage, and worse, they claim that members of various religious organizations are morally obligated to vote for certain platforms in the name of that verse, and even in the name of Jesus. But these same platforms call for capital punishment, war, relax gun control, reduce health care, and increase poverty, all of which clearly contrast to Jesus’ message. Because of my Religious Studies education, I know what are real Christian values, and I know that if God hates homosexuals, then God also hates people who eat catfish. Other people use the Bible to perpetuate misunderstandings based on hatred. I would include Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ (2004) in this category. When interviewed about the film’s anti-Jewish nature and its alarming parallels to Medieval Passion Plays, Mr. Gibson was incensed and inferred that to question his film was to question the Bible itself, that he was simply putting on the silver screen the words of God. Even the Pope reportedly said after seeing it, “It is as it was.” But as the film’s director, Gibson picked the Bible verses that fit with his narrow interpretation of Christianity, ignoring others, and ignoring context, and in reality the film had much more to do with the 19th century vision of Anne Catherine Emmerich, something that Mel Gibson consistently failed to mention in interviews. And so, because of a lack of religious knowledge, the world is a more dangerous place because people irresponsibly pick and choose biblical verses out of context and claim that God wants you to act like they do. Religious studies can fix this ignorance.
My third example of why studying religion is important involves the theodicy of Hurricane Katrina. This year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the mayor of my city, Ray Nagin, delivered the most famous speech of his tenure. While the media focused on the “Chocolate City” statement, I found something else that he said more alarming:
The mayor was echoing what he heard from so-called religious authorities. Indeed, earlier Pat Robertson said that God sent the hurricane, but not because of Iraq or race, instead because of the Supreme Court’s stance on abortion. And Hal Lindsey stated that God sent the hurricane as part of the prophesized end of days. So from these and hundreds of more statements from people who claim to speak with religious authority, it seems clear that God sent the hurricane as a divine punishment for something. With a Religious Studies education, unlike most people, I am able to see the issue in a much more complex fashion. I can bring in parallels, such as biblical authors who tried to figure out why Yahweh, if He were omniscient and omnipotent, could allow horrible things to happen to innocent people. Earlier than that, Sumerians struggled with the same issues, as recorded in the Lamentation Over the Destruction of Ur. I’ve learned that every society in history has a large group of people who believe in a direct cause and effect world. That if you win the lottery, Jesus loves you, and if you get cancer, it is because you are not “right” with God. Several biblical authors say the same thing, that God sent the Babylonians in 586 BCE to destroy Jerusalem because the people of Judah sinned. And what about the innocent people who suffered? Well, they were being punished for the sins of their parents. Life and religion seem to make perfect sense with such a simplistic world view. It’s fair. However, a smaller voice in each society admits something profoundly terrifying, that horrible things can happen to good people. That is the message presented by the author of Job. Terrible things do happen to innocent people, and when Job gets a chance to ask God why bad things happen to good people, God has a four page answer that basically says “everyone who can create the world raise your hand, otherwise shut up.” I’m paraphrasing a bit here.
I prefer to interpret recent tragic events in New Orleans and the Gulf South as having much more to do with evil and incompetent human beings, and I am willing to let God off the hook for Hurricane Katrina. I believe that people have not been good stewards of the earth, that global warming and the erosion of coastal wetlands are real threats, and that when the government says that the levees they built will protect you from a Category Three storm, they are not to be believed. I remember coming outside of my house after Katrina passed and talking with neighbors about how we did pretty well. “We dodged another bullet,” we said. Twenty four hours later there was eight feet of water on the street. More than 1,600 people died as a result of the storm, and just last Wednesday they found two more bodies in the Lower Ninth Ward. This is the richest and most technologically developed country in the world, and it took five days for the government to react to the disaster. It was during those five days that I learned quite a lot about God. I saw people in boats rowing up and down the streets distributing food and medicine that they “looted” from stores. I saw volunteers in boats rescue people. I saw a 90-year-old woman with an oxygen tank who sat in her wheelchair without shade for four days in 100 degree weather waiting to be evacuated. I swam to my university one day and I saw a homeless man who I had seen pretty much everyday for five years as I walked to work, except now he was drowned floating face first in the water. I saw armed soldiers maintain a military perimeter around a camp holding 10,000 helpless people who had been waiting for a bus ride for days. I saw one of these soldiers point his gun at a 2-year-old girl and yell at the mother to “get her back from the wall.” A student of mine last saw his grandmother flying away in a helicopter from the Superdome. It took his family six months to learn from the government that she died, but they can’t find the corpse. I heard on my radio in my flooded home that New Orleans citizens tried to cross a bridge over the Mississippi River to a nearby city that didn’t flood, and how the white sheriff of that town ordered his white troops to deny the mostly African American people access. The police reportedly used the “N” word and said they didn’t want their town turned into another Superdome, and they fired their guns at them as “warning shots.” I hope that what happened in New Orleans will be a turning point for this country.
