I've never been mistaken for a blind optimist...

...but I will throw down on this rant.

Last I checked, a mile was twelve city blocks. If this has changed, or if I'm mistaken, please bear with me.

Within a 60 block area of my home now, there are at least five, and more than likely nine tent cities that house volunteers for hurricane reconstruction. The reason for the uncertainty is I'm not sure of mileage once you get north of Back Bay or west of Popps Ferry Bridge. This is, however, nitpicking. Google a map, find Edgewater Mall (close enough for government work) take a compass and draw a 60 block wide circle around it. Odds are nine tent cities housing nearly a thousand volunteers rebuilding the communities in the coastal counties of Mississippi.

Our Mr. Tolstoy Anonymous claims humanity has no interest in helping the less fortunate other than for self serving interests like tax deductions and camera time. Let's flesh out the circle you just drew.

In these nine tent cities are anywhere from 25 to 200 tents. Army surplus, O.D. green industrial waterproof Mylar or canvas, some the smaller round kind, most the rectangle 12x20. No air, no plumbing, some lights, and that's home. Ever been in South Mississippi from March to November? Turn your water heater to its highest setting. Set your thermostat to 90. Turn your shower on full hot and sit in your bathroom for 45 minutes. That heat and humidity? That's South Mississippi.

These people came from every part of the United States and several nations abroad. They brought their own supplies. They brought their own material. They never complained, they never hesitated, they came and they STILL COME today, three years and counting since Katrina. How do I know? Even FEMA wouldn't keep people in those tents. People use the tents because that's where the volunteers stay, even now.

Come down here and check this out and then tell me the height of the fall humanity has taken, let alone our nation. Ask any person that survived late August of 2005 and lived within ten miles of the Gulf of Mexico from Pensacola FL to Lake Charles LA and no one will give you a good FEMA story, but everyone will give you as many stories of volunteers as you want to hear.

I'll close with one. I was in Wal-Mart yesterday. I was in the slow line. The lady in front of me blew her nose loudly, causing me to look. She was crying. She caught me looking and smiled at me. "I'm sorry," she said, pointing to a sign above the candy display. "I can't help it. I cry like a baby every time I see one of those."

Just the yellow Thank You Volunteers sign anyone who has been here has seen a million times. She looked at me again and wiped her eyes. "Just never can stop."

I couldn't say anything because the lump in my throat barely let me breathe, let alone speak.