Some good news amid all the bad
I just read this morning that Fats Domino, one of the pioneers of Rock n' Roll and one of our greatest musicians, has been found alive in New Orleans! Thank goodness. I have been a huge Fats Domino fan ever since my freshman year at UMD. I don't know if you kids remember, but there used to be an old fashioned jukebox in the Ellicott dining hall, and of course it had a few cuts from Fats. I have very fond memories of sitting around Ellicott, half asleep, eating grits and listening to "Blueberry Hill." My roomate in college loved Fats and used to put his songs on whenever we went into the dining hall. Plus he had the Fats Domino Greatest Hits album on CD. So I guess Mr. Domino could be considered the official soundtrack to my college life. If any of you are interested, you can grab his greatest hits album off of the Pirate Bay.If you haven't yet, please donate to the Red Cross to help with the relief efforts in New Orleans. Things just keep getting worse there, and our bumbling government seems unable to even get food and water out to people. Does this bother anyone else? I mean, what is the difference between the destruction caused by this hurricane and the destruction caused by a terrorist attack? Other than the fact that in this case, we got 2 days warning? Is this how we plan on responding to a nuclear or biological attack? Let everyone fend for themselves? It is pretty sad and disturbing that this is the best we can do.
Ok, rant over. I'll get back to fun stuff soon, I promise.
posted by averagejoe @ 8:20 AM
6 Comments:
Also of note, from the article above:
"Meanwhile, several high-powered denizens are rallying support. Master P, whose home was swamped and who hasn't been able to track down his uncle, father-in-law or sister-in-law, has announced the formation of a charity, Team Rescue, and is organizing a "Save Our Hood" concert and benefit album."
I am shocked at the fed govt response. This storm was known about for a month, and the actual impact was known about for about 2 weeks in advance. New Orleans is a bathtub and was known to be seriously susceptible to a hurricane.
My problem isn't with the looters or the people who stayed, or faulting a city built below sea level. I blame the feds. It is 4 days later and there has been little response or plan to help people. Are you telling me that we can deploy a hundred thousand troops within a week into iraq and can't get more than a thousand national guard into the gulf coast? What the hell?
A key to response in a disaster situation is a central plan and quick response. Every hour that goes by without helping people leads those who suffer into desperation. FEMA has been looking to Red Cross and other private orgs for aid, which is unacceptable. Power, roads, infrastructure have to wait until water subsides, but GETTING PEOPLE OUT OF THE CITY and into shelters with food, water and proper sanitation should be the only goal right now. The loss of possessions and homes was inevitable, and no one is at fault for that. But ignoring those who could not leave their homes b/c of impoverishment or health is a disgrace. This failure directly cooerlates to our govt spreading itself to thin and focusing money, manpower, and planning on iraq, which leaves this country very susceptible in a situation like this.
Every image shown on tv shows me what this country thinks of the poor. Almost 90% of those who are currently trapped in New Orleans are black, poor, elderly, or disabled. The widening gap between rich and poor is rearing its ugly head. As the poor get poorer, those with power will find ways to seperate themselves more. While the scene is desperate now, it will get worse as those with little income and no insurance look to rebuild.
I hope more of those who hoarde the majority of wealth in this country can help with money and support. The govt at every level needs to step up and lead.
Dude, will you please start a blog? You're too smart to not have one.
Maybe I will Lisa, maybe I will.
By the way Fats has been found to be living with the starting quarterback of LSU, a distant relative, in his off-campus apartment.
This is ignorant on so many levels. In fact, I would say it is a flat out lie (but in case you didn't know, opinionjournal is a right-wing site, so I'm not surprised). Anyway, here is a nice rebuttal, courtesy of a left wing site:
"More active-duty troops are joining the Hurricane Katrina relief effort than originally planned, and a senior commander said Monday they likely will be needed for months, not weeks. Although the Pentagon said Saturday that 2,500 soldiers from the Army's 82nd Airborne Division were being dispatched to the New Orleans area, a spokeswoman for the division said Monday that 4,700 would be there by Tuesday. Also going are combat and support forces from the 1st Cavalry Division and 13th Corps Support Command at Fort Hood, Texas, plus about 2,000 Marines. The Pentagon originally said the 1st Cavalry was sending 2,700 soldiers, but division spokesman Capt. George Lewis said Monday that 1,700 were going, plus 100 support troops.
Thus the total for active-duty ground forces would be about 8,500, up from the 7,200 announced on Saturday. Twenty-one Navy ships also are participating, including the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman off the coast of Mississippi. The Air Force said Monday that its aircraft have flown more than 1,000 missions, including helicopter crews that have rescued more than 3,600 people and evacuation flights that have moved 2,600 medical patients.
So not only are national guard troops there, but regular Army, Navy and Air Force troops as well. Has Blanco signed over jurisdiction, as Republicans insist was required to deploy these troops? Well, no:
Blanco has refused to sign over control of the National Guard to the federal government and has turned to a Clinton administration official, former Federal Emergency Management Agency chief James Lee Witt, to help run relief efforts."
Republicans would love to act like the Federal Government was helpless to do anything because the (Democratic) governer and the (Democratic) mayor didn't "fill out the right forms." I'm sorry but that is the lamest excuse I've ever heard. In fact, it turns out that the mayor and the governer spoke with Bush before the hurricane hit, and told him that they were going to evacuate the city. Bush is just trying to save his sorry ass.
I DON'T KNOW WHAT WE'RE TALKING ABOUT!!!
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