When the levee breaks
Heartfelt condolences go out to Katrina survivors and lost Americans. What a fucking tragedy.
Chance to insert inappropriate song reference notwithstanding, I think the song's content is appropriate to describe what can be said about both the physical and political landscape America is currently experiencing.
Here's something that's been bugging me. Just a little bit.
Anyone who's been following the news has seen that approximately 70 percent of the Katrina survivors, not to mention the fallen, are African-American and/or poor citizens holed up in low-rent, disaster-prone working class areas who had either no means of conveyance or adequate funds to pay for transportation out of New Orleans. I say and/or, because, let's face it, in a major American city such as New Orleans, the words "African-American" and "poor" more or less go hand in hand like two attendees at a shotgun wedding. This is what we call environmental racism. I'm surprised that no one's begged the question as to whether predominantly White refugees would have undergone the same inhumane, animal-like treatment in evacuation lines that the predominantly poor Black survivors have so far suffered. When 9/11 hit, awards shows were postponed indefinitely, and sporting events were cancelled out of respect and taste. Currently, no American awards shows or sporting events have received any sort of postponement out of respect and taste. If anything, I would imagine based on the national solemnity after 9/11, the Katrina debacle would receive equal treatment. People just don't seem to care as much about Katrina, as there is this otherworldly detachment and inability to sympathize with the survivors. Without wandering into the territory of racism and prejudice, all I'm going to ask is "Why?"
On the other hand, there's the issue of poor planning and response time which costs thousands of Americans their lives. In 2002, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers resigned in protest to the Bush Administration due to the amount of money that would've and has been so far diverted from national disaster preparation stockpiles and put towards the war in Iraq and homeland security (security, that is, for the purposes of national defense in response to the war). The project, which was aimed at strengthening levees in major potential "hotspots" began in 1965 and was slated to be complete in 1975. As of now, in 2005, the project remains at a standstill 80 percent completed. Also as of now is the 30 percent of National guard stationed in Iraq in the name of peacekeeping, not to mention arms caches and supplies that have been shipped and are being shipped to Iraq that our soldiers here desperately need.
Politicians are born, shameless liars. With that said, I'm not sure how I'd categorize Bush, a good old-fashioned American boy who's one of us. "One of us," in the context of the average American unversed in the realm of politics and law entails a college-educated adult who inexplicably possesses the attention span of a 10 year-old and the impetuous recklessness of a 6 year-old. All things considered, I'd rather not have a president who I can relate to. There are numerous reasons that I'm not president, these reasons including but not limited to the fact that I stay on top of all matters concerning the wellbeing of my country and the ability to make intelligent decisions in dire situations. Another thing I would expect to see in a president is a strict insistence on making decisions by abiding with accurate and professional intelligence. That despite the fact Bush's cabinet is so competent and able he is still able to claim harmless ignorance towards every single crisis that hits America is utterly inexcusable.
I know this isn't the time to be blaming anyone for what happened, although there is blame to be laid. For the hurricane, I blame Triton, dread god and overseer of the Seven Seas. But in terms of the planning, the response, and the horrific amount of casualties suffered, how can anyone not have at least an opinion in regards to those factors and how they were handled? When the levee breaks, shit will happen. And happen big shit will.
The only reason the war in Iraq remains to this day a bloodless war is because all the casualties are unreported and now, drowned. I'm curious as to how many more American deaths it will take before the American people finally realize that the government does not act on our behalf. Probably the day Bush starts to take more accountability into the matters he should be responsible for.
All aggressions and venting aside, condolences to those affected by the Katrina catastrophe. I hope we make it through this together as Americans. Find out how you can help.
Chance to insert inappropriate song reference notwithstanding, I think the song's content is appropriate to describe what can be said about both the physical and political landscape America is currently experiencing.
Here's something that's been bugging me. Just a little bit.
Anyone who's been following the news has seen that approximately 70 percent of the Katrina survivors, not to mention the fallen, are African-American and/or poor citizens holed up in low-rent, disaster-prone working class areas who had either no means of conveyance or adequate funds to pay for transportation out of New Orleans. I say and/or, because, let's face it, in a major American city such as New Orleans, the words "African-American" and "poor" more or less go hand in hand like two attendees at a shotgun wedding. This is what we call environmental racism. I'm surprised that no one's begged the question as to whether predominantly White refugees would have undergone the same inhumane, animal-like treatment in evacuation lines that the predominantly poor Black survivors have so far suffered. When 9/11 hit, awards shows were postponed indefinitely, and sporting events were cancelled out of respect and taste. Currently, no American awards shows or sporting events have received any sort of postponement out of respect and taste. If anything, I would imagine based on the national solemnity after 9/11, the Katrina debacle would receive equal treatment. People just don't seem to care as much about Katrina, as there is this otherworldly detachment and inability to sympathize with the survivors. Without wandering into the territory of racism and prejudice, all I'm going to ask is "Why?"
On the other hand, there's the issue of poor planning and response time which costs thousands of Americans their lives. In 2002, the head of the Army Corps of Engineers resigned in protest to the Bush Administration due to the amount of money that would've and has been so far diverted from national disaster preparation stockpiles and put towards the war in Iraq and homeland security (security, that is, for the purposes of national defense in response to the war). The project, which was aimed at strengthening levees in major potential "hotspots" began in 1965 and was slated to be complete in 1975. As of now, in 2005, the project remains at a standstill 80 percent completed. Also as of now is the 30 percent of National guard stationed in Iraq in the name of peacekeeping, not to mention arms caches and supplies that have been shipped and are being shipped to Iraq that our soldiers here desperately need.
Politicians are born, shameless liars. With that said, I'm not sure how I'd categorize Bush, a good old-fashioned American boy who's one of us. "One of us," in the context of the average American unversed in the realm of politics and law entails a college-educated adult who inexplicably possesses the attention span of a 10 year-old and the impetuous recklessness of a 6 year-old. All things considered, I'd rather not have a president who I can relate to. There are numerous reasons that I'm not president, these reasons including but not limited to the fact that I stay on top of all matters concerning the wellbeing of my country and the ability to make intelligent decisions in dire situations. Another thing I would expect to see in a president is a strict insistence on making decisions by abiding with accurate and professional intelligence. That despite the fact Bush's cabinet is so competent and able he is still able to claim harmless ignorance towards every single crisis that hits America is utterly inexcusable.
I know this isn't the time to be blaming anyone for what happened, although there is blame to be laid. For the hurricane, I blame Triton, dread god and overseer of the Seven Seas. But in terms of the planning, the response, and the horrific amount of casualties suffered, how can anyone not have at least an opinion in regards to those factors and how they were handled? When the levee breaks, shit will happen. And happen big shit will.
The only reason the war in Iraq remains to this day a bloodless war is because all the casualties are unreported and now, drowned. I'm curious as to how many more American deaths it will take before the American people finally realize that the government does not act on our behalf. Probably the day Bush starts to take more accountability into the matters he should be responsible for.
All aggressions and venting aside, condolences to those affected by the Katrina catastrophe. I hope we make it through this together as Americans. Find out how you can help.
posted by 99thdream at 1:55 PM
1 Comments:
I hate triton too.
thomas
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