Amnesia

Over the past week or so I've received several reports and dozens of photos from a young adult mission trip to New Orleans. The work of recovery continues slowly, but the photos reminded me of how much remains to be done. In fact, some of them were almost identical to ones I took in Mississippi 16 months ago when the storm was fresh in mind. The only real difference was that folks down there working in January don't look quite as hot as we did!
So, when I watched President Bush's State of the Union address the other night I listened for word of the recovery. If nothing else, surely the president would use the success of the New Orleans Saints to offer a homily about perseverance, or give a nod to the incredible outpouring of volunteer support. But no, not a single word.
The devastation on the Gulf Coast remains as a reminder to the nation of presidential amnesia. Forgetting all kinds of history -- even when it's not even past -- we surge forward and stumble blindly back into the same mistakes.