Misc. Ramblings

Sometimes people focus on the process rather than the goal.

For example, even as communities all over the United States welcome the survivors of Hurricane Katrina (including here in Hawaii), I guess I shouldn't be surprised that at least one area, Majestic Oaks, Ocala, Florida (what is it about Florida that attracts such people - ed.) is refusing to accept any survivors.

According to this Ocala Star-Banner article (be aware that the HTML for that page seems borked so you may need to Google for another source), the community of Majestic Oaks has a homeowners association with deed restrictions that prohibit their housing survivors of the storm.

That is, it seems the homes are considered single-family housing. Thus, housing more than one family is prohibited - even in times of emegency.

If that wasn't bad enough, a Navy helicopter pilot, hearing from the Coast Guard that immediate assistance was needed to rescue survivors from the rooftops of homes due to the flooding, diverted from his flight and, by doing so, saved 110 victims of the storm before returning to base.

His reward for using his iniative and acting like the kind of citizen we would like to think we are? He was pulled from flights and was assigned to administering a dog kennel. His commander says this is not a retaliation (wink, wink) for his not keeping to his mission of delivering supplies but medical authorities report the commander's nose grew three inches mmediately after he spoke (you can read more about this story here).

I've said it before and I'll say it again. Citizens have to take personal responsbility for doing what needs to be done in times of emergency. Sometimes, this means ignoring rules/regulations and relying on your individual common sense of what has to be done.

Loosing sight of the goal and focusing only on the process can sometimes lead to absurd results like the two examples above. But if we want to be a free people, rather than government controlled drones, we must act. Thank God for people like this Navy pilot who exhibited, by what he did, what I consider to be actions in the highest tradtions of our country.

Have a Great Weekend, Everyone - Aloha!