Tuesday, September 27, 2005

Presidential Gas

The president has called on average Americans to conserve gasoline in the coming months due to the effect on reserves due to the recent hurricanes. He said if you don't have to take that weekend vacation, you should try to avoid it - or any other unnecessary driving. Unfortunately, there's no such conservation being called for on outrageous oil profits. Apparently, not all Americans are being asked to make a sacrifice.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Fed Up With The Fed

So the FDA won't approve the "day after" pregnancy prevention pill for what seems to be purely political reasons. Their top research person resigns in disgust over the administration's penchant for ignoring science when the findings don't fit in with their agenda (the same way they treat intelligence it turns out). Now we find out that they knew about a short circuit in a heart device. And we're not supposed to think that's political?

Sunday, September 11, 2005

9/11 Rememberance

I remember I was at work when the first plane hit The World Trade Center. I was in the parking lot of 19B when my wife called to tell me about it, and as we were talking on the phone the second plane hit. Could it be some awful screw-up at air traffic control? No, It was clear our country was under attack by somebody. It became even more clear when we heard the Pentagon had been hit. Our boss authorized us to go buy a television set and VCR at Wal Mart so we could watch the news as it unfolded. I remember wondering how many other targets were going to be hit. I was shocked as anyone, but not entirely surprised. As people so often like to say these days, It wasn't a matter of "if", but "when".

Tuesday, September 06, 2005

I hate it when I'm right.....

Why is it when the rest of us suffer, Haliburton and its subsidiary Kellog, Brown and Root celebrate? Check out Houston Finds Business Boon After Katrina in the NYT.

Sunday, September 04, 2005

Courage & Cowardice

A member of the New Orleans police department reported on CNN that one of the problems they encountered during the Hurricane Katrina rescue was the "cowardly men" who rushed the rescue vehicles. Apparently, they never heard of the "women and children" first rule of rescue and had to be forceably removed from the vehicles. The cameras also captured two men who refused to be evacuated because the National Guard didn't show them any "hospitality".

The media captures the best and the worst of humanity in times of crisis. But always remember, somebody is making a decision about what goes on the air.

White Opportunism : Black Looting

It's very telling that our state and federal beurocrats wasted no time in giving a stern warning to looters in New Orleans that they would be met with a "zero tolerance" (i.e. intolerance), "shoot-to-kill" policy. While poor people are starving and dying of thirst and diabetic shock and disentary and other entirely preventable maladies, the governments earliest priorities were to meet black faces stealing tennis-shoes and televisions with excessive force.

You see, when you're poor & black, it isn't taking advantage of an opportunity to enhance your chances of survival, but looting that will not be tolerated by the powers that be - even when they should be concentrating on much more important things, like making sure hundreds of thousands of Americans don't succumb to the ravages of a natural disaster. Here's a practical solution: if you're carrying anything that you don't need for survival, like water or formula or diapers or food or medicine, then you don't get help. Ten boxes of Nikes are surely an economic and social boon to some poor, black, urban male, but you can't eat shoes no matter how cool they look. Now, if you're stupid enough to shoot at people who are trying to rescue you, then you deserve to be shot.

At the same time, when rich white businessmen gouge consumers at the gas pumps and take obscene profits from the war in Iraq with no-bid contracts, that's NOT looting. Somehow that's ok. Those people don't get an M-16 pointed at their heads for stealing from the federal treasury and from the American taxpayers. Instead they're celebrated as clever opportunists by right-wing conservatives (i.e. fascists). I'm sure those people are already positining themselves to re-build New Orleans and parts of Missisippi and Alabama. I bet the back-room handshakes have already left their palms sweaty. I know, we can get Dick Cheney to give the New Orleans re-construction contracts to Kellogg, Brown & Root and Haliburton and/or their less publicized subsidiaries - they've been having a helluva time in Iraq and would much rather deal with poor blacks instead of poor Iraqis.

I believe this administration and their corporate comrades in the private sector are guilty of the worst looting in the history of our country (and the federal deficit will bore that out when all is said and done), yet nobody is threatening these unapologetic theives with extreme force - even in the voting booths. Too bad. Oh, and remember, this is the same administratioin who ignored the looting of Baghdad.

•••


It will be a mistake for the Katrina victims to turn the slow response to this crisis into a black/white, racial thing - even though there's still undoubtedly unspoken forces working against black America when it comes to white empathy. But I think it's really about class. Those with the means and the sense to leave, were never in any danger. Those without? Well, right-wing conservatives are true social Darwinists who don't feel any guilt in saying "fuck 'em" - as long as it's not on the record in print, radio or television.

As soon as the Fed had boots on the ground yesterday, the top priority seemed to be positive photo-ops to counter the negative publiciity about the slow response to the human crisis. It started with President Bush, who coddled two black women in his arms and kissed them on their heads. Then the generals got into the game today, kissing black babies and and making damn sure they got videotaped barking orders, getting shit done. Well, they were definitely losing in the PR game with this crisis - they had to do something.

I think it's probably true that the magnitude of this crisis played a large part in the slow response. Add to that the poor communication between local, state and federal authorities and you've got a real, dangerous mess on your hands. But it I think it really opened peoples eyes to the fraility of our nation and our susceptibility to natural and man-made disasters - regardless of how deluded we are about American superiority.

Friday, September 02, 2005

Battle of Orleans

I used to shake my head in disgust and dismay while watching on CNN the senseless violence that occurs in Africa and Haiti and other third world countries and wonder, " What's wrong with these people? Who's in charge over there? Why isn't anybody helping the civilians? How can this be happening?" I never thought I'd be asking the same questions about New Orleans, U.S.A.

There's no better example of the complete disconnect between the needs of the America people and the response of the Federal and State governments.


In the words of New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin, who completely lost it in a radio interview, "....I am pissed!" He said nobody's talking about it, but drug addicts are roaming the streets, armed to the teeth, looking for something to take the edge off of their jones. And they don't have the manpower to deal with it. "Someone needs to get their ass on a plane and figure this shit out RIGHT NOW," he said, referring to the Governor and The President just before breaking down into frustrated sobs.

Scary.

CNN keeps reporting that the people need food, water and police and military security. The National Guard officials keep saying they're doing everything they can, and that more and more guards are being deployed to help. However, I will say this about the media coverage, I don't think I've seen one picture on CNN of military troops being deployed to the area, though they claim there's thousands. CNN has been there for three days and they've only shown FEMA employees, who are basically just collecting bodies at this point. Is the breakdown in emergency response or CNN's coverage?

The New Orleans police department is holed up in their precinct and have snipers on the roof, protecting their own while simultaneously watching the city burn.

Where the fuck is the military? Oh yeah, they're "protecting our freedom" in Iraq. Well, damn good thing we have The Department of Homeland Security to make sure we're all safe. Thank God for that.

Unreal. Strange how this happens when most of the media images show black faces as the ones pleading for help as well as the ones looting and shooting. Would there be a lack of response if this happened in western Florida? Is it possible there's a subtext of racism? I'd really hate to believe that.