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Tag(s): Alabama; American Peoples Congress; American Presidents; God; Government; Money; Relief; Stress; Tennessee; Weather
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May 24, 2008 at 21:46:27

Headlined on 5/24/08:
The Tragic Yet Inspiring Saga of Pam Whitaker - A True American Hero!

by Peace Brother Page 1 of 5 page(s)

www.opednews.com

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The Tragic Yet Inspiring Story of Pam Whitaker, A True American Hero

Most Americans were sleeping peacefully in their beds the morning of February 7th, 2008. I happened to be staying at a motel in Auburn, Alabama that morning. Since I usually work the night shift, I awoke around 3 AM and ventured down to the lobby of the hotel where a television set was tuned to CNN's coverage of the tornadoes that had ravaged through several towns in Alabama, Arkansas, and Tennessee.

I was particularly interested in watching this coverage since warnings of this powerful super cell had been issued in the Northwest Alabama region where I live. I was astonished at the tremendous power of the storms that was evident in the pictures which CNN was broadcasting of homes completely obliterated in the wake of the tornadoes.

As I watched, I became totally engrossed in the following early morning interview done by CNN's John Roberts with Pam Whitaker who had just survived a night of terror in her town of Lafayette, Tennessee. Pam was quite understandably in an apparent state of shock as she stood there speaking with the reporter as the storm's destruction was unveiled with the sun's morning light.

You can click on the following link or paste the address into your web browser to watch Pam's early morning interview with CNN correspondent John Roberts:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/weather/2008/02/07/roberts.whitaker.intv.cnn?iref=videosearch

Here is the transcript of Pam Whitaker's interview that morning which begins with CNN anchor Alina Cho checking in with correspondent John Roberts:

ALINA CHO: John?

ROBERTS: Yes. Similar scenes here, Dan. They're trying to string the power wires back up again but they haven't even begun to start the cleanup here. They're still searching for some survivors. Dan Lothian for us this morning in Atkins, Arkansas. Dan, thanks very much.

And joining me now this morning is Pam Whitaker. She lost her home as the tornadoes tore across Tennessee. She's here this morning.

You don't have any shoes on and you had a broken foot. My goodness, what kind of conditions are you living in these days?

PAM WHITAKER, LOST HOME IN STORM: We're living in the National Guard. And we don't have a home to go to. So I don't know where we're going to end up.

ROBERTS: They've got you in the shelter there?

WHITAKER: At the National Guard. We was at the school but we had no lights or nothing, so we transferred to the National Guard.

ROBERTS: So take me back to Tuesday night, Super Tuesday night, an election going on here in Tennessee.

WHITAKER: We never did get to see that. They started with the warnings. And so about 7:00, the wind seemed like it was about 9 miles an hour. The week before, we had a small little windstorm, and the neighbor's roof came off. And when they said it was supercell, I knew it would be long and hard.

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Aka "Peace Brother", I am a health professional and writer interested in promoting global peace and justice.

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4 comments

Aka "Peace Brother", I am a health professional and writer interested in promoting global peace and justice.
Kris MalmquistAka "Peace Brother", I am a health professional and writer interested in promoting global peace and justice.

Watch CNN Interview with Pam

You can watch Pam's interview with CNN correspondent John Roberts by clicking on the following link or pasting the address into your web browser:

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/weather/2008/02/07/roberts.whitaker.intv.cnn?iref=videosearch

I apologize for not including it in the article above.

Also, FYI, the Zip Code for Lafayette, TN is 37083.

After I submitted this article, I got the bright idea to nominate Pam and her mother for ABC's Extreme Makeover / Home Edition, and I'm working on filling out the 20-page nomination form. I can't think of anyone more deserving of this honor......

by Kris Malmquist (9 articles, 0 quicklinks, 26 diaries, 87 comments) on Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 1:54:06 AM

Hater of Nazis above all. Hobbies include activism, military model building, military history, exciting and vital conversation with retired crooks. Retired
John HanksHater of Nazis above all. Hobbies include activism, military model building, military history, exciting and vital conversation with retired crooks. Retired

Human Beings

I like her more because she is not a hero. She has the capacity to endure what seems to be unendurable. She is a victim with grace, like so many others. Heros are fictions invented to keep our nose to the wall - usually the wall of war. (Believe it or not, a tornado touched down a block away from my house a couple of days ago, and I was admiring the green-colored storm from my back window. My dog, Max, was barking like mad at the tornado outside my front window. I was the idiot, and he was my hero, though it didn't do any good.)

by John Hanks (1 articles, 0 quicklinks, 0 diaries, 1186 comments) on Sunday, May 25, 2008 at 9:02:29 AM

People Helping People....

I just mailed off the 20 page application form to nominate Pam Whitaker to receive an Extreme Makeover / Home Edition for her home that was destroyed in the tornado. It was kind of funny when I was filling out the application, it says to list the five repairs that the home needs. I wrote "to say that Pam's home needed a makeover and repairs was quite an understatement!"

If you feel that Pam Whitaker would be a deserving person to be featured on an upcoming episode of ABC's Extreme Makeover / Home Edition, please write to the producers of this show to express your support. The address is:

Lock & Key Productions

C/O Family Casting

P.O. Box 38670

Los Angeles, CA 90038

Wouldn't it be great if the Op-Ed News Community could all band together and start a letter-writing campaign to help this woman who has cheerfully endured more hardship than any human being should ever have to?

I bet it will make Rob Kall proud to see us all doing what we can to help out our fellow sisters and brothers!

by Kris Malmquist (9 articles, 0 quicklinks, 26 diaries, 87 comments) on Monday, May 26, 2008 at 3:55:38 AM

On a lighter note.....

I was just thinking that wow -- tomorrow perhaps another natural disaster will happen and my home could be completely destroyed and I could lose all of my earthly possessions. But at least I have the comfort of knowing that I can probably count on my federal government, to which I have been paying taxes into for as long as I can remember, to provide me with a whole one thousand dollars! That oughta' cover it.....?? Sort of makes a person wonder how any of us would get along without good Ole Uncle Sam in our corner when we need him the most? (Cough, cough.)

by Kris Malmquist (9 articles, 0 quicklinks, 26 diaries, 87 comments) on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at 3:33:02 AM