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Okay, now I *really* hate Chicago fans...
Jan. 22nd, 2007 11:58 am
Unbelievable. I really can't believe someone would go to that kind of effort, and not realize how spectacularly offensive and cruel that is.
Unbelievable. I really can't believe someone would go to that kind of effort, and not realize how spectacularly offensive and cruel that is.
Geauuuuuxxxx Saints!
Sep. 25th, 2006 10:18 pmThe Saints are up by two touchdowns and change at halftime against Atlanta.
It's their first game back at the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina. The Saints are (atypically) undefeated. The energy is INCREDIBLE.
Not only did they sell out all their season tickets (the first time it's happened), they received so many requests for press passes, they can't even fit all the reporters into the stands. Al Jazeera requested press passes!
Geaux, Saints! We love you, New Orleans! Kick some Falcon ass!
It's their first game back at the Superdome since Hurricane Katrina. The Saints are (atypically) undefeated. The energy is INCREDIBLE.
Not only did they sell out all their season tickets (the first time it's happened), they received so many requests for press passes, they can't even fit all the reporters into the stands. Al Jazeera requested press passes!
Geaux, Saints! We love you, New Orleans! Kick some Falcon ass!
You and your children are in my heart today.
I miss you and I'll be back.
I miss you and I'll be back.
(no subject)
Sep. 18th, 2005 12:51 amAs y'all know, I love New Orleans, and have been horrified by the response to Hurricane Katrina--the federal, state and local response, as well as the latent racism being revealed in some people's lack of compassion for these people ("they were stupid not to leave earlier; they got what they deserved" or "I'm going to withhold aid as retaliation for the so-called 'blame game'"). But I'm equally pissed at the way some people (I've seen this on TWoP and my message board) minimize the looting that went on--either they say it was exaggerated by the media, or they excuse it by saying all the looting was okay because insurance will cover it, or they only took necessities like food, clothing, water (nb.--IMO, they shouldn't call stealing necessities 'looting'--any one of us would do the same, especially if it appeared that the government had left us to die). Okay--NO. Stealing electronics, stealing antiques, stealing anything not necessary for survival is fucking looting. If you do that, you're scum. Color has nothing to do with it. You're shit, and I have no problem with martial law, with all that that entails, being declared. These savages were stalking the good people of New Orleans--the vast majority of the left behind were decent, good people, who were suffering from the looters even more than the owners of the looted businesses. And color had nothing to do with it--certainly the looters didn't care what color anyone else was.
From the Yahoo! article linked above:
Margaret Richmond stood watching, tears streaming down her face, as members of the 82nd Airborne Division used a crowbar to try to pry open the door of her looted antiques shop on the edge of the city's upscale Garden District.
The store, Decor Splendide, had been looted in the chaotic days after Katrina struck. Antique jewelry, a cement angel with one wing broken off and lamps were lying scattered on the floor. Someone had wedged a piece of metal in the door to jam it closed, hoping to deter other looters.
"What they didn't steal they trashed," Richmond said, gazing through a window of her shop, before the soldiers were able to break open the door. "They got what they could and ruined what they left."
Business owners, facing damage that could take months to repair, said hopes for a quick recovery may be little more than a political dream.
"I don't know why they said people could come back and open their businesses," said Richmond, whose insurance policy will cover the lost merchandise. "You can't reopen this. And even if you could, there are no customers here."
Here's another article I read in the New York Press:
People keep asking me why I stayed as long as I did. I saw reports that it was because all of us who stayed were lazy or stupid or criminal. We all had our reasons for staying.
I had two reasons. First, my landlady could not take her dogs, which we both loved very much. So I kept them until she could come back and get them a few days later. The second reason was my neighbor. She's about eighty years old and maybe eighty pounds and she was all alone. Her son was supposed to come get her and take her to safety.
...
Since I stayed to help her, she had told me her son would be happy to take me with them. As it turned out, he picked her up days after in the pre-dawn hours and never came to get me. So I was stuck, and my last available ride out was gone. It was time to go on my own.
...
I've seen reports since I got out about looting. Some reports claim it was prevalent and some claim it was exaggerated. I can say that the looters were much more organized than the police or relief efforts. The day of the hurricane, while the winds were still in the 60-70 mph range, there were already groups of people in the back of trucks and stolen U-Hauls roaming areas where police cars could not get through. In one morning, I watched at least four groups of young men try to break into the Habitat for Humanity warehouse.
The people across the street from my home went out to loot and came back with shopping carts loaded down with stolen goods from the grocery a few blocks away. They stole mostly soda, cigarettes and alcohol.