Americans are basically good people I believe. I hope the images of New Orleans that Americans saw will shame them into action. There are many lessons to be learned about what Americans value. The consequences of slavery did not end with the Civil Rights Act, and race is a major issue in our country, as even evidenced by the recent division of Omaha schools. Excessive tax cuts endanger people. Having our National Guard on foreign soil endangers us. A lack of affordable health care endangers us. Horrible public schools endanger us all. Even cheaper milk at WalMart ultimately endangers our society, and we need to do something about it. Furthermore, regarding New Orleans, people don’t seem to understand that every port city in the world is below sea level, and that the rebuilding of the great city of New Orleans is vital for this country’s economy, history, and spirituality. My point is that God did not cause anyone in New Orleans to suffer, but rather that people did. With the academic study of Religion, I am able to more fully understand the complicated reality of our world and tragedy. It isn’t a happy reality, and I’m reminded by the biblical author Qoheleth who said that “to increase knowledge is to increase suffering.” So in one sense, as I’m sure the students here can attest, you teachers have indeed increased suffering. I know that I suffered under your tutelage. And I learned a lot.
Many of the people who taught me are not here tonight, including Professors Freund and Burke, but I would like to thank them for all that they did for me. Happily some of the professors who taught me are here tonight. Dr. Palmer taught me that many of the greatest minds of Western Civilization have struggled as I do with questions concerning sin and grace, and that Karl Barth argued that God’s manifestation through Jesus on the cross meant that people could no longer tie God to human cultures. I thought this was profound. Thus, God is not working through the United States. Dr. Palmer also taught me about one of my role models, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who personified for me a Christian who valued works as much as faith, and he paid for this with his life. Also in an example that really shows that education involves suffering, I first experience the sensations of tear gas with Dr Palmer in East Jerusalem, and the first time I visited New Orleans it was with Dr Palmer for a Society of Biblical Literature/American Academy of Religion meeting. In between meetings Dr. Palmer taught me how to avoid sin on Bourbon Street. So Dr Palmer, thank you very much for the many things you have given me.
I also suffered quite a bit through courses with Professor Stover. I learned about Eastern religions, and with his influence I even kept a macrobiotic diet for a couple of years. You can tell that I’m off that diet now. My most vivid memory of Dr. Stover back when I was an undergrad involves a course he taught on Modern Middle East. Here we were in Omaha trying to understand a complicated region so far away yet so crucial to the wellbeing of the entire world. One day he invited to our classroom a group of Israeli Jews and Muslims who were touring the country, and they told their stories and answered questions. A group of Palestinian students came to our class that day as well, and there erupted this huge and passionate argument about how the modern state of Israel took land that once belonged to Palestinians and continues to take more land. Amidst the shouting and chaos, I looked over at Dr Stover, and he was smiling broadly. He was very excited, as he knew that his students were seeing first hand the emotions and anger that surround this complicated issue. I think that Dr. Stover is one of the finest human beings I have ever met, and I want to thank him for all that he has done for me. His friendship after Katrina meant a great deal to me. Thank you for that.
Though I never took a course from Dr. Blizek, he once guest lectured in a course I was taking on the Holocaust. In that brief encounter, Dr. Blizek read us a story that I’ve never forgotten. It was about how God forgave Satan and consequently they needed a new person to run the kingdom of darkness, and how the person who got the job was shocked because he thought he was a good law abiding citizen who saw it as his civic duty to point out the failures in others. I doubt very much that Dr. Blizek knows that he greatly impacted my life by sharing that story with me 15 years ago. It shows that you can never fully understand as a teacher the full ramifications of your actions. I was also very touched when Dr. Blizek telephoned me and offered me a teaching position at UNO for this semester. Ultimately I had to turn it down because my university in New Orleans got up and running in January and I had to be there, but it made me proud that I once was and still am a part of this organization, and it felt like belonging to a family. And to the faculty who have come to the department after 1993, I would like to thank you for all of the things that you do for your students as well. In closing I would like to say that I have modeled my life on you, my Religious Studies teachers, and if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then consider yourself flattered. Thank you.
