THE LAST DANCE

I spent the evening of the most recent and last McCain/Obama debate from Hofstra University in New York at the home of an absolutely delightful Democrat-leaning couple (homemade soup and great company!) in Dallas, Texas. I subconsciously expected an enthusiastic Obama reception and attendant behaviors. While I did find pro-Obama folks, they certainly appeared objective in their perceptions of the candidates and their debate performance. They gave both McCain and Obama high marks for some of their statements and even chastised Obama for his almost smug grin when McCain went on the attack.

I was bored with most of the candidates’ rhetoric and though an eager - almost anxious - McCain made some relevant points about ACORN’s admitted voter registration irregularities and some of Obama’s supposed previous (we hope) associations, the debate appeared to be another draw though I would give a slight nod to McCain. Both threw allegations at the other which were summarily dismissed by each as distortions. NBC validated later that both candidates at times strayed away from the facts. The bottom line is that there are some substantive differences in approach by both the candidates, especially as relates to economics and health care, though they don’t appear to be enough to alienate any one class of sincere voter.

McCain looked to all the world that he was not comfortable being there. His overall demeanor was pained and maybe that’s part and parcel of his horrific Viet Nam past that‘s permanently altered his posture but not his attitude. At times he was like an exasperated, arm waving school boy who was the only one in the class who knew the answer to the teacher’s question. On occasion he huffed and puffed, gesticulated and rolled his eyes while Obama maintained his calm and composure, his smile aside.

One of the great tragedies in this election is that the greater majority of African-Americans (led by the Afrocentrists) are going to vote for Obama for no other reason than he has associated himself with the Black Community (no intellectual process here). There are many others who are also agenda driven such as the Christian faith based, right wingers who will vote for McCain for no other reason than he is White and Christian. Many young voters (perhaps guilty over their grandparents perceived racism) will vote for Obama for no other reason than to show the world how liberal the US has become – that we can Kum By Ya vote a Black Man President of the United States (yes, we are over the 1960’s). It would appear, however, that despite the aforementioned groups, the greater majority will be voting based on what they feel are pertinent issues and for the greater good of our country.

Aside from the predictable “Legalize Marijuana” signs carried by some Hofstra students and a small anti-war protest, the more ascendant of the issues was brought up by McCain - the effect of Obama’s economic policies on small business and the hardships facing average Americans as defined in the personality and situation of one “Joe the Plumber” aka a surprised and almost chagrined Joe Wurzelbacher of Toledo, Ohio. You see, Joe wants to buy a plumbing business that will annually gross over $250,000.00 subjecting him to a higher 39% tax rate under the Obama economic plan. When pressed the day after the debate Joe would not divulge who he was voting for.

I don’t feel that anyone who witnessed this last debate will be swayed to change their vote or migrate to either candidate as both McCain and Obama seemed to be playing to their acknowledged supporters. It would appear that many independents are still undecided and that may be the case until they ultimately occupy the booth and cast their vote.

The Vice-Presidential candidates still appear appropriately rogue with Biden appearing to be mostly opaque though he is the obvious foil for those who cite Obama’s lack of experience. That, of course, conjures up ghastly images of a very likable President Sarah Palin should the Republican ticket prevail and MacCain succumb to his seniority. That scares the hell out of a lot of folks.

Please know that I truly respect and admire John McCain and the tremendous sacrifice and stalwart service he has given our country. I will follow him anywhere… The real tragedy here is that McCain is a truly great Man and American who is probably the better man in this election. It appears, however, that he couldn’t conjure up the fire in the belly or capture that lighting in the bottle that would allow him a more dynamic public demeanor and general acceptance by the populous. Maybe if John had been attired in his dress whites…. But, it’s all about time and space and today it’s Obama’s race to lose.

I was certainly proud of the effort of host Hofstra University and that great Fort Worth, Texas native and CBS icon, Bob Schieffer who most effectively moderated the debate. I was equally proud of my alma mater, Ole Miss, for hosting the first 2008 presidential debate and the outstanding moderation of PBS’s Jim Lehrer, Executive Editor and anchor of The News Hour on PBS. Hotty Toddy…

In closing it seems evident to me and many of my Friends and Family that unless something mind bending occurs, an Obama victory appears assured. CAUTION: There is a danger here and the Democrats need realize that any victory will be the result of a collaboration of Democrats, Republicans, Independents and other like signs, all mostly fed up with the status quo. Any attempt by the Democrats to reassert their traditional, entitled social agendas will set them back twenty years or more. The Republicans (or what’s left of them) will gleefully smack their lips in anticipation of that pendulum swinging back their way (it always does).

