SIERRA VISTA - Like many people who watched the events of Hurricane Katrina unfold on television, Irene Thiele was left in tears by the tragic scenes.
The 64-year-old was so moved by the plight of Katrina's victims, she decided she must do something to help.
Being on a fixed income, she could not afford to donate much money, so she asked the American Red Cross if she could collect it instead.
Her generous offer was readily accepted and last weekend during the Oktoberfest festivities. Thiele camped out at a table, with some homemade posters and hoped for a generous response.
By Sunday, after single-handedly manning her table at Veterans' Memorial Park for more than 21 hours over three days, she had collected $2,600.
"I've never done anything like this before, but watching the faces of those people was just so sad," she said. "The people of Sierra Vista were so kind and generous."
Poor deluded woman. Doesn't she realize that the proper response to a national tragedy is finger pointing, blame assignment and telling victims how they should feel?
