The California LA fires will eventually go out and the daunting work of recovery will begin. LA like any community in America has a middle class and a lot of people working hard and on the edge. It is not exclusively an enclave of wealthy movie stars, millionaires and billionaires as you might guess if you haven’t been there. We now need unity and generosity as a whole nation. 

But in service to national unity in our response to tragedy I must unfortunately start with the petuny. I looked up petuny on the Merriam Webster website and found it wasn’t a word so I used it with my own definition (apologies to horses across the planet).

A “horse’s petuny” in this project is defined as that part of the horse’s anatomy usually covered by that elegant tail.  This writer wants to avoid language that would offend those in this culture who still don’t believe in using the street terms  in publications to describe tacky bad behavior. ‘

For instance, a few members of the impending administration are already beginning to exploit the tragic California fires for the purposes of possible personal and political gain. In this case I might ask:  “What kind of ‘horses’s  petuny’ would try to exploit the sharp, immediate pain  and grief of a near apocalyptic community wide, active tragedy before the first percentage point of fire containment is achieved?”  There exists nowhere near enough actual facts beyond suffering and loss to responsibly engage any conversation about culpability.  We can talk cause but not blame. The use of blame and political finger pointing at this stage of a fast developing disaster would be pathetic from the mouth of a frightened nine year old playground bully, but is inexcusable from  a presumed adult public official. Such self serving behavior will only divide and detract from the intense needs for relief funds, mutual cooperation, and a strong unified national response.

This project would have to say good in this current disaster is to proceed with energy, focus, skill, and compassion for the afflicted in the resolution of the conditions of this tragedy.  We will be, as a whole country, years in the healing of this burn scar on the landscape of American life. If there turns out to be some form of criminal liability in the context of this event we can weed it out in the way the law prescribes.  Despite the sharp discouraging blips of exception of the current age, justice still resides, in part, on a stable template of our democracy’s “rule of law”.  And for as long as the good heart is the second part of human justice, we believe that is good and good will serve in its own time.

How much do you need the next few lattes or to see the next blockbuster movie? What does your sense of good tell you when you read about around 1000 Pasadena school district employees are displaced or burnt out or entire school structures destroyed by fire all at once. The opportunities to do good are almost sadly infinite. Pick your relief fund but in case you are looking I included one for your convenience.

Pasadena Educational Fund

PEF Eaton Fire Response Fund