behind the times
ok, first, i'm sorry. i'm a little behind in my posts.
outrage? check.
sympathy? check.
praise for journalists who finally seem to have grown balls? check.
1) while i am sympathetic to the fine folks of New Orleans, and am well behind the efforts to get them food, clean water, and a roof over their heads, i am here to say i would never want to live in a flood plain, let alone a coastal city below sea level protected by questionable dikes which generally falls in the path of hurricanes.
2) the government/FEMA/local politicians have failed the people of that region in many ways. while i do not believe the lack of interest was racial, it may have been classist, but the proof will probably never surface.
3) i'm hearing talk of not rebuilding the city where it once was. hm. sounds sensible to me, actually, although a sticky (and stinky) situation.
4) a friend told me about an apartment owner in smalltown PA who has offered a free 1 year lease to any displaced New Orleansans(?) who can get there, and who is willing to work either as a handyman or secretary. i hope that more folks can do this, too.
5) anderson cooper (and other cnn folks): congrats on the balls. now keep up the good work.
6) gas hikes: $6/gallon in places? I really am seriously thinking about buying a scooter to get to work and back, because as it stands, it will now cost me $54-55 to fill up, and $110 per month is too much. The $2000 vespa the neighbor is selling looks mighty tempting. Or, my dad said he'd sell me his for $800, which is a vespa clone, and only has 75 miles on the odometer.
Comments
1. Or a city that has earthquakes? (LA or SF) Or a city that has terrorist attacks? (NY or DC) Or a city that has river flooding? (STL or Memphis) Or a city that has snowstorms? (CHI or Minneapolis) Or a city... I think you see my point here.
And, personally, I like questionable dykes. :-)
2. It'll surface like the rising waters of Jefferson Parish.
3. Don't tell someone from NOLA that. They're kinda sensitive about these comments right now.
4. "New Orleansians" is how I've seen it on the news. That apartment owner should get a medal.
5. Anderson should run for President.
6. It'll probably come down below $3 a gallon for regular, but not much more than that.
Welcome back! It's amazing how much a cookout can distract you, eh? :-)
Posted by: palochi | September 6, 2005 2:57 PM
1) I lived near flooding bodies of water in several cities. No way would I ever do it again. As for people who live near fault lines? Yeah, I question their sanity, too, although I do like to visit. Terrorist attacks are going to come wherever and whenever, and not just in NY or DC. Yes, I get the point, everyone has the probability of something bad happenning, that they learn to live with. Mine just don't include flooding or hurricanes at the moment. Or alligators. Or giant python snakes. Or killer monkeys.
2) I hope you're right.
3) I hope they rebuild on higher ground with better flood/disaster control, and that the end result doesnt have a Disneyfied feel. But anything they do will take years and billions upon billions of dollars, and this kills me, because, like with everything in 'Merica, the poor will stay poor and the rich will get richer, by subbing it out to the lowest bid subcontractors.
4) There need to be more folks like that. We'll all get more culturally schooled, and be better for it in the end. Some of these rich jackasses who are gonna profit from this should be strung up and their houses made into luxury apartments for the needy.
5) Anderson is HOT. He and Jon Stewart ought to do a tag-team talkshow.
6) I dont think we'll see much of the bottom side of 3.00, much, if ever, after the next year. I've always been a fan of public transportation.
On a sidenote, three kids I went to college with (and who grew up near the Shadyside flood in 1990) lived in New Orleans. They were probably too high to think about getting out, and after putting a knife to one of my closet friend's throat and threatening to kill her... I'm not going to worry about them.
Posted by: Gigamatt | September 6, 2005 4:03 PM