In Katrina hide-and-seek, let's add amnesty rule
Once upon a time, a forgiving Greek general declared to his battlefield enemies "a-mnasthai," or something similar to that.
I bare no witness to the authenticity of this story, or to the date of its happening, likely the 4th century. Stories get twisted through the telling of time, especially when they involve centuries and people like me who insert new chapters.
The common version is that in a fit of niceness, this Greek general told his enemies he would "not remember" their misdeeds. He would forget, he would forgive, and they'd go about their merry way.
"A" is Greek for "not" and "mnasthai" is for "remember." From that "not remember" sprang a word we use today, "amnesty." Also from it comes "amnesia."
Isn't amnesty just an attack of amnesia? If this is getting too complicated for a Sunday morning at the tail end of a holiday weekend, let's cut to the chase.
The neighbors grant you amnesty. The churches grant you amnesty. The museums grant you amnesty. I grant you amnesty.
Let's all declare Katrina amnesty. Katrina a-mnasthai.
Did you, or did someone you know, sift through wreckage of the Hurricane of All Hurricanes and find something interesting that wasn't yours but too good to leave behind? Most of us are not normally the sort to take something that doesn't belong to us, but Hurricane Katrina set different rules.
In many cases, ownership is unknown. Katrina, after all, scattered personal possessions, buildings and houses over blocks, maybe miles. But in some cases, ownership is obvious. So what's wrong with keeping a little piece of stained glass? Full Story
I bare no witness to the authenticity of this story, or to the date of its happening, likely the 4th century. Stories get twisted through the telling of time, especially when they involve centuries and people like me who insert new chapters.
The common version is that in a fit of niceness, this Greek general told his enemies he would "not remember" their misdeeds. He would forget, he would forgive, and they'd go about their merry way.
"A" is Greek for "not" and "mnasthai" is for "remember." From that "not remember" sprang a word we use today, "amnesty." Also from it comes "amnesia."
Isn't amnesty just an attack of amnesia? If this is getting too complicated for a Sunday morning at the tail end of a holiday weekend, let's cut to the chase.
The neighbors grant you amnesty. The churches grant you amnesty. The museums grant you amnesty. I grant you amnesty.
Let's all declare Katrina amnesty. Katrina a-mnasthai.
Did you, or did someone you know, sift through wreckage of the Hurricane of All Hurricanes and find something interesting that wasn't yours but too good to leave behind? Most of us are not normally the sort to take something that doesn't belong to us, but Hurricane Katrina set different rules.
In many cases, ownership is unknown. Katrina, after all, scattered personal possessions, buildings and houses over blocks, maybe miles. But in some cases, ownership is obvious. So what's wrong with keeping a little piece of stained glass? Full Story
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