Prayers for my beloved New Orleans

[BayouMotownMan]

I have never done this and I hope the moderators allow, but I am heartsick at the carnage caused by an evil terrorist in the French Quarter of New Orleans. Those of you who know me know that I lived there for a number of years and moved away just before Katrina hit and have stayed in Baton Rouge, LA ever since. The spot where this happened was less than a mile where I lived. I filmed one of the shows on Florence Ballard a block away from the site. I loved, and dearly miss, just walking through the French Quarter seeking out one of the many seafood restaurants or just going out on weekends with friends to have a good time.

There was always music in the French Quarter. Any time of the day or night. Walking down Bourbon or Royal Streets before 4 PM you always heard records blaring out, and it was not unusual to hear Motown music. After 4 the music was live. Hurricane Katrina stopped all this. After many years, the French Quarter made a bit of a comeback but it was clearly never going to be the same. Now with this terrorist attack, it will become an even more distant memory.

The Sugar Bowl has been postponed until today and I am hearing many say they have changed their minds about going. The FBI presence down there has been the same as the assassination attempts or at other such shootings, disorganized and insufficient. Whomever does attend will be nervous throughout the game.

It makes me so mad that we as a country are having to sacrifice these basic freedoms. My prayer will be that we ALL will put aside our religious and political preferences to join together and put a stop to this evil. And have it done in my lifetime. What happened in New Orleans is an affront to ALL Americans.

If we are going to fight amongst ourselves, which has been the case for a couple of decades, then we will continue to be at the mercy of outside evil forces. The music will die. And we die with it.

Please remember my comrades in this time of grief.

[daviddesper]

I have only visited New Orleans once, but of course I walked Bourbon Street because that is what you do. I can still remember how lively and fun it was, and the rest of the French Quarter was pretty much the same. Not only could you hear great music, but there were plenty of places to still buy it.

As for the violence and terrorism that has gripped our world, it can all be blamed on selfishness and lack of tolerance. People have developed a sense of entitlement to the point of being willing to lie, steal, cheat, and yes even kill to have things their own way. Whereas just a little patience and compromise in most situations will allow both sides of an issue to feel some satisfaction.

I would have never guessed that we would get to the point where our Capitol building would be attacked but we all saw that happen before our eyes. In turn I see a correlation between that and the mass shootings that we see everywhere, even in our schools. People have been coerced or brainwashed or whatever the term might be in to believing that violence is the only answer to get what you want.

There are times I actually think I am glad to be as old as I am, so that I won't have too many more years to watch this world deteriorate, because I sure do not see it getting any better.

[Motown Eddie]

Please remember my comrades in this time of grief.

I'm with you and I stand with your people in New Orleans at this difficult time.