...it's not dark yet, but it's gettin' there...
First, read The Anchoress every day. Here's an excerpt from her post yesterday.
The sad people who sit around like self-gratifying monkeys, constantly working their hate, working it and working it, are longing for release - for an orgasm that can only occur upon the utter political, personal and (for some) physical destruction of a human being named George W. Bush. Until they have that destruction, and that orgasm, nothing else matters. Nothing. And nothing can be seen by them, except through the prism of that hateful desire.Second, this disaster should be a lesson to all of us how misplaced our reliance on the government has become. It's ironic that the very people who didn't trust the government when it told them to evacuate before the storm hit are now living in hell because they are waiting for the government to come and save them. And the government is just not there. i make fun of Libertarians from time to time, but Katrina has proved them right in one thing. We must take responsibility for our own survival.. . .
Hate tends to consume the hater, and I read some of the remarks some folks are making and think…are you so in love with your hate that you cannot let it go long enough to say 'let us band together and put politics aside, for now…' because this really is not the time to drive political daggers - it is not the time to try to figure out if the traditionally Democratic leadership in this state or that contributed to a city’s unpreparedness and vulnerability. It is not the time to sit and seethe with resentment or guffaw in anticipatory glee about how 'this will sink the Repugs in ‘06!'
Trivia question: Name a disaster of any magnitude in which the government has not been criticized for responding too slowly. Hell, we had a building fire in Sacramento a few weeks back and the news for the next few days was all about why the local fire department took too long to arrive.
It's not just that state, local and federal agencies have been incompetent. The scope of the disaster would have made even a perfectly planned response seem incompetent. By way of thought experiment, here's a small example. Where are the busses to evacuate people from the Superdome? Flooded, by the hundreds in a parking lot. Why can't we fix them? All the mechanics are gone and there's no electricity. Why can't we get enough busses there from outside? Roads are flooded and destroyed. What looks like an adequate number of busses suddenly is inadequate as word gets out that busses are coming and even more people flock to the Superdome.
Another important lesson: the idea of a citizen militia as originally envisioned by the writers of the Second Amendment is not, repeat NOT, outdated.
You need to seriously refine your writing. It is so overwrought and unseemingly. Have you considered an essay class at the local community college?
Posted by: rextilleon on Sep. 2, 2005You will pay dearly for that, Rex.
Posted by: reagan80 on Sep. 2, 2005One thing that is obvious to me is that there were a large number of people who, for a variety of reasons, did not or could not evacuate. This is not an unexpected disaster and it appears that the community of New Orleans had either inadequate or no plans on how to evacuate and shelter those who could not do so for themselves.
Excellent Annika.
The same hate that drives the left in America is the same hate that drove the left to execute 80,000,000 people in other countries. That hate is a frightening thing.
Just think how the people suffer in countries are where the government runs everything. We are getting a taste through Katrina what life in those countries is like. A life of desperation, despair and death.
Posted by: Jake on Sep. 2, 2005Uh, Rex. Refine your own writing. It's unseemly, not unseemingly. Have you considered going back to high school for remedial English classes?
It just never ceases to amaze how people feel the need to make snide remarks on personal blogs.
Posted by: Blake on Sep. 2, 2005Hell yeah the idea of a citizen militia is not outdated -- what's unfortunate is that it took an event like this for me to realize it. Right now I am not entirely opposed to the idea of going out and buying myself a shotgun.
I understand that people are hurt, lost, feeling desperate, and frustrated but it amazes me the magnitude in which there is a complete and utter disregard for the law; and the harm that is being directed toward those who are doing their best to HELP.
Or maybe I just don't understand.
:(
Posted by: Amy Bo Bamy on Sep. 2, 2005rex, didn't you see the title of the post? i did it in a rush... if you have trouble understanding my writing, it's usually better the more time i have to proofread and edit. However, i don't think i need to go back and take a remedial english course. i have one graduate degree and im working on another. my verbal SAT was at the top of the scale. Same for my LSAT. so don't worry about me, i should be teaching an essay writing class.
Posted by: annika on Sep. 2, 2005To: Annika
Yes, the idea of a militia should be revived.
To: Amy Bo Bamy
May I recommend a Remington Model 870 12 gauge loaded with 00 buckshot?
Amy,
If I rad right you're in Tx but ame from Hawaii? Purchasing a firearm in Texas involves minimal hassle but it's always better to have one & learn how to use it well before you need it.
Hawaii though - it's one of the worst states for gun owners. A permit is required for any firearm; the issuing authority has arbitrary discretion over issuance; a one year epiration date for long guns permits; a 10 day expiration day for handgun permits; a minimum 14 dy wait for a permit to be issued once you apply; complete registration of all firearms; carrying is technical possible with a license but problematic at best, etc...
I mention this cause Hawaii, being an island (chain) is much more likely to go through something like NO has than say Texas. So if you have family or friends still there or you ever think about heading back you might wanna try to get some of those laws changed.
Rex,
When the adults are through commenting, raise your hand & we'll get to you soon. really. we mean that.
Miss Annika,
You're one of the best writers I've seen. You shouldn't even take comments like Rex's seriously.
But libertarians are only right about one thing? I think at least two; the point you mentioned & private actors (i.e. charities like the Salvation Army) are more effective at helping individuals than government is. I'll grant it's debatable to some extent & government can perform necessry roles, but if it weren't for the private actors think of how much worse things could be.
Many of today's "progressives" seem to be capable of only two emotions: anger and resentment. Recent decades of leadership--by journalists, professors, and Democratic politicians--have instructed people that the proper response to any problem is *not* to think coherently about how to fix it, or to empathize with the victims, or to do something which actually helps--rather, it's to express one's rage.
Posted by: David Foster on Sep. 2, 2005"Where are the busses to evacuate people from the Superdome?"
In the midst of all the fucking water, that people would still think ground transporation--and ground trasportation ONLY--is the best way to get large numbers of people out continues to strike me as something bordering on insane. Instead of dealing with flooded/destroyed/unstable roads, bridges and causeways into a city accessible only by a few choke points even at the best of times, um, the river's less than two miles straight down Canal Street from the Superdome.
Posted by: Dave J on Sep. 2, 2005"It's ironic that the very people who didn't trust the government when it told them to evacuate before the storm hit are now living in hell because they are waiting for the government to come and save them."
Excellent point, Annika.
Posted by: Mark on Sep. 3, 2005
"To: Amy Bo Bamy
May I recommend a Remington Model 870 12 gauge loaded with 00 buckshot?"
Or a mossberg? (in the same gague and ammo) Those two shotguns are the top selling.
http://www.mossberg.com/
Posted by: cube on Sep. 6, 2005