Mexican Army Invades Texas--Convoy Heading For Alamo!!

[shalanna]

They're in trucks, not on horseback. And no sign of Santa Anna (or "Santy Annie," as my seventh-grade history teacher pronounced it.) But for the first time since 1846, the Mexican army has crossed the Texas border and is headed for San Antonio, home of the Alamo and Texas independence.

The Alamo is "owned" and husbanded (wifed?) by the Daughters of the Republic of Texas. My friend Elaine is one of the few officers of that organization who has the key to the Alamo. I am sure Elaine, her sister, and her daughter are standing in front of the Alamo this very minute, ready to defend it against any takers!

This is historic. They're bringing portable kitchens (mmm, Mexican food!) and a water treatment unit. It's coming to the evacuees in San Antonio in shelters. Some of it may go elsewhere after that.

I'm so glad we're accepting the foreign aid. We're always the first to zoom out to any other country and hand out help or foreign aid. Now we need it, and we should let them return the favor. Bless them for helping. They *want* to pay us back for all the help from the past. I hope they let the Canadians come soon, and the doctors from Cuba or Korea or wherever. It doesn't make us weak.

It makes us human.

Comments

[maggieroofus.livejournal.com]

I saw that on the news. It's really pretty awesome :)

I'm also glad that we're beginning to accept some of the firegin aid. I think (based on something I heard on the news) the main reason they've waited and haven't just jumped on all the offers is because they're trying to see what we alaready have, what's needed and what's been offered. So that we're not just saying "sure, sure we'll take it" and then end up not needing it.

Other things coming in are huge water pumps from Germany and water purifiers from South Africa ... and that's all I can remember at the moment.

[coneycat.livejournal.com]

Four Canadian ships loaded with relief supplies left Halifax several days ago, Canadian military divers are already in the water clearing debris, and there's been an urban search-and-rescue team from Vancouver, BC, on the ground since about day two or three, waiting for the state police to decide it was safe to let them go to work.

Pretty well all of us developed nations roll up our sleeves when we're needed, by the way. It's been my experience of American news sources (based on four years living in Dallas watching US network news on TV and supplementing with outside sources via the Web) that non-US efforts simply don't get mentioned on US news, which leads even their faithful news watchers to have a slightly skewed idea of who helps in times of catastrophe.

It's not so much paying you back as the normal human reaction of wanting to help people in desperate need, a reaction as common to Europeans and Canadians as to Americans.

[coneycat.livejournal.com]

In fact, the SAR team appears to be at work right now.

[coneycat.livejournal.com]

The related-stories links are also kind of heartening--the ones about the 20,000 cots on the way from Quebec, the ships in transit, and the news that Canadian universities are looking for ways to take in displaced students so their educations won't be disrupted too badly.

Plus, of course, the black and Acadian communities in the Maritimes are working on taking in refugees, although I don't know how that's going.

And then there's Frank Stronach and his Florida refugee camp, which you can read about on my LJ.

Don't worry. We haven't been ignoring this, although in some cases it our efforts may be slowed down by confusion on-site.