God I wish I had something else to write about.

[pecunium]

An author friend of mine once said he wrote about things which pained him, this seems to be one of the times this is what moves me.

What we did on our vacation by way of Making Light

Words fail me.

Gretna, well right now I want to wipe them from the face of the map. It's not a good response, nor a rational one, and one which; if induldged wouldn't really make me feel any better; but the more I see of the venality of those who might have helped the colder runs my blood, the more coherent becomes my rage and the more I want an Old Testament God of wrath and smiting to manifest himself and show these people how they have failed their fellow man.

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? If I am for myself alone, what am I? If not now, when?"

When indeed, and what are they?

Comments

[lietya.livejournal.com]

"As we retreated, the sheriff loaded up his truck with our food and water."

this was the point at which I lost it, finally. *spit*

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Make sure you read the comments at Making Light.

TK

[lietya.livejournal.com]

I did - was I looking for something in particular?

It does appear that most of this was corroborated, which doesn't surprise me, but gives me that same "wipe 'em off the map" feeling....

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

No, but they are at least half of what makes it such a great blog. I almost wish I was able to generate the same.

TK

[lietya.livejournal.com]

Oh - yes, they're a marvelous bunch. This comment in particular :
"Matt Austern ::: (view all by) ::: September 07, 2005, 08:55 PM:

It's easy for me to believe that it's true, and you don't even have to believe that all of the authorities in New Orleans are engaged in a coordinated effort to increase the misery of people who are already miserable.

Believing that this is true "only" requires you to believe that the people who are supposed to be providing help and order are completely uncoordinated, that those nominally in charge don't care one way or the other what happens to the people in the city, and that each local cluster of officials is thinking of nothing more than its own local convenience.

I doubt if anyone set out to create the nightmare where each place the refugees went, they were told that they had to be somewhere else. It's the sort of pattern that emerges from selfishness and the absence of leadership."

pretty much precisely sums up how I feel about it.

Shame: Gretna Police Department

[skeetermonkey.livejournal.com]

Send your mailed comments to these fine examples of American can-do and helpfulness at:
Gretna Police Department
200 Fifth St.
Gretna LA 70053

From http://www.gretnapolice.com/
"The City of Gretna Police Department's mission is to prevent crime and maintain order while affording dignity and respect to all individuals; to protect lives and property while safe guarding constitutional guarantees, committed to the delivery of police services in the most efficient, fairest, responsive and ethical manner possible to impartially enforce all laws and ordinances, while enhancing the quality of life for all citizens through new and innovative approaches to problem solving and crime prevention; with a sensitivity to the priorities and needs of the people; and to promote professionalism and pride among employees of the City of Gretna Police Department."
Chief Arthur S. Lawson, Jr.

So this statement, "...[N]ew and innovative approaches to problem solving and crime prevention..." means stopping refugees from entering your town. Shoot them, if you'd like. Violate their rights to freedom, to move about freely. Shoot fellow Americans to protect your property because your property is worth more than their lives. Shame.

Re: Shame: Gretna Police Department

[lietya.livejournal.com]

Oooh, thank you for that information!

Yes, let's let them know how much we appreciate their sympathy, compassion, and problem-solving. (/sarcasm)

Re: Shame: Gretna Police Department

[skeetermonkey.livejournal.com]

Oh, I just spotted this in the statement from the police dept:
"...[T]o protect lives and property while safe guarding constitutional guarantees..."

Ironical, considering the situation.

[lawgeekgurl.livejournal.com]

I think we need to keep writing about it, because America has the attention span of a gnat, and needs to be reminded of how horrible it was, is, and will be. Someone needs to pay for the mismanagement and outright criminally negligent behavior of those who victimized the victims.

And Jesus wept...

[patgreene.livejournal.com]

If we are being judged by God, it will be because we have abanded our fellow human beings, not because of anything like abortion or homosexuality.

[dragon-spirit.livejournal.com]

Hi, I found your journal through insomnia.

I read that report in its entirety a few days ago, and was sickened. The part that really got me was after law enforcement broke up the band of people who had built a little community on the freeway, they stole all the food and water these folks had accumulated, other than what they could carry with them.

There is no excuse for this. None. The fact that the Red Cross wasn't being allowed in and the people weren't being allowed out is a travesty of justice of the highest order.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Well, thanks for dropping in, and indirect thanks (and a toe in the sand) for whatever he said to point you here.

TK

[dragon-spirit.livejournal.com]

Actually, I added you to my list a few days ago (hope that's okay) because I've seen several of your comments on his journal and it seems like you have quite a lot of good things to say.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

I don't care who adds me.

I saw you'd done so (when I got back from riding the Berkeley Hills), went poking about your journal, and added you, so I guess you ought not to worry on that front.

What amuses me is that I don't think I comment all that often to his journal, so I got lucky.

TK

[sinboy.livejournal.com]

Lucky indeed. dragon_spirit is good people. She's worth knowing.

[mihb.livejournal.com]

The image that has been dominating my thoughts is that of people (especially children) being raped and murdered in the shelters. There were enough guards so that no one was able to leave or, eventually, enter. Was it that there weren't enough police officers and National Guard soldiers to protect the evacuees inside from such atrocities or that no one cared to send them? I am very interested to know what you think, Terry. I can only imagine how much you must want to be there helping right now.

[goshawk.livejournal.com]

I only wish I could say this is unbelievable, but of course it isn't. I don't believe there was any sort of organized will behind creating the misery and atrocity; only that there was no organized will at all. Sheer lack of preparation and coordination, not to mention the bureaucratic morass that seems to have surrounded each and every patchwork attempt to "solve the problem" (buses commandeered, aid workers denied entry, disease checks at airports--all reasonable considerations in every sense but the real-world application) was sufficient to create this...disaster.

It is still inexcusable. Despite having a certain amount of distance from this tragedy, I'm enraged at nearly everything I read about Katrina's aftermath. The whole thing is simply disgusting, and I only pray that the proper heads will well and truly roll for it.

That, and I hope that we can learn something from it. I shudder to think what the result of another such disaster might be, were the same inneffectual responses employed.

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

It's not a good response, not a rational one, and one which; if induldged wouldn't really make me feel any better; but the more I see of the venality of those who might have helped the colder runs my blood, the more coherent becomes my rage and the more I want an Old Testament God of wrath and smiting to manifest himself and show these people how they have failed their fellow man.

This very feeling has been dominating my thoughts ever since the monumental scale of this fuckup starting becoming clear. It's not enough that people should lose their jobs. In my heart of hearts, I want them to suffer mightily, to lose everything dear to them, to feel great physical and emotional pain on a par with what their fellow citizens endured. It actually kind of frightens me how strongly I feel this.

[pecunium.livejournal.com]

Me too.

I chose the phrase, "cold-blooded, coherent, rage," with a fair bit of care (given that I write almost all this stuf first-draft).

I learned some time ago (in the presence of skeetermonkey that I am a heartless sonovabitch who sometimes wants to kill people.

It was a sobering discovery.

Right now, killing isn't what I want to do. I want to hurt them more than that, which means I probably need to take a break, throw a ball for the dog, kill some aphids, hug Maia and try to distract myself.

That's what I ought to do, and sooner or later I shall.

TK