The past is prologue.

Aye,

Ned Buxton

THE CAT DID IT - THAT'S MY STORY...

Last Tuesday I walked back into my house in Richardson, Texas and couldn’t find my cat, Ms. Sophie Baggins, at her usual perch. I went through the Family Room to the hallway that runs down the bedroom wing and was greeted with water - water, water, everywhere! The hot water in near sink in the middle guest bath was full bore on. The overflow wasn’t sufficient to handle the excess water which had poured out of the bathroom to the front bedroom down to the middle and then ultimately the master bedroom. I turned the water off.

As I walked down the Brazilian Cherry hallway installed only a few years earlier, water squished up through the boards. I figure that about an inch of water had been deposited through those areas and only became obvious when my footprint on the carpet was immediately filled with water. The presence of the water was also evident in the Family room and the prospects of dismantling the TV and attendant cabinetry made me depressed, all by itself. Where was the cat?

I telephoned good Friend and contractor John Healy who answered his cell in Boston whilst enjoying a New England leaves holiday. One down… Brother John came up with the idea to contact nephew by marriage Jeremy in Florida who is with SERVPRO, a company dedicated to mitigating water and fire and smoke damage. A quick telephone call to Jeremy who called SERVPRO of Richardson, set in motion a series of actions that found a team of SERVPRO professionals at my door within a couple of hours. They didn’t leave until after 3:00 the next morning…

They assessed the damage and started ripping out carpet and the luxurious, thick pad that had sucked up most of the water. Carpet and pad were summarily cut out of all the aforementioned areas and attention was directed to the wood flooring that seemed to be weathering the affects of the water. “We’ll know for sure in a couple of days, but you’ll probably lose the flooring too.” the SERVPRO Team Lead sympathetically intoned. At the end of three days a slight warping was evident so the floor will probably have to be replaced.

Five days later and it’s Sunday morning and the SERVPRO rep just left taking the remaining industrial blowers and dehumidifier relieving my home and the neighborhood of what was surely 110+ dbs of cacophonous, jet-like roaring noise that prevented sleep or any semblance of sanity. I have an idea about another grossly inhumane torture tactic that can be used at Guantanamo…

I had up to sixteen blowers in the house and with the general contractor, flooring and carpet company agents, State Farm adjusters and the ever present SERVPRO reps the house had been a beehive of activity for those five days.

The house is now dry and all that needs to be done is the carpet and flooring installation and the daunting task of putting together the TV and cabinet. I had several great neighbors who kept watch on the house to discourage those always at the ready to take advantage of this situation.

Wednesday AM before SERVPRO set up the blowers Sophie presented herself looking bedraggled and limping. She had sought refuge I know not where and had apparently been injured during what I now call the “water incident.” Unless someone stole into the house, turned on the water and then left without taking anything, there are only two other explanations for the incident.

I thought, well, perhaps I turned on the water for Sophie and forgot. You see, Sophie is a Maine Coon cat with an uncommon love of water. A full basin was always left for her refreshment and recreation. But, the hot water spigot was on and not done by these hands!

However, a brain trust now agrees that Sophie was the most likely culprit and in one of her affectionate water dances probably turned the lever precipitating (yes) the incident. My State Farm adjuster convincingly admitted to many such incidents…

For the five excruciatingly long, moisture mitigating days Sophie found sanctuary in my office and mostly lying behind the monitor of my computer or on her favorite Jacobean chair (she supported the Bonnie Prince in a previous life). She is no longer limping though was affected (as was I) by the antibacterial/antifungal agents that SERVPRO sprayed. She now has a whole new world to discover and assess and I wonder how she will like the new carpet (not really).

The great lesson here is the absolute reality and more firm understanding of the great loss and mental anguish experienced by the victims of the floods in Gainesville and Sherman, Texas in 2007 and those affected by the floods precipitated by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike most recently in Louisiana and Texas. Wind damage aside, the losses resulting from the flood waters was more the failure to immediately mitigate the moisture and water damage that soon spawned molds of all varieties that doomed many homes. Would that they had the services of SERVPRO…

I sure wish that I had video of my water incident that would allow some confidence in the speculation about the cause of overflow. Alas, Sophie’s water games will not continue in the basin in the guest bath. Thanks to a good Friend who suggests that the shower off the utility room might offer some potential water recreation for Sophie without any attendant risk.

