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If You Build It, They Will Come
By Nancy Greggs
In the wee hours of November 8th, as it became apparent that the control of the House and the Senate would be passed into the hands of the Democrats, the dark cloud that has enshrouded our nation for the past six years seemed to lift – and a veritable Field of Dreams glistened in the not-so-far distance, inviting all to come and partake of the hope and vision of which such dreams are made.
For our newly-elected representatives and their colleagues, who now have the necessary numbers and the attendant clout to turn those many dreams into reality, the task is daunting indeed. Thanks to years of Republican control – along with its inability and/or lack of desire to achieve anything of real purpose – there are so many wrongs to be righted, one wonders where to begin.
Each now-hopeful citizen has his own concept of priorities, and they range from investigations into past wrongdoing, to fiscal accountability, to major reform of our educational system, to a viable health care scheme.
And of course, there are some priorities shared by the many, such as a solution to the problems created and exacerbated by this administration’s misadventures in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Well, as long as we’re putting our Wish List together, I thought I would add my own personal wish: the restoration of New Orleans.
Before the blatant incompetence of this president, his appointees, and his party members in power overshadowed our lives, it would have been inconceivable that any American city would be deemed expendable, that any city’s citizenry would be considered so unworthy of attention.
There was a time – and hopefully, there will be a time again – when a disaster like Katrina would have been a clarion call to battle, and the war waged by wind and water would have been met head-on by troops comprised of private citizens and public officials determined to emerge victorious over the elements that dared endanger its own.
But, alas, Katrina chose to attack when we were at our most vulnerable, defenseless against those in high places who chose indifference over strength of character, bureaucratic red-tape over expediency, cronyism and greed over meaningful action.
This, therefore, is my plea – among the millions – to our Democratic leaders: Bring back what was lost, rebuild what was destroyed and reconstruct what was, and should be again, one of our national treasures -- and, along with it, our belief that true leadership is still part of the fabric of our nation.
I am asking you to build it, with its uniquely beautiful architecture, its flowering landscape, its majestic skyline, its tree-lined streets – its magic, its music, its culture, its style – and with it the hope of my fellow countrymen that we are truly one nation. I am asking you to remind all of us that each thread that contributes to the tapestry that is America is important; that the loss of any color, any shade, any tiny aspect of the overall composition is unacceptable.
If you build it, they will come – the people bereft of hope for too long will come to see that their fellow Americans are not forgotten, but that help – delivered better late than never – is again part of the process that makes our nation what it was, and what it will be again.
If you build it, they will come – the people who have been displaced from their homes, their businesses, their childhood neighborhoods, will come again to open their doors, to fill the streets with the aromas of legendary cooking and the sound of laughter that accompanies the sharing of a meal, a conversation, a story well told.
If you build it, they will come – the people who need to believe once more that there is no disaster, regardless of the scope of its devastation, that cannot be overcome by the collective determination of the populace to restore what is rightfully part of our country’s heritage.
If you build it, they will come – the people who are longing for the music that has been drowned out by indifference, those desirous of the sound of shoes tapping on a NOLA sidewalk in time to the rhythm of a nation’s heartbeat, in tune with country’s sense of family and commonality of purpose.
I cannot think of a more appropriate symbol of the dereliction of duty of our now-dismissed “leadership” than the still-ravaged streets, the destroyed homes, the shuttered businesses – the utter despair – that still occupies the space that was once one of our country’s most beloved cities.
And I cannot think of a more fitting symbol of resurrected hope, a reconstituted sense of purpose, and a declaration that we will not allow the willful neglect that has marked the past few years to stand, than the complete renewal of our own New Orleans, once again shining like the crown jewel she once was.
I cannot imagine a more apt reflection of the ideals of our party, a more purposeful signal that our country can, and will, be made whole again, than the restoration of the many parishes that comprise a city of incomparable diversity, a place where disparate cultures, religions, languages, and ethnic origins come together as one cohesive family.
I realize that this is not a simple task, one that is easily accomplished without massive effort on the part of many. But nothing worthwhile ever is.
This is just a personal wish, dashed off in a note to Santa, or scribbled on a piece of paper stuffed into a bottle and tossed into the ocean, in hopes of it being found by someone who can grant such wishes if they’ve a mind to.
And I hope our elected Democrats have a mind to – because if they build it, we will all come. We will come to know that the American spirit that defined us for generations was only temporarily lost in the fog of darker days, but is now again firmly in our grasp – never to be abandoned again.
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