OPINION:
The president recently used the tragedy of thousands of Texans made homeless by the wildfires as the punch line of a joke aimed at Gov. Rick Perry. According to President Obama, Texans suffered the ravages of wildfire and lost their homes and livestock because their governor does not believe in the doctrine of climate change.
The idea that victims of a tragedy are being punished for the sins of their government has not worked especially well for members of the Westboro Baptist Church, who protest against war at military funerals. It will probably not work well for the president, either.
The road to my sister’s farm, outside Austin, closed briefly because of the threat of fire. She and her husband spent weeks filling trucks with donations for victims, helping move livestock out of the path of danger and delivering food to refugees. She didn’t ask anyone how they voted before delivering aid. Texans wouldn’t treat their neighbors that way.
But before anyone blames Illinois for Mr. Obama’s boorish behavior, I can attest that he did not learn it here. The road from my home to Springfield, Ill., has billboards honoring soldiers for service to their country. Not a weekend passes without a fundraiser for charity, an appeal for help for victims of tragedy or prayer requests for the critically ill. No one asks victims for their party affiliation before offering assistance. We care about our neighbors, just as Texans do.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt did not mock the victims of severe drought during the Dust Bowl, nor did he suggest that their political affiliation was responsible for their fate. He established assistance programs to help the victims, to preserve the environment and to keep farmers from bankruptcy. The solution came when the rains finally returned, as they will one day in Texas. But Texans will not forget the derisive jokes at their expense, nor the lack of concern shown by their president.
Mr. Obama owes the people of Texas an apology. He owes them a visit and a tour of the areas ravaged by wildfire and the assistance that is reserved for victims of disaster. And while he is at it, he might thank my sister and the other volunteers in central Texas who pitched in to help their neighbors based on their need and not on their political ideology or the possibility of a payoff.
BONNIE GARRISON
Tallula, Ill.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.