The real shock and awe
Not bombs over Baghdad, but the paltry response to the disaster in our own country. Like Rob, I too have started and deleted several posts, unable to find the words to adequately express my dismay and my anger. And part of the problem was evident in the calls I've been taking at work the last few days. We have a large customer base in the areas affected by Katrina. The majority of customers that still have some service are understanding when we can't dispatch a technician to fix their problem within 24 hours, but there are those few that have sorely tried my patience. As an example, I had a caller today who was fortunate enough to live a bit east of the affected area yet literally screamed at me because we had not fixed his DSL issue in less than 24 hours. He was furious that we were short on technicians because some had been sent to help sections of the state that were completely without phone service. I find that level of selfishness inexcusable and I had to do a great deal of tongue biting during that conversation. On a brighter note, my employer has set up a donation fund for employees that they will match dollar for dollar. A dollar for dollar match was enough to make this ex-Human Resources Manager smile, but the suggested donation amount made that grin go from ear to ear. The suggested amount was just $5 each. It appears that I work for a company that actually has a clue of what it's like to not be able to afford even Ramen noodles that last few days before payday and yet still have a desire to help folks in even greater need. Five dollars would turn into ten, but I'm hoping I can come up with $25 which will turn into $50 and that's pretty damn cool.