Common sense, eh?

Aye,

Ned Buxton

HOCKEY MOM FOR PRESIDENT?

I thought that Sarah Palin did one hell of a job in the debate with Joe Biden. Did she win or so dramatically influence the Independents or undecideds on both the Republican and Democratic side so as to prompt a reversal of the current sentiments? I think not… Alaskan Governor “Can I call you Joe?” Sara Palin recovered a lot of dignity for herself and the Republicans though at times her responses seemed canned and the product of the intensive tutelage that she received in the last several weeks. That’s OK too as she is obviously a quick study… Bottom line is that she didn’t change or redirect sentiment to the Republicans because of her performance. The sigh of relief by the Republicans is that despite her lack of experience and fact that she has never been tested in national/international politics, she probably didn’t cause a mass exodus of Republicans. Her supporters will stay firmly in place as Joe Biden’s will.

Biden also had inestimable pre-debate counseling to eliminate some of his verbosity (What’s wrong with that?) and his God given talent to fully stuff both his feet well beyond his tonsil and adenoids. He did not appear condescending to Sarah and was, indeed, deferential to her persona and position. A couple of times he could have gone for her jugular and didn’t. He showed a class that I didn’t think he possessed and suspect that he won a lot of confidence in the process.

I thought (along with many Republican strategists) that Biden was articulate without being haughty, maudlin or extra-political or nearly as predictable as Sarah was in her responses. Biden seemed willing to go anywhere or talk about any issue while Sarah did not wander far from her comfort zone. Again, to her credit Sarah demonstrated that she wasn’t the one dimensional Saturday Night Live character played by the very talented Tina Fey in her recent most extraordinary virtuoso performance as Palin. Frankly, I can’t tell them apart and I wondered later with Friends who was satirizing who? One thing’s for sure - Palin now has no control over her own image.

Fey wasn’t kind to Palin and that was OK by me though Fey’s career (if she persists with her characterization of Palin) may be so remarkable as to throw her in the company of George Reeves the ultimately tragic actor who was typecast as Superman, the role he played for many years. Yes, her characterization was that good…

I was drawn back to the Canadian (CBC) Red Green Show or even Fargo to capture what many feel – that Palin is a caricature of the archetypical Alaskan and Northwood’s culture that is seemingly out of touch with world politics. Palin’s earlier attempt to reinforce her foreign policy credentials by invoking Alaska’s proximity to Russia was incredibly naïve and inappropriate.

As a former Amazing Maize Maze, Maze Master for the Catawba Valley Scottish Society in Huntersville, NC I was chagrined when Duke Wheeler of Whitehouse, Ohio recently created a 16 acre corn maze that features the likeness of Governor Palin replete in her 60’s hairstyle and distinctive eyeglasses. Gads there go the corn mazes!

Frankly, I don’t want a self-styled “Hockey Mom” as my president, rather someone who has the dimension, experience and erudition to relate to all the challenging foreign and domestic issues we will surely face in the next few years. I want someone who can make the tough and sometimes unpopular decisions about these incredibly sophisticated and complex challenges. I honestly don’t feel that she has a clue about our current banking and finance crisis though that puts her squarely in the company of the greater majority of those in government and many of our citizenry.

I do think that she is very attractive, has a lot on the ball and probably much more than she’s letting on. Doggone it, I would like to be her Friend, share a moose or caribou burger (no pork re. pig with lipstick reference) and an Alaskan Amber in Wasilla and celebrate all that is right with our country and that great state from which she hails. Maybe we could watch a hockey game or two and talk about icing, two line passes or even some goaltending moves.

Aye,

Ned Buxton

YOU CAN FIX STUPID

As my favorite comedian Ron "Tater Salad" White of Fritch, Texas says, “You can’t fix stupid.” and Nancy Peolosi the less than illustrious Speaker of the United States House of Representatives tried to prove that yesterday when her partisan vitriole managed to anger and submarine the crucial so-called “bail out package” in that illustrious body. She took a deal brokered by her own party which really demonstrated most of the leadership in the negotiations and because she just couldn’t resist turning this into an election year spectacle, pounded the Republicans and President Bush. Republicans so angered, yea incensed, with her rantings and Democrats indignant over their perceived forced support for the package turned it down by twelve votes, votes that had already been tallied in the “Yes” column. Then, as we know, all Hell broke loose.

