okay, so I should let everyone know:
I've always hated NOLA. I've only been there once and it bummed me out. I hate that it's a tourist trap, I hate that it's got the most corrupt police force in the United States, I hate that it's a totally corrupt political town (my friend Art had a bomb threat when he ran for an HoR position down there, apparently it's pretty common when people outside of the machine run), I hate that it's basically unpoliced with the exception that poor black people aren't allowed where the tourists hang out, (other than that it's a free for all in either area), I hate that people go there just to drink girly drinks. The list goes on. I've hated it ever since I read about the kid in that Cormac Macarthy book getting his ass beat there. Never stopped, never will (I ALMOST stopped hating it when Quintron Robert moved there and bought a house for 20K, but not quite).
So it got wiped off the map, so what - it's basically been Detroit for longer than Detroit has been Detroit, and now, now it's finally become Detroit as Detroit became Detroit. Serves them right. So, in coversations this week I've been getting more and more vocal about how much I hate NOLA - it's basically an apartheid state in America and everyone should know it. I told people that the looting makes perfect sense, given how totally lawless NOLA has been and how basically everything is a total loss anyway. Then I read Ana's piece on how the AP had a picture of a black kid with a trash bag and some food and they called him a looter while AFP had a picture of white people leaving after "finding" food in an abandoned grocery store. It just makes me sick. There's even an AP picture of one white person and a black person leaving the same broken into store - it describes the white person and looking in her shopping bag and the black person as jumping out of the broken window.
The basic point is that there was no plan to move poor people (who else lives in NOLA?) - If you don't own a car you deserve to die. Dem's da breaks, sorry kid.
The quotes I've read about the whole thing are amazing, but not the worst of it.
It turns out that there was never a plan to get people other than car owners out of the city - and by the way NOLA's per cap income for blacks is under 12K, vs. 31 for whites. Several housing projects have sub 15K household incomes. what steps were taken for people that clearly can't afford a car? Well, I guess if you were lucky enough to survive, the hope will be they can capture a picture of you looting the last bits of food left in the city - or maybe some water that's clean to drink. Then they can arrest you for it in the future.
Yesterday I predicted that we would get a Detroit like scenario in NOLA, it turns out that it's here already - apparently people have been firing guns at helicoptors, medivac coptors have refused to land because hundreds of people have been on the hospital landing pads, and some of them have guns. Today apparently people are setting fires all over the place and shooting at Army helicoptors - the mayor (who ran on a "reform" ticket issued an "SOS" whatever the hell that means - A quote from the NYTimes piece on the lawlessness:
''We have individuals who are getting raped, we have individuals who are getting beaten,'' Compass said. ''Tourists are walking in that direction and they are getting preyed upon.''
Lest you wonder who would be so concerned about the tourists, that's right - Compass is the Cheif of Police.
the article also mentions the police have lost total control:
"About 15,000 to 20,000 people who had taken shelter at the convention center to await buses grew increasingly hostile. Police Chief Eddie Compass said he sent in 88 officers to quell the situation at the building, but they were quickly beaten back by an angry mob."
Finally, a quote about the helicoptors:
''Hospitals are trying to evacuate,'' said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesan, spokesman at the city emergency operations center. ''At every one of them, there are reports that as the helicopters come in people are shooting at them. There are people just taking potshots at police and at helicopters, telling them, `You better come get my family.'''
Ahhh, the big easy. The expression "you get what you pay for" does come to mind. That reminds me - it turns out that one of the sections of the levee that collapsed was just repaired by the Army Corps of Engineers, turns out that funding for the program was cut by the administration - likely diverted to more important countries - turns out they didn't have the resouces to finish the job. Whoops. Maybe that's why George ended his vacation early - because if everyone knew it was his fault (well, probably dick or karl's but you get the point) they'd be really mad he was vacationing all the time.
So it got wiped off the map, so what - it's basically been Detroit for longer than Detroit has been Detroit, and now, now it's finally become Detroit as Detroit became Detroit. Serves them right. So, in coversations this week I've been getting more and more vocal about how much I hate NOLA - it's basically an apartheid state in America and everyone should know it. I told people that the looting makes perfect sense, given how totally lawless NOLA has been and how basically everything is a total loss anyway. Then I read Ana's piece on how the AP had a picture of a black kid with a trash bag and some food and they called him a looter while AFP had a picture of white people leaving after "finding" food in an abandoned grocery store. It just makes me sick. There's even an AP picture of one white person and a black person leaving the same broken into store - it describes the white person and looking in her shopping bag and the black person as jumping out of the broken window.
The basic point is that there was no plan to move poor people (who else lives in NOLA?) - If you don't own a car you deserve to die. Dem's da breaks, sorry kid.
The quotes I've read about the whole thing are amazing, but not the worst of it.
It turns out that there was never a plan to get people other than car owners out of the city - and by the way NOLA's per cap income for blacks is under 12K, vs. 31 for whites. Several housing projects have sub 15K household incomes. what steps were taken for people that clearly can't afford a car? Well, I guess if you were lucky enough to survive, the hope will be they can capture a picture of you looting the last bits of food left in the city - or maybe some water that's clean to drink. Then they can arrest you for it in the future.
Yesterday I predicted that we would get a Detroit like scenario in NOLA, it turns out that it's here already - apparently people have been firing guns at helicoptors, medivac coptors have refused to land because hundreds of people have been on the hospital landing pads, and some of them have guns. Today apparently people are setting fires all over the place and shooting at Army helicoptors - the mayor (who ran on a "reform" ticket issued an "SOS" whatever the hell that means - A quote from the NYTimes piece on the lawlessness:
''We have individuals who are getting raped, we have individuals who are getting beaten,'' Compass said. ''Tourists are walking in that direction and they are getting preyed upon.''
Lest you wonder who would be so concerned about the tourists, that's right - Compass is the Cheif of Police.
the article also mentions the police have lost total control:
"About 15,000 to 20,000 people who had taken shelter at the convention center to await buses grew increasingly hostile. Police Chief Eddie Compass said he sent in 88 officers to quell the situation at the building, but they were quickly beaten back by an angry mob."
Finally, a quote about the helicoptors:
''Hospitals are trying to evacuate,'' said Coast Guard Lt. Cmdr. Cheri Ben-Iesan, spokesman at the city emergency operations center. ''At every one of them, there are reports that as the helicopters come in people are shooting at them. There are people just taking potshots at police and at helicopters, telling them, `You better come get my family.'''
Ahhh, the big easy. The expression "you get what you pay for" does come to mind. That reminds me - it turns out that one of the sections of the levee that collapsed was just repaired by the Army Corps of Engineers, turns out that funding for the program was cut by the administration - likely diverted to more important countries - turns out they didn't have the resouces to finish the job. Whoops. Maybe that's why George ended his vacation early - because if everyone knew it was his fault (well, probably dick or karl's but you get the point) they'd be really mad he was vacationing all the time.
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