Jimmy Carter

Today, the news displayed aerial photographs of Los Angeles, or what’s left of it. There was nothing but blocks and blocks of ashes. It was terrible to look at. All those homes and businesses gone. What’s worse, I saw on a news report that authorities suspect the cause was human. I can’t confirm that, and my efforts to do so came up empty. It was simply on a news report I saw reporting the number of acres involved, the extent of the fire that was contained (at that time 0%), and it listed “Cause: Human.” I can’t imagine being the person or persons responsible for such horror.

When these things happen, like many of you, I recall the words of Mr. Rogers: “Look for the helpers.” This was the advise he gave to the children who watched his program for when they saw bad things on TV or heard of them in school. He said he got the advise from his own mother when he was a child and he was disturbed by hearing bad news. The actor Steve Guttenberg has been highlighted helping to move cars so emergency vehicles can get through the streets where people abandoned their cars to flee the fire. This is the first time I’ve seen Guttenberg on the big or little screen in decades. He does his community proud. He is a helper.

We have been a nation of bad news lately with the New Orleans terror attack that killed so many, and now the LA fires. We think our celebrities lead charmed lives, and to an extent they do. But they are not immune from tragedy. Billy Crystal lost his home of 46 years. Other Hollywood starts have lost their homes and businesses. Jean Smart suggested that the awards shows so prominent at this time of the year be cancelled and the money spent on the fires and firefighters. That’s a good idea. Not many people outside of Hollywood watch those shows, anymore, and who needs a self-congratulatory spectacle at this moment? The material damage can be replaced. But lives cannot be replaced. Fourteen people were killed and 37 injured in New Orleans, and five have died so far in the California fires.

A lot – and I mean a lot – of people have been ranting against California officials, most notably LA Mayor Karen Bass and California Governor Gavin Newsom. It seems that Bass was in Ghana was the fires began, and that she arranged to have $17 million cut from the fire department budget, while budgeting $1.3 billion for homeless services. I’m all for serving the homeless, but only half of that $1.3 billion was even spent. If you’re gonna budget money for a purpose, spend the money. If you don’t spend the money, then either the purpose didn’t need that large of a budget, or the city isn’t serious about serving the homeless. Also, given the history of fires in southern California, one would think the fire department’s budget wasn’t one you would want to cut. Other complaints are that water resevoirs were not refilled years ago when they got low, and no evacuation plan had been put together, so people were stuck in traffic jams trying to get out by the only egress known. Many simply abandoned their cars and ran from the fires. Again, this in a portion of the country with a long history of devestating fires.

As for New Orleans, there have already been lawsuits filed against the city and two contractors, claiming that security measures were not taken to protect the pedestrians in one of the city’s most iconic and visited sites – Jackson Square and Bourbon Street. In fact, there were no barriers protecting pedestrian traffic from vehicles driving into the plaza. Even if it were not a terrorist attack, but a drunk driver losing control of his car, there was nothing there to protect people. I suspect there’ll be more lawsuits filed.

New Orleans will rebuild emotionally. Los Angeles will rebuild physically. But there needs to be something done to protect the people of this country from these sort of tragedies and, as it turns out, not much needed to be done. Simply barriers in New Orleans would have kept the terrorist inspired by ISIS from killing and injuring so many in New Orleans. Planning ahead for a disaster that you knew would likely someday strike your city would have prevented so much damage and loss of life in Los Angeles. We elect people to take responsibility for public safety. They need to do their jobs.

For now, we pray for the victims, both living and dead. And we pray for those who are in positions of leadership to step up and get it done.

As for the helpers, our country celebrated the life of one such helper this week: Jimmy Carter. Carter was not a good president, but he was a good man. He decided, rather than lick his wounds and live a quiet life in Plains, Georgia he would be active in making better other peoples’ lives. He regularly volunteered for Habitat for Humanity, building houses for the poor. But his greatest work, I think, was through the Carter Center, especially in helping to eradicate Guinea worm disease, a disease that once infected millions around the globe and now is nearly eradicated. That would not have happened without Jimmy Carter’s efforts to take on and tackle the disease. May Jimmy Carter rest in peace, and may those who benefited from his life well lived turn to share that blessing with others.

Be Christ for all. Bring Christ to all. See Christ in all.