By Monday night, the looters were getting bold enough to come knocking on doors, robbing anyone who came out. If no one answered they would just break in and steal what they wanted anyway.
The attitude of these people came right out Mad Max. They were reveling in this, happy and exultant in their ability to destroy and hurt and terrorize. They were, by definition, terrorists, and they were having the time of their lives. I know because I had to fight two of them just to leave the city with the few possessions I was able to carry.
I tried to get to the Superdome but the water was nearly waist deep and a family walking away from there told me someone had tried to set a fire in the stadium that morning. So I walked to the alternate pick-up at the convention center. The amount of people there was staggering. In less than fifteen minutes, I witnessed more crime than I had in the entire time I lived in New Orleans.
I saw three guns in the first 15 minutes I was there. I saw people break into the Riverwalk Mall and bring back piles of stuff. Not much of it was clothing or anything that could help you in an emergency. People were posing for news cameras with their newly stolen loot.
In a corner of the parking lot, I watched a large prayer circle gather. The people were holding hands, praying for their safety and the safety of their families. There was no mention of other people in the prayer. When the circle broke up, most of those who'd been praying marched across the street and broke into a small grocery store, leaving with alcohol and cigarettes.
I wish the people who are trying to minimize the looting would read this. It happened. These people were scum--not some sort of misunderstood victims. They were predators, animals, viruses. Their actions were as bad as the government's inaction. They victimized the vast majority of the left-behind as much as the flooding did.
Anyway. The archivist/historian in me wanted to set the record straight (as I see it) even though it is pretty much in the past.
From the Yahoo! article linked above:
Margaret Richmond stood watching, tears streaming down her face, as members of the 82nd Airborne Division used a crowbar to try to pry open the door of her looted antiques shop on the edge of the city's upscale Garden District.
The store, Decor Splendide, had been looted in the chaotic days after Katrina struck. Antique jewelry, a cement angel with one wing broken off and lamps were lying scattered on the floor. Someone had wedged a piece of metal in the door to jam it closed, hoping to deter other looters.
"What they didn't steal they trashed," Richmond said, gazing through a window of her shop, before the soldiers were able to break open the door. "They got what they could and ruined what they left."
Business owners, facing damage that could take months to repair, said hopes for a quick recovery may be little more than a political dream.
"I don't know why they said people could come back and open their businesses," said Richmond, whose insurance policy will cover the lost merchandise. "You can't reopen this. And even if you could, there are no customers here."
Here's another article I read in the New York Press:
People keep asking me why I stayed as long as I did. I saw reports that it was because all of us who stayed were lazy or stupid or criminal. We all had our reasons for staying.
I had two reasons. First, my landlady could not take her dogs, which we both loved very much. So I kept them until she could come back and get them a few days later. The second reason was my neighbor. She's about eighty years old and maybe eighty pounds and she was all alone. Her son was supposed to come get her and take her to safety.
...
Since I stayed to help her, she had told me her son would be happy to take me with them. As it turned out, he picked her up days after in the pre-dawn hours and never came to get me. So I was stuck, and my last available ride out was gone. It was time to go on my own.
...
I've seen reports since I got out about looting. Some reports claim it was prevalent and some claim it was exaggerated. I can say that the looters were much more organized than the police or relief efforts. The day of the hurricane, while the winds were still in the 60-70 mph range, there were already groups of people in the back of trucks and stolen U-Hauls roaming areas where police cars could not get through. In one morning, I watched at least four groups of young men try to break into the Habitat for Humanity warehouse.
The people across the street from my home went out to loot and came back with shopping carts loaded down with stolen goods from the grocery a few blocks away. They stole mostly soda, cigarettes and alcohol.
By Monday night, the looters were getting bold enough to come knocking on doors, robbing anyone who came out. If no one answered they would just break in and steal what they wanted anyway.
The attitude of these people came right out Mad Max. They were reveling in this, happy and exultant in their ability to destroy and hurt and terrorize. They were, by definition, terrorists, and they were having the time of their lives. I know because I had to fight two of them just to leave the city with the few possessions I was able to carry.
I tried to get to the Superdome but the water was nearly waist deep and a family walking away from there told me someone had tried to set a fire in the stadium that morning. So I walked to the alternate pick-up at the convention center. The amount of people there was staggering. In less than fifteen minutes, I witnessed more crime than I had in the entire time I lived in New Orleans.