I certainly blame the Republicans and the Democrats as much as their less than illustrious leader for voting the bill down and causing the single greatest loss in the history of the New York Stock Exchange. We then heard that thousands of our great (and mostly ill informed) citizens e-mailed, telephoned and faxed in their condemnation of the package which in their estimation would only bail out those who had caused the problem in the first place. Yikes!

Ignorant perspectives like that and the reality that much of the deregulation which actually started around 1990 was coupled with apathy from the Fed who in a generous non-partisan spirit failed to perceive the risk along with our highly touted representatives in Congress, both Republican and Democrat. Yes, it was a consensus and everybody can accept part of the blame.

The real test was whether our representatives in Congress would accept the terrible burden of voting on an issue of greatest importance to the stability of our country or capitulating to the partisan ramblings from their mostly ignorant constituencies. Yes, it’s an election year and most are scared of getting voted out of office rather than voting in the best interests of their country and, frankly, the world. They are paid to make sometimes unpopular and difficult decisions – for the good of the many.

Today the market rebounded gaining almost 500 of those 777 lost points back. That rebound was due mostly to the optimism that Congress was going to do “something” soon and the money and action of the smartest among us who seeing an incredible bargin bought low and made a lot of money today.

This whole issue could ultimately put more money in our treasury and it’s sad that many don’t have the basic math skills in order to comprehend that the issue is really the difference between the market value of the properties in question and any potential loss/gain.

Now, what do we do about the members of Congress who failed to vote for the recovery package? You can fix stupid by voting them out of office. Thankfully, both Obama and McCain both ardently support the bill and demonstrated an admirable spirit of cooperation amidst the turmoil. It would appear, however, that despite Pelosi’s predictable bad judgment (as if she ever had any good qualities) the Republicans with their incredible showboating and bad judgment just lost the presidency.

Yep, you sure can fix stupid…. Too bad the elections aren't sooner for if a recovery package isn't passed soon, we'll all be slurping thin gruel whilst in pursuit of our own happiness - anticipatng the great Yellowstone Super Volcano...

Aye,

Ned Buxton

HURRICANE IKE AND GALVESTON

With Hurricane Gustav exited and just when you thought it was safe to go back in the water, Hurricane Ike pounded the Texas coast on Saturday September 13th inflicting heavy and catastrophic damage to Galveston and many other portions of south east Texas. Residents of Galveston were even warned by the National Weather Service that they may "face certain death" should they stay in defiance of mandatory evacuation orders given by Galveston part-time and unpaid Mayor Lyda Ann Thomas. Many stayed, however, and remain so presenting a conundrum for city, state and federal officials. That too will resolve itself. A large number of residents who did not heed the order to evacuate in advance of the storm are still missing. Local officials have even speculated that many may have been washed out to sea. We sure hope that they are found alive and well.

Many shelters remain open throughout the State of Texas including many in the DFW area. The Dallas Convention Center remains the lynchpin of the sheltering effort, having entertained just under 1,500 evacuees following landfall. As of today some 630 evacuees remain as the daily population fluctuates back and forth as people alternately arrive from the Texas coast even as others try and return home (to what?).

Authorities caution returning residents that there is no power; non existent or, at best, limited sewer services and spotty water utilities (among other challenges) that await residents when they start to return next week. I guess I ask myself why were evacuees allowed en masse back in (even for a look) when it was obviously hampering the recovery efforts well underway by FEMA and the State of Texas? Yea, I guess that I would want to know what happened to my home and my possessions, but reason has to prevail here… Perhaps a neighborhood by neighborhood survey by residents would keep the roads open and allow bona fide residents to evaluate their property and retrieve belongings for what will surely be a long recovery period. That is apparently the tact that Galveston is now taking allowing residents of the least damaged and ultimately the areas most devastated to “look and leave” in distinct phases.

Reports are filtering out now that returning residents and first responders have gotten ill from the Galveston situation exacerbated by the lack of sanitary facilities and the insidious fungus and mold that always follows floods. I remember the floods in Gainesville and Sherman, Texas last year and becoming ill when we were doing damage assessments. The black mold has this terrible acrid smell that almost seems to block out the ability to breathe. The reality of this soon transcends the heart breaking emotion of “getting back home” and all you want to do is get away…

As with most post disasters we now are seeing the finger pointers and spin doctors coming out of the woodwork and from under their rocks. Many now allege that Mayor Thomas didn’t order a mandatory evacuation when it appears from the new stories we saw here in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, that she did. At least I couldn’t find any documentation where she was alleged to have advised her residents to “hunker down”.