Preface: Much of what I’m about to say tonight isn’t polite, in that it addresses two topics that well-mannered people advise to avoid: religion and politics. Of course the first can be forgiven in that this is a dinner celebrating Religious Studies. But concerning politics, I wrote this speech in my severely damaged house in the still devastated New Orleans, and much of what goes through my mind there might seem angry and partisan in more serene environments such as Omaha Nebraska. I do not want to apologize for what I’m about to say, but only to say that since Katrina I have worn my political feelings on my sleeves, and I think it’s important.
This evening I would like to thank the Religious Studies faculty for the sacrifices they made for me, and for the sacrifices they made for other students. Teaching as we know does not pay well financially, but it’s important, even sacred, and I want you to know that I very much appreciated the time and energy you invested in me. I would also like to congratulate the Religious Studies students. I want you to know that despite all of the people who have asked you “what the hell are you going to do with a degree in Religious Studies?” that studying religion is the most important academic endeavor available today. My mother, who is here with me tonight, knew that studying religion was important, and while I’m thankful to her for many things, tonight I’d like to thank her for her constant support in my academic pursuits, especially when they involved majors such as this one that society at large fails to adequately value. You students should be proud of your choice to study religion, and you should know that the scholars under whom you are studying are first rate teachers and people, and that when you graduate, you will owe them, because there is a responsibility that comes with education. Your teachers have invested in you, and upon graduation you will be honored and burdened with the responsibility of making the world a better place. A degree in Religious Studies provides an excellent foundation to do just that.
In 1993 I graduated from the University of Nebraska at Omaha with a bachelor’s degree in Religious Studies. At the time, I knew what I had learned from many of the teachers in this room was important, but I lacked the perspective to realize the full value of my education. Now, 13 years of perspective later, I have experienced some wonderful things in life including marriage, being a father, travel, and academic employment, and I’ve experienced some awful things such as wars, illness and the death of friends and family, and even Hurricane Katrina. It is with this experience that I say with confidence that the academic study of Religion is more vital today than ever. Why? Because religious ignorance is making the world drastically unsafe. People seem unaware that demagogues are gaining power through exploiting fears brought about by a lack of knowledge concerning religion. Let me give you three examples.
First, a few neoconservatives were determined to invade Iraq for control of oil, and citizens in this country let them get away with it because they do not understand that someone who takes a radical interpretation of Islamic Law such as Osama Bin Laden, and the September 11th hijackers, hated secular Muslims such as Sadam Hussein. Osama Bin Laden does not hate America’s freedom, as some will tell you, instead he is fundamentally opposed to the U.S. military having bases near the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, as well as the unbalanced U.S. policy towards Israel and Palestine. I know the difference between a Sunni and a Shiite, and I believe that if Paul Wolfowitz and Donald Rumsfeld did as well the occupation of Iraq would have gone smoother. I am also outraged by the media’s lack of understanding concerning Islam. Can you imagine after Timoth McVeigh blew up the building in Oklahoma City, reporters interviewing the Pope or Billy Graham and asking “What is the problem with the Christian religion, and why is it so violent?” But that’s exactly what happened after September 11th, when people in this country blamed all Muslims for the violent actions of a few criminals. So in large measure, because people in this country do not understand Islam, today Hamas is ruling Palestine, Iran is pursuing its quest for nuclear power, the United States will occupy Iraq for decades, and our country, once the envy of world, has lost its moral credibility. People in the world hate this country with more passion and anger and determination than ever before, and as a result, the world is a more dangerous place.
My second example of why Religious Studies is more important than ever has to do with using the Bible or other religious texts irresponsibly. In the course of studying religion in academia, I learned that a priest in ancient Judah wrote that “A man shall not lie with another man as with a woman; it is an abomination” (Leviticus 18). Then 2500 years later, modern demagogues use that single verse to argue against gay marriage, and worse, they claim that members of various religious organizations are morally obligated to vote for certain platforms in the name of that verse, and even in the name of Jesus. But these same platforms call for capital punishment, war, relax gun control, reduce health care, and increase poverty, all of which clearly contrast to Jesus’ message. Because of my Religious Studies education, I know what are real Christian values, and I know that if God hates homosexuals, then God also hates people who eat catfish. Other people use the Bible to perpetuate misunderstandings based on hatred. I would include Mel Gibson’s film The Passion of the Christ (2004) in this category. When interviewed about the film’s anti-Jewish nature and its alarming parallels to Medieval Passion Plays, Mr. Gibson was incensed and inferred that to question his film was to question the Bible itself, that he was simply putting on the silver screen the words of God. Even the Pope reportedly said after seeing it, “It is as it was.” But as the film’s director, Gibson picked the Bible verses that fit with his narrow interpretation of Christianity, ignoring others, and ignoring context, and in reality the film had much more to do with the 19th century vision of Anne Catherine Emmerich, something that Mel Gibson consistently failed to mention in interviews. And so, because of a lack of religious knowledge, the world is a more dangerous place because people irresponsibly pick and choose biblical verses out of context and claim that God wants you to act like they do. Religious studies can fix this ignorance.
