99-Year-Old Woman, Homeless After Hurricane, Is Told to Be Patient

[LiberalHeart]

Miss Frances is old school: She rises before the sun, never misses Pastor John's Sunday sermon and, when she can talk someone into coming along, pulls her own seafood -- brim or stumpknocker, preferably -- from the waters of the Everglades.

Miss Frances is also a survivor. In 99 years on this Earth, she has lived through Jim Crow, two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Civil Rights era, three marriages, two strokes, and a most stubborn case of arthritis. Last fall, nature tossed another challenge her way: Hurricane Wilma swept ashore five miles south of her singlewide, 1976 trailer. By the time it passed, Miss Frances --said to be the most senior resident of the Everglades -- was staring homelessness cold in the eye.

Much more:
http://wtol.com/Global/story.asp?S=4810932

[fooj]

1. Oh no.....

:cry: :cry: :cry:

[eleny]

2. Recommended

[Desertrose]

3. There is absolutely NO excuse for this bullshit

This is a failureof the worst kind-starting with local gov't right on up to the top.

No excuses will ever be sufficient.

[madinmaryland]

4. That is just WRONG!.

Words alone cannot express my anger.

:grr:

[WePurrsevere]

5. Maybe Habitat For Humanity or a good old fashioned "barn raising" could,,,

help this poor woman. Although I understand that perhaps the contractor may be overwelmed with other big jobs after the hurricane, it seems to me that someone should be able to get some help to help this woman set up her home properly. This run around she's being given is nonsense and totally outrageous and unacceptable.

[AuntiBush]

6. This is So, So, Sad.

"She had no kids of her own, no grandchildren to call upon, only one surviving brother, also in his 90s, in Georgia. She was uninsured, of limited means, relying entirely on Social Security -- $787 a month -- to eat.

Although Miss Frances does not disapprove of charity, she would not ask for it. In other places, people might sigh, shake their heads, then ask the state to shuttle Miss Frances away to some nondescript nursing home or assisted-living center. But this is Copeland, Miss Frances' home of choice for 56 years."

Bush&CO don't give a crap. This isn't the country I once knew. Pre-2000 this would have been all over the MSN and $$ would have poured in from all over the country for her.

Is there a fund set-up to help this lady out, if anyone knows of such? Isn't there something anyone can do?

[hiley]

7. horrible

[e-mail]

[steve2470]

8. " This woman oughta just go to her church for help "

" She just wants a handout "


/sarcasm off

Yeah right you fools.

[ConcernedCanuk]

9. Don't give me all that righteous stuff - y'all let this happen

.
.
.

ever since they dragged the slaves over from Africa

The rich got richer, and the poor got poorer

The civil war in the USA was the closest chance you had to become a decent nation

But the citizens bowed to fear and self-interest

Nothing has changed

Only the weapons

(sigh)

[readmoreoften]

11. Yes, I realized that I, personally, really fucked up during the civil war.

But, honestly, I do think that the way this old woman is being treated is terrible. I guess I don't have a right to feel so badly, since I am the cause, but for some reason I still do.

[MrPrax]

14. What a hard ass...

Well you got balls, I give you that ConcernedCanuck!!

:toast:

[Canuckistanian]

15. Who put the bee in YOUR bonnet?

And what are you babbling on about?

Should have expected that from a Mattawa kid. We here in Ottawa know our manners.

[ConcernedCanuk]

25. Speaking of manners

.
.
.

I am not a "Mattawa kid" - I wasn't born here, and long past being a "kid" about 4 decades ago.

If you think I'm so "bad" - you are insulting the Mattawa people by thinking that they are all like me.

They are not.

They mostly are much less outspoken than I am.

I do not represent Mattawa -

I found this to be a nice peaceful quiet town, with lots of nature nearby, so moved here to retire.

Manners indeed!

:freak:

[Canuckistanian]

26. Well then, don't stereotype others

You were painting with a pretty broad brush, there.

And, BTW, I love Mattawa, it's a beautiful town.

:D

[katinmn]

20. Sadly, you are correct.

Why is anyone surprised at this story? There are probably 100,000 or 200,000 with stories just like hers!

[JI7]

21. this would not have happened if Clinton was in office

or any other Dem. and maybe even a Republican other than Bush.

[shadowknows69]

29. We as a country deserve comments like this

We should have torn down the WH after Katrina, after Abu Ghraib, after the 2004 elections, after shock and awe, after wiretapping etc. etc. etc.

"Someone's tryina tell us something,
Maybe this is god just sayin' we're responsible
For this monster, this coward,
That we have empowered
This is Bin Laden, look at his head noddin'
How could we allow something like this without pumping our fists
Now this is our final hour"

-Eminem, "Mosh"

[Debau2005]

10. OH MY GOD!

If I knew anything about setting up a trailer I would take off and drive down there! I can't believe no one has made time to do this for her!

[katinmn]

12. can't that old lady pull herself up by her bootstraps?

:sarcasm:

Oh, that only works if you're a member of the Bush Crime Family, an heir of the oil baron families, or one of our fabulously wealthy senators who also inherited their money.

The rest can just eat cake. Quit whining!

[superconnected]

16. Uh, I'm pretty sure the senators may have inherited some money

but the bulk of of their wealth comes from crooked under the table payments from corporations and special interest groups - ie casinos.

[katinmn]

17. and pharmas, and oil companies, and defense contractors, and

credit card companies and ....

[WildClarySage]

19. Well, you know, she could go to Houston

since that's where Katrina's people got such a warm welcome from Babs. And then things would be working out very well for her.

[leftyladyfrommo]

27. She needs to go to junior college and get re-trained

so she can find work.

That idea really works for all of us over 50.

(I'm being sarcastic just in case my odd humor upsets someone who takes it literally).

[Blaq Dem]

13. Correct me if I'm wrong. This woman doesn't have a lot of time left!

Good Lawd!!!!! This is tragic!!!!

[nolabels]

18. Excuse me for being flippant about this story

I clicked on the thread expecting a perfect punch-line somewhere :-(

[aaronbees]

22. To think this woman lived through the New Deal...

a time when the country came together with a vision for the betterment of a whole nation and now she has to endure this. Just hearbreaking. :(

[Occulus]

23. Can just anyone nominate an article for a Pulitzer Prize?

I'd like to do so for this one. It was a moving and well-written account- something of a rare breed, these days.

[OneBlueSky]

24. somebody call Ty Pennington . . .

Extreme Makeover Home Edition could correct all the problems in a couple of days . . . and make any needed improvements to boot . . .

[bdamomma]

28. this is terrible

people should not be treated like garbage.

[Little Star]

30. Compassionate Conservatism at its finest n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

31. If each DUer gave just $1 to this woman

think what a difference it would make in her life.

Can we organize a fund? Grousing about the government won't bring her the relief she needs; but cash will.

Who's with me? How do we set it up here?

[phusion]

32. Hell i'd give $10. n/t

[GoddessOfGuinness]

33. I imagine many would...

and that would be wonderful, of course. :D

[demo dutch]

34. That's Florida for you!