This is all reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina when the City of New Orleans and State of Louisiana miserably failed their constituencies immediately prior to and following Katrina while FEMA and other organizations waited for permissions to enter the area. We have since cut through all that BS with local and state authorities almost eagerly waiting on their hot lines to declare a disaster and request Federal assistance.

The post Ike reaction has all the hype and spin of a post Katrina event with little substance, rather vulgar, pointless posts and Internet gibberish. At any rate both New Orleans and the State of Louisiana have done a great job since. The point here is a thoughtful analysis of the situation in Galveston is surely in order but not the maniacal ramblings of an ill informed or agenda driven public.

Let’s concentrate on getting resources to those affected by this disaster and then engage some planning that will allow for a greener and smarter community and minimize the affects of the next “big one.”

I want to thank evacuee Tessie for presenting me with a pink heart at the Dallas Convention Center earlier this week and a happy face on my ID and photograph. It was an improvement. Hope your life returns to normal real soon…

Aye,

Ned Buxton

READY WHEN THE TIME COMES

Well, we finally entertained well over one thousand evacuees from southeast Texas and from all over the state of Louisiana at the Dallas Convention Center. While there was some credible damage, we were relieved that Gustav did not become the great threat that was anticipated and that damage to individual and commercial interests was not catastrophic. This proved to be a great test for the new response mechanism on the local, state and national levels. All agree that we passed with flying colors. I give Mayor Nagin, Governors Rick Perry and Bobby Jindal and FEMA and all their partners excellent marks.

The City of Dallas, Texas and the Dallas Area Chapter of the American Red Cross (DARC) and the Salvation Army and their Volunteers need to be thanked for their conscientious and humanitarian response. A lot of folks gave up their Labor Day holiday to address a much higher calling. Kudos go out to many of the EDS/HP Employees and folks from other companies, churches, schools and other community organizations that volunteered with the Dallas Area Red Cross chapter under their Ready When the Time Comes Program (RWTC).

RWTC is a community volunteer program that literally taps the Human Resources of Corporate America and other community organizations. Participating organizations commit to making a certain number of Employees available for voluntary service of at least one day per year. In many cases (not unlike Jury Duty or other public service) companies continue to pay wages to their Employee Volunteers.

The American Red Cross then trains Employees from partnering entities and mobilizes them as a community-based volunteer force when disaster strikes. RWTC Volunteers are trained by DARC on Shelter Operations and then undergo background checks, a requisite for DARC and RWTC service.

This has allowed DARC to have an even greater number of ready and well-trained Volunteers who can be immediately mobilized and like other DARC Volunteers, can step in and provide a credible, high level service to the community when disasters strike (and they do).

A great story went unreported in the wake of Hurricane Gustav and you will learn of it here and now. Following Gustav’s landfall on the Louisiana coast, WFAA-TV and other local Dallas, Texas TV and radio stations put out erroneous on-air messages that the Red Cross desperately needed Volunteers for our shelters prompting a generous outpouring of Dallas Citizenry. I personally related to around thirty-five of these incredibly motivated folks who unfortunately had to be turned away from Convention Center since they did not have basic ARC training and the requisite background check. Do not despair, though, for they were directed to the DARC headquarters where we hope many took advantage of special Boot Camps that put qualified Volunteers in positions where they could assist their communities.

The bottom line is that well trained and vetted Volunteers ready to be deployed in times of disaster are/will be desperately needed. If you are a Corporation (large or small), Church, Mosque, Synagogue, any community organization, or just any group that wants to give back to their community and be part of the solution, then the Ready When The Time Comes Program is your answer.

Richard L. Keyser, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Grainger, a major supporter of the American Red Cross, nails the motivation for organizational involvement in ARC and RWTC.

“In our experience, the benefits of philanthropy definitely outweigh the costs. I’m proud to be part of a company so dedicated to being an active contributor to our community. I’m also proud of Grainger’s affiliation with the American Red Cross and look forward to continuing our partnership in the years to come.

As the Red Cross continues to strengthen disaster preparedness and response in our communities, there will be more opportunities for partnerships. For those efforts to be successful, businesses need to accept the responsibility that comes with having significant resources at their disposal. The Red Cross needs creative ideas and dedicated support. They need businesses both large and small to play critical roles. What part will you play?”