I saw three guns in the first 15 minutes I was there. I saw people break into the Riverwalk Mall and bring back piles of stuff. Not much of it was clothing or anything that could help you in an emergency. People were posing for news cameras with their newly stolen loot.
In a corner of the parking lot, I watched a large prayer circle gather. The people were holding hands, praying for their safety and the safety of their families. There was no mention of other people in the prayer. When the circle broke up, most of those who'd been praying marched across the street and broke into a small grocery store, leaving with alcohol and cigarettes.
I wish the people who are trying to minimize the looting would read this. It happened. These people were scum--not some sort of misunderstood victims. They were predators, animals, viruses. Their actions were as bad as the government's inaction. They victimized the vast majority of the left-behind as much as the flooding did.
Anyway. The archivist/historian in me wanted to set the record straight (as I see it) even though it is pretty much in the past.
Good news (maybe)
Sep. 15th, 2005 02:26 pmMayor Nagin says parts of New Orleans will reopen soon.
The first section of the city could open as early as Monday, Nagin said, and the historic French Quarter of the city, the prime destination for tourists, could reopen Sept. 26.
If they have a Mardi Gras this year--and knowing New Orleans, they will--Doug, we are SO THERE.
I hope, I hope, I hope...
The first section of the city could open as early as Monday, Nagin said, and the historic French Quarter of the city, the prime destination for tourists, could reopen Sept. 26.
If they have a Mardi Gras this year--and knowing New Orleans, they will--Doug, we are SO THERE.
I hope, I hope, I hope...
Flames, flames on the side of my face
Sep. 14th, 2005 03:52 pmFrom the Washington Post
but I will tell you that I know otherwise very generous people who have told me they aren't giving any money to Katrina relief until the whining and blame-laying stops. I'm afraid your columns contribute to that.
That's just an excuse for stinginess. Anyone who would withhold help--help to dying old people, to starving children, to diabetic patients and newborns who need formula--because their precious anointed one is criticized--is despicable. You know what, keep your money. Donations are at record highs. In the end, you have to sleep with yourself, and when you die, you're going to be the one shuffling in front of God when He asks you "You were going to help them but didn't--why? Again?"
And no, I'm not saying everyone has to give or they're evil. We all choose where to make a difference--some people might give nothing at all to the victims of Katrina, but volunteer at a homeless center, or be a Big Brother, or work at an animal shelter. I'm saying that people who loudly proclaim they were going to give but now they're not because of a disagreement over accountability--is despicable. That's just a comforting justification for being a shitty human being.
but I will tell you that I know otherwise very generous people who have told me they aren't giving any money to Katrina relief until the whining and blame-laying stops. I'm afraid your columns contribute to that.
That's just an excuse for stinginess. Anyone who would withhold help--help to dying old people, to starving children, to diabetic patients and newborns who need formula--because their precious anointed one is criticized--is despicable. You know what, keep your money. Donations are at record highs. In the end, you have to sleep with yourself, and when you die, you're going to be the one shuffling in front of God when He asks you "You were going to help them but didn't--why? Again?"
And no, I'm not saying everyone has to give or they're evil. We all choose where to make a difference--some people might give nothing at all to the victims of Katrina, but volunteer at a homeless center, or be a Big Brother, or work at an animal shelter. I'm saying that people who loudly proclaim they were going to give but now they're not because of a disagreement over accountability--is despicable. That's just a comforting justification for being a shitty human being.
(no subject)
Sep. 7th, 2005 01:11 pmScathing column in the Washington Post:
We're not number one. We're not even close.
By which measures, precisely, do we lead the world? Caring for our countrymen? You jest. A first-class physical infrastructure? Tell that to New Orleans. Throwing so much money at the rich that we've got nothing left over to promote the general welfare? Now you're talking.
The problem goes beyond the fact that we can't count on our government to be there for us in catastrophes. It's that a can't-do spirit, a shouldn't-do spirit, guides the men who run the nation. Consider the congressional testimony of Joe Allbaugh, George W. Bush's 2000 campaign manager, who assumed the top position at FEMA in 2001. He characterized the organization as "an oversized entitlement program," and counseled states and cities to rely instead on "faith-based organizations . . . like the Salvation Army and the Mennonite Disaster Service."
...This is the stuff-happens administration. And it's willing, apparently, to sacrifice any claim America may have to national greatness rather than inconvenience the rich by taxing them to build a more secure nation.