My third example of why studying religion is important involves the theodicy of Hurricane Katrina. This year on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, the mayor of my city, Ray Nagin, delivered the most famous speech of his tenure. While the media focused on the “Chocolate City” statement, I found something else that he said more alarming:
“And as we think about rebuilding New Orleans, surely God is mad at America, he's sending hurricane after hurricane after hurricane and it's destroying and putting stress on this country. Surely he's not approving of us being in Iraq under false pretense. But surely he's upset at black America, also.”
The mayor was echoing what he heard from so-called religious authorities. Indeed, earlier Pat Robertson said that God sent the hurricane, but not because of Iraq or race, instead because of the Supreme Court’s stance on abortion. And Hal Lindsey stated that God sent the hurricane as part of the prophesized end of days. So from these and hundreds of more statements from people who claim to speak with religious authority, it seems clear that God sent the hurricane as a divine punishment for something. With a Religious Studies education, unlike most people, I am able to see the issue in a much more complex fashion. I can bring in parallels, such as biblical authors who tried to figure out why Yahweh, if He were omniscient and omnipotent, could allow horrible things to happen to innocent people. Earlier than that, Sumerians struggled with the same issues, as recorded in the Lamentation Over the Destruction of Ur. I’ve learned that every society in history has a large group of people who believe in a direct cause and effect world. That if you win the lottery, Jesus loves you, and if you get cancer, it is because you are not “right” with God. Several biblical authors say the same thing, that God sent the Babylonians in 586 BCE to destroy Jerusalem because the people of Judah sinned. And what about the innocent people who suffered? Well, they were being punished for the sins of their parents. Life and religion seem to make perfect sense with such a simplistic world view. It’s fair. However, a smaller voice in each society admits something profoundly terrifying, that horrible things can happen to good people. That is the message presented by the author of Job. Terrible things do happen to innocent people, and when Job gets a chance to ask God why bad things happen to good people, God has a four page answer that basically says “everyone who can create the world raise your hand, otherwise shut up.” I’m paraphrasing a bit here.
I prefer to interpret recent tragic events in New Orleans and the Gulf South as having much more to do with evil and incompetent human beings, and I am willing to let God off the hook for Hurricane Katrina. I believe that people have not been good stewards of the earth, that global warming and the erosion of coastal wetlands are real threats, and that when the government says that the levees they built will protect you from a Category Three storm, they are not to be believed. I remember coming outside of my house after Katrina passed and talking with neighbors about how we did pretty well. “We dodged another bullet,” we said. Twenty four hours later there was eight feet of water on the street. More than 1,600 people died as a result of the storm, and just last Wednesday they found two more bodies in the Lower Ninth Ward. This is the richest and most technologically developed country in the world, and it took five days for the government to react to the disaster. It was during those five days that I learned quite a lot about God. I saw people in boats rowing up and down the streets distributing food and medicine that they “looted” from stores. I saw volunteers in boats rescue people. I saw a 90-year-old woman with an oxygen tank who sat in her wheelchair without shade for four days in 100 degree weather waiting to be evacuated. I swam to my university one day and I saw a homeless man who I had seen pretty much everyday for five years as I walked to work, except now he was drowned floating face first in the water. I saw armed soldiers maintain a military perimeter around a camp holding 10,000 helpless people who had been waiting for a bus ride for days. I saw one of these soldiers point his gun at a 2-year-old girl and yell at the mother to “get her back from the wall.” A student of mine last saw his grandmother flying away in a helicopter from the Superdome. It took his family six months to learn from the government that she died, but they can’t find the corpse. I heard on my radio in my flooded home that New Orleans citizens tried to cross a bridge over the Mississippi River to a nearby city that didn’t flood, and how the white sheriff of that town ordered his white troops to deny the mostly African American people access. The police reportedly used the “N” word and said they didn’t want their town turned into another Superdome, and they fired their guns at them as “warning shots.” I hope that what happened in New Orleans will be a turning point for this country.
