[StBernard] Courthouse blues

[Westley Annis]

I despise un-cleanliness. (Unrelated to the storm), I've seen unmentionable
filth streetwise (and I don't mean it's privy to an after-parade in St.
Bernard parish). The dirge extends throughout my memory when touring
Louisiana in general. Paper and garbage thrown from vehicles lace the
highways and byways, along the neighborhood streets and yes--it even extends
to some homes I've experienced --- unfortunately. 

It's awful enough to confine it only to a household. However when trash
extends outside one's residence and migrates across the street to the
neighbor's property or outside one's car to the highway - this disturbs me.

I've traveled somewhat outside of the country, to Europe, Mexico, Bahamas
and even applys to some decent states (and yes, Disneyworld). To have
experienced this degree of cleanliness in comparison, I'm highly
disappointed at adult's negligence or their negligence/lack of common
courtesy/decency in respect to the environment/earth. Most of these areas
I've seen won't reveal trash on the ground as everyone (including government
and responsible agencies) must do his or her/its part in perfecting an
attitude toward cleanliness.

I don't wish to leave my place of birth as I don't subscribe to this
defeatist attitude of giving up when I might make the significant difference
in helping educate or make my small contribution in helping. Everyone should
examine his/her conscience to determine if all has been done to keep our
world out of the colossal garbage bin of stench and refuse.

Cleanliness:

With that said, let me share a brief note toward the court house. Yesterday,
after the utilization of the bathroom facility--one of my very common/sure
practices is to do the basic afterward: wash my hands. It should be a given
right in a government establishment. 

However, I was deprived of this action. Upon finding no water in one sink, I
moved over to the second. Incredibly, it also was bone dry. **Yes, there was
plenty of soap, but no water to make the action workable. Upon further
examination, (I feel uncomfortable using the tripe word: chagrin <G>), I
noticed pipes were missing under the sinks. Appalling? How about spellbound,
as I was forced to wipe the liquid soap off my hands repeatedly until
totally rubbed to extinction.

I felt compelled to bring this to the attention to the "food court" outside
of the Clerk of Court's domain. The attendant claimed (whether a concern to
him or not) as he shrugged his shoulder that there's nothing he could do
about it--nor knew if anything was in the works. 

I was further confused. Imagine if I led a life-practice of
"whistle-blowing" --how there would be a field day explaining the state
board of health and other agencies that a beaucoup of possible germs,
viri/viruses and diseases could be spread from everyone to everyone by the
neglect displayed at this site. To imagine people who use the facility
(including the food maker attendant) who are subjected to eat, bring into
court, visit the clerk/accessor's offices, etc. is unconscionable. 

The attendant says the parish government is responsible and I find it hard
to believe NO ONE has brought it to the attention of either the parish or
the board of health in seeing that this issue is resolved successfully and
soon.

I'll wait a short while to see if Craig or others in their duty can address
the issue. It is needed and sickens me to have been placed in this
situation. 

--now, I'll step off the soapbox and allow others to digest a disgust for
the similar experience. Hopefully, though they do not depend upon visiting
the bathrooms until what is indeed broken--is expedited to a complete
conclusion, satisfactorily by those who must experience using the courthouse
restrooms.

It's called cleanliness--even though responsibility is a huge part of the
problem.

--jer--