Mark’s Musings – September 6, 2017

Mark Fortune

You have to feel for the people of Houston, parts of Louisiana and the area surrounding Houston. I am sure you have been watching at least some of the coverage and the terrible tragedy that is unfolding with regard to the loss of life, property, pet and human suffering. It will take years for this part of our nation to recover from what is being called “a once in a thousand years” calamity.

But we are also witness to incredible acts of bravery, sacrifice and humanity that should take center stage in this story. The people of Texas are indeed resilient and are working day and night to help their neighbors and friends through this ordeal. Of course, there are also stories emerging of the lesser side of people such as those that are portraying to be officials that encourage people to evacuate their homes and then proceed to rob those same homes.

Thankfully those are in the minority while the goodness of mankind is well in the majority in this crisis. It is truly hard to fathom this much water, this much damage or even how multiple federal or state government agencies can possibly cope with a storm of this magnitude.

There will be those that will use this as another way to point fingers at the current administration regardless of how much positive comes out of it. I think that just goes with the territory in our world today. Expect it, deal with it and move on.

It appears that the state of Texas, the many city and county agencies and the federal government have pulled out many stops to ensure that people are moved to safety and are being provided with food and water. To see people leave their homes with nothing more than the clothes on their back – and in most cases – those clothes are soaking wet from wading through water to a waiting truck or boat – is also hard to see.

You know that the need for resources in material, time and money will be vast. The American Red Cross and The Salvation Army are two reliable and trustworthy resources for ensuring that your money gets to the right place and is being used wisely. We all know that the people impacted by this storm will need our help to recover. The state of Texas has also set up several accounts that you can donate to online.

We also know that if a calamity of this sort ever hit Coshocton County we would all pull together in a big way to help our neighbors, families and friends. You can count on it.

Were you worried? About the Buckeyes of course. Looks like Coach Meyer pulled off his usual halftime miracle of making the right adjustments. He is one of the best at that. They also make you play the college football game for a full 60 minutes for a reason. Yes, the Hoosiers were more than fired up for this Thursday night home opener and frustrated the boys from Columbus for a bit more than a half. But talent and depth takes its toll and thus a 49-21 final speaks volumes about overall team strength. But, Oklahoma may be more of a test than first anticipated. The debut of true freshman J. K. Dobbins was thrilling to watch and now the Bucks’ have a one-two running game punch when Mike Weber is healthy. The same can be said for the duo of Campbell and Dixon III.

Category: Mark's Musings, Opinion