So, if you are part of a group of like-minded folks, please call your local chapter of the American Red Cross and inquire about participating in the Ready When the Time Comes Program. Yes, Hurricane Ike is on the way…

Aye,

Ned Buxton

READY FOR THE WORST – HURRICANE GUSTAV

I was telephoned yesterday by the Dallas, Texas Area chapter of the American Red Cross and put on standby as a manager for one of the Dallas area shelters in the event that Hurricane Gustav strengthened requiring the evacuation of the Louisiana and Texas Gulf coast. Overnight Gustav suddenly strengthened into a strong Category 3 hurricane with winds up to 125 miles per hour – and getting stronger (shades of Katrina). Well, as I am writing this post the Weather Channel announced that Gustav has now been upgraded to a Category 4 with sustained winds in its now well defined eye clocked at 145 miles per hour. Yes, it’s still strengthening… Hurricane Fay was but a harbinger of Gustav and now even Gustav may be beckoning what is now Tropical Storm Hanna...

I received another call from Dallas Red Cross with the news that the City of Dallas is now going to also reopen the Dallas Convention Center and would I work with AM shelter manager and Friend Gary Wilkins? You betcha! Dallas and north Texas are expecting 8,500 or more evacuees from the Gulf coast to start arriving late today.

On Wednesday Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal (why didn’t McCain pick him?) declared a state of emergency and requested a presidential pre-landfall disaster declaration. President Bush immediately declared a state of emergency in Louisiana, a move that allows the federal government to coordinate disaster relief and provide assistance in storm-affected areas. All this sure makes Jindal’s predecessor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco look even more incompetent than she was.

Furthermore, Governor Jindal activated 3,000 Louisiana National Guardsmen, and triggered preparation measures for the potential evacuation and shelter of affected Louisiana residents and enjoined the American Red Cross to be on alert. Governor Rick Perry of Texas also issued orders Friday deploying 7,500 Texas National Guard troops to Beaumont, Houston and Galveston. But back to Louisiana.

Admirably, and all in direct contrast to his predecessor, Louisiana Governor Jindal has engaged a specific working timeline with his disaster and emergency services staff to include the scheduling of the evacuation of hospitals, nursing/retirement homes, animal shelters and even the start of contra-flow traffic out of Louisiana as early as Saturday, August 30 – two to three days before estimated landfall. Residents of Louisiana can even sign up for critical cell phone alerts and status on the weather. Your tax dollars really at work. So screw any states rights or sovereignty lip synch, FEMA and other federal and local agencies (including the Red Cross and those great Southern Baptist Men with their mobile kitchens and feeding stations) are already in place along the entire Gulf coast. The Baptists even told me they would take a sometimes Episcopalian!

New Orleans and surrounding areas have now engaged voluntary evacuations while Mayor Ray Nagin of “Chocolate City” fame has ordered the mandatory evacuation of all visitors to the City of New Orleans. Well done! We understand that the Superdome under no circumstances will be used to shelter displaced citizens. Again, well done!

The Dallas Independent School District has sent 100 school buses to assist with any evacuation effort from Louisiana. Other school districts are doing the same and authorities are also engaging virtually all forms of transportation to include rail. We have learned our lesson well.

As already reflected, the American Red Cross has been in place for several days and continues to set up shelters across the States of Louisiana and Texas to accommodate what is estimated to be a substantial evacuee population. If the traffic coming out of Louisiana and the Texas Gulf coast is any indication, everybody is paying attention. Texas is ready to once again assist our neighbors.

Those citizenry in the watch area that aren’t wisely headed to safe areas like north Texas are, no doubt, contributing to the gross sales of Wally World (milk, bread and toilet paper) and Home Depot (plywood and generators). These two companies have been herculean in their corporate efforts to help folks prepare for these conditions and then contributing a sizable part of those profits to disaster relief. Believe me, I have seen hundreds of pallets of relief goods from both these companies.

But, you can also contribute to this effort. Go and Volunteer to help your local chapter of the American Red Cross. Even as you read this post, some of the folks from your local chapter are being deployed to assist in what will be a most challenging disaster relief effort. So, if you’re from Dallas, TX; Charlotte, NC; southeastern Michigan; South Bend, IN; Atlanta, GA; Providence, RI; Seattle, WA or any other part of our great country, get out there and do something positive!

Aye,

Ned Buxton