...When it comes to caring for our fellow countrymen, we all know that America has never ranked very high. We are, of course, the only democracy in the developed world that doesn't offer health care to its citizens as a matter of right. We rank 34th among nations in infant mortality rates, behind such rival superpowers as Cyprus, Andorra and Brunei. [my emphasis]
...Even if we'll never win the national-greatness sweepstakes for solidarity, though, we've long been the model of the world in matters infrastructural, in roads, bridges and dams and the like. But the America in which Eisenhower the Good decreed the construction of the interstate highway system now seems a far-off land in which even conservatives believed in public expenditures for the public good. The radical-capitalist conservatives of the past quarter-century not only haven't supported the public expenditures, they don't even believe there is such a thing as the public good. Let the Dutch build their dikes through some socialistic scheme of taxing and spending; that isn't the American way. Here, the business of government is to let the private sector create wealth -- even if that wealth doesn't circulate where it's most needed. So George W. Bush threw trillions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, and what did they do with it? Did the Walton family up in Bentonville raise the levees in New Orleans? Did the Bass family over in Texas write a tax-deductible check to the Mennonites for the billions of dollars they would need to rescue the elderly from inundated nursing homes?
Even now, with bedraggled rescuers pulling decomposed bodies from the muck of New Orleans, Bill Frist, the moral cretin who runs the U.S. Senate, wanted its first order of business this week to be the permanent repeal of the estate tax, until the public outcry persuaded him to change course. The Republicans profess belief in trickle-down, but what they've given us is the Flood.
The world looks on in stunned amazement, unable to understand how a once great nation has grown so indifferent not just to its poor and its blacks but even to the most rudimentary self-preservation. Some of it is institutional racism, but the primary culprit is the economic libertarianism that the president still espouses whenever he sells his Social Security snake oil. It's that libertarianism, more than anything else, that has transformed a great city into an immense morgue.
But, hey -- stuff happens.
We're not number one. We're not even close.
By which measures, precisely, do we lead the world? Caring for our countrymen? You jest. A first-class physical infrastructure? Tell that to New Orleans. Throwing so much money at the rich that we've got nothing left over to promote the general welfare? Now you're talking.
The problem goes beyond the fact that we can't count on our government to be there for us in catastrophes. It's that a can't-do spirit, a shouldn't-do spirit, guides the men who run the nation. Consider the congressional testimony of Joe Allbaugh, George W. Bush's 2000 campaign manager, who assumed the top position at FEMA in 2001. He characterized the organization as "an oversized entitlement program," and counseled states and cities to rely instead on "faith-based organizations . . . like the Salvation Army and the Mennonite Disaster Service."
...This is the stuff-happens administration. And it's willing, apparently, to sacrifice any claim America may have to national greatness rather than inconvenience the rich by taxing them to build a more secure nation.
...When it comes to caring for our fellow countrymen, we all know that America has never ranked very high. We are, of course, the only democracy in the developed world that doesn't offer health care to its citizens as a matter of right. We rank 34th among nations in infant mortality rates, behind such rival superpowers as Cyprus, Andorra and Brunei. [my emphasis]
...Even if we'll never win the national-greatness sweepstakes for solidarity, though, we've long been the model of the world in matters infrastructural, in roads, bridges and dams and the like. But the America in which Eisenhower the Good decreed the construction of the interstate highway system now seems a far-off land in which even conservatives believed in public expenditures for the public good. The radical-capitalist conservatives of the past quarter-century not only haven't supported the public expenditures, they don't even believe there is such a thing as the public good. Let the Dutch build their dikes through some socialistic scheme of taxing and spending; that isn't the American way. Here, the business of government is to let the private sector create wealth -- even if that wealth doesn't circulate where it's most needed. So George W. Bush threw trillions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthiest Americans, and what did they do with it? Did the Walton family up in Bentonville raise the levees in New Orleans? Did the Bass family over in Texas write a tax-deductible check to the Mennonites for the billions of dollars they would need to rescue the elderly from inundated nursing homes?
Even now, with bedraggled rescuers pulling decomposed bodies from the muck of New Orleans, Bill Frist, the moral cretin who runs the U.S. Senate, wanted its first order of business this week to be the permanent repeal of the estate tax, until the public outcry persuaded him to change course. The Republicans profess belief in trickle-down, but what they've given us is the Flood.
The world looks on in stunned amazement, unable to understand how a once great nation has grown so indifferent not just to its poor and its blacks but even to the most rudimentary self-preservation. Some of it is institutional racism, but the primary culprit is the economic libertarianism that the president still espouses whenever he sells his Social Security snake oil. It's that libertarianism, more than anything else, that has transformed a great city into an immense morgue.
But, hey -- stuff happens.
