LETTER TO THE HERALD EDITOR

Below is my letter to the editor at the Boston Herald after they ran an ugly, racist article on the Katrina victims out on Otis Airforce base which included "lazy and shiftless" language and pictures of some unnamed Black men with covered bottles of alleged concealed alcohol.
The original article is at: http://news.bostonherald.com/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=107538

I called my letter:
Don't Vilify the Victims
As a Boston resident with family from Louisiana, I was disgusted by the front page article on the Katrina Victims which ran on Tuesday, October 18th, 2005 "Evacuees Binge on Cape" and the follow-up article on page five, "Assistance Money Comes with No Strings Attached." Both articles were full of inflammatory language, unnamed sources and false allegations about events that happened two weeks ago. They are almost laughable, except that these articles could prove to be harmful to the seven hundred Katrina victims now living in Eastern Massachusetts and the two hundred who will be evacuated (again) from Otis Airforce base by the end of this week. These articles give Bostonians a false negative impression of the Katrina victims who have become our neighbors and part our community. Using language like "living at taxpayer expense", "intoxicated refugees," and "a virtual parade of evacuees" describing people going to a liquor store two weeks ago, may cause additional assistance and resources to be curtailed or to end altogether. Running these articles at this time is a blatant attempt to vilify these American citizens who have been through unspeakable loss already and an attempt to stop the outpouring of relief and goodwill that they will need for months to come.

Most of us would not be able to function if we lost our wallets. These people have lost their entire hometowns and family members. Also, with the recent major flooding, evacuation and loss of life in New Jersey, New Hampshire and Eastern Massachusetts, a little compassion is in order. Taxpayers’ money has been used for many items more harmful than drinks and lap dances. The American taxpayer covers similar expenses for politicians all the time. Over the past five years, we taxpayers have spent billions on phantom WMD and the war in Afghanistan and Iraq. I guess the Katrina victims aren’t the only ones who receive funds "with No Strings Attached."