Americans are basically good people I believe. I hope the images of New Orleans that Americans saw will shame them into action. There are many lessons to be learned about what Americans value. The consequences of slavery did not end with the Civil Rights Act, and race is a major issue in our country, as even evidenced by the recent division of Omaha schools. Excessive tax cuts endanger people. Having our National Guard on foreign soil endangers us. A lack of affordable health care endangers us. Horrible public schools endanger us all. Even cheaper milk at WalMart ultimately endangers our society, and we need to do something about it. Furthermore, regarding New Orleans, people don’t seem to understand that every port city in the world is below sea level, and that the rebuilding of the great city of New Orleans is vital for this country’s economy, history, and spirituality. My point is that God did not cause anyone in New Orleans to suffer, but rather that people did. With the academic study of Religion, I am able to more fully understand the complicated reality of our world and tragedy. It isn’t a happy reality, and I’m reminded by the biblical author Qoheleth who said that “to increase knowledge is to increase suffering.” So in one sense, as I’m sure the students here can attest, you teachers have indeed increased suffering. I know that I suffered under your tutelage. And I learned a lot.
Many of the people who taught me are not here tonight, including Professors Freund and Burke, but I would like to thank them for all that they did for me. Happily some of the professors who taught me are here tonight. Dr. Palmer taught me that many of the greatest minds of Western Civilization have struggled as I do with questions concerning sin and grace, and that Karl Barth argued that God’s manifestation through Jesus on the cross meant that people could no longer tie God to human cultures. I thought this was profound. Thus, God is not working through the United States. Dr. Palmer also taught me about one of my role models, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who personified for me a Christian who valued works as much as faith, and he paid for this with his life. Also in an example that really shows that education involves suffering, I first experience the sensations of tear gas with Dr Palmer in East Jerusalem, and the first time I visited New Orleans it was with Dr Palmer for a Society of Biblical Literature/American Academy of Religion meeting. In between meetings Dr. Palmer taught me how to avoid sin on Bourbon Street. So Dr Palmer, thank you very much for the many things you have given me.
I also suffered quite a bit through courses with Professor Stover. I learned about Eastern religions, and with his influence I even kept a macrobiotic diet for a couple of years. You can tell that I’m off that diet now. My most vivid memory of Dr. Stover back when I was an undergrad involves a course he taught on Modern Middle East. Here we were in Omaha trying to understand a complicated region so far away yet so crucial to the wellbeing of the entire world. One day he invited to our classroom a group of Israeli Jews and Muslims who were touring the country, and they told their stories and answered questions. A group of Palestinian students came to our class that day as well, and there erupted this huge and passionate argument about how the modern state of Israel took land that once belonged to Palestinians and continues to take more land. Amidst the shouting and chaos, I looked over at Dr Stover, and he was smiling broadly. He was very excited, as he knew that his students were seeing first hand the emotions and anger that surround this complicated issue. I think that Dr. Stover is one of the finest human beings I have ever met, and I want to thank him for all that he has done for me. His friendship after Katrina meant a great deal to me. Thank you for that.
Though I never took a course from Dr. Blizek, he once guest lectured in a course I was taking on the Holocaust. In that brief encounter, Dr. Blizek read us a story that I’ve never forgotten. It was about how God forgave Satan and consequently they needed a new person to run the kingdom of darkness, and how the person who got the job was shocked because he thought he was a good law abiding citizen who saw it as his civic duty to point out the failures in others. I doubt very much that Dr. Blizek knows that he greatly impacted my life by sharing that story with me 15 years ago. It shows that you can never fully understand as a teacher the full ramifications of your actions. I was also very touched when Dr. Blizek telephoned me and offered me a teaching position at UNO for this semester. Ultimately I had to turn it down because my university in New Orleans got up and running in January and I had to be there, but it made me proud that I once was and still am a part of this organization, and it felt like belonging to a family. And to the faculty who have come to the department after 1993, I would like to thank you for all of the things that you do for your students as well. In closing I would like to say that I have modeled my life on you, my Religious Studies teachers, and if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, then consider yourself flattered. Thank you.
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Congo Square
Today I listened to "Congo Square," a musical collaboration between Wynton Marsalis and Yacub Addy. It took place in Congo Square, where jazz music was born. It was a pretty good day, and it represented what I love about New Orleans.
Saturday, April 22, 2006
The Record
Today I voted in what many are calling the most important election in the history of New Orleans. Here's how I went down:
The polls close in 1/2 hour.
Mayor: Virginia Boulet
Assessor District A: Shelly Stephenson Midura
Councilmember at Large (2): Jacquelyn Clarkson & David Lapin
Assessor 1st District: Maria Elliott
Clerk, Criminal District Court: Paul Miraarchi Massa
Clerk, Civil District Court: Dale Atkins
Criminal Sheriff: Gerald DeSalvo
Civil Sheriff: Paul R. Valteau, Jr.
The polls close in 1/2 hour.
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