"I don't mind the negative press (well, actually, I do, but I try to ignore it) but it is really wearing out the family," "No wonder people don't go into public service. This country is devouring itself, the 24-hour news cycle is numbing our ability to think for ourselves,"
Hey, Mike, got a minute? A wall broke. A poorly constructed damn that was holding back an ocean of water collapsed, and if that section of wall holds, none of this ever happens. Katrina missed New Orleans, people were dancing on Bourban Street and the party capital of the south was fixin' to throw one helluva shindig.
But it DID cave, Mike. And suddenly the federal government was to blame for the wall, and the people who were caught up by the mother of all waves. To blame for the economic condition of those people and for the fact that most were black. Now, the vast majority of folks of good will know that none of this cannot be any single person's fault, Mike...and yeah, you got me there...why aren't the major and governor in jail for allowing such a piece of shit wall to have existed in the first place, but you get my drift. The wall did what wall's eventually do, and politicians did what they eventually do. Once the paying customers smell blood they either have it hand delivered to them or go for it themselves, and sorry it was your head on the platter.
Damn, Mike, we both know that 100, hell, 50 years ago everybody would have been calling for the head of the guy who checks the wall, but it's not 50 or 100 years ago pal. Now we ask why people who live near oceans of water keep moving back after they've been flooded out, time afer time, and in ALL parts of the country. We're getting a little weary of rebuilding everyone's dream house or apartment or beautiful cabana by the sea, but that's a different story.
But they're gonna move back. We can bundle them all into the New Orleans equivalent of Fort Knox but some are going to get lost, hurt, or killed the next time something like this happens. Still with me, Mike? Cool. So one thing you should NOT expect from these people is anything resembling a sane response. Mayor knew this. Governor knew this. They still encouraged people to live, work and play there, and the media loves 'em BECAUSE they're guaranteed to do stupid stuff that makes headlines.
You're an office guy, Mike, and from the get-go YOU should have had your OWN general. Your very own death-defying, ass kicking, motherless son of a bitch who's boots were on the ground from day one. Call him assistant this, or secretary that, or supreme-go-fer commander of the western world, but this ain't polite society you were dealing with. Politicians. Reporters. Reverends who've proclaimed themselves Shaman-In-Charge of why white folks still hates black folks. Celebrities who fly into the nearest airport then get in everybody's way as they strive for that next rung-up on the ladder to nirvana. Yeah, seems like more folks were getting permission to ENTER New Orleans then were evacuated, doesn't it? Even retired mumbler-extraordinaire Tommy Brokaw pops up and WTF was HE doing there? Was somebody giving out free passes to the Worst-That-Humankind-Has-To-Offer club? Scary stuff. What sane person would want to deal with even one of these at a time let alone all of the usual suspects and all at once.
Hell yes, I remember reading about the old stories of society's reaction to such a disaster. They'd call in the army to shoot looters and if you were caught sketching a dead body let alone taking snapshots they'd shoot you too. Nowadays CNN threatens to sue if they can't send back a live video feed of a pile of dead Americans, the government caves faster than that bad chunk of wall did, and this disgusting "news" service gets to send in MORE folks into an area that was supposed to be evacuated.
But is is nowadays, Mike. We adapt or we fail. The lunatics don't just RUN the asylums pally, they OWN them, and like it or lump it, you didn't adapt fast enough. Didn't give the rubes what they wanted, didn't bark for the yak woman. Now, don't tell me that all of this is news to you. I know, I know, everyone's entitled to their fair share of sour grapes, from them and against them, and your portion could have fed Anna Nicole for one serious binge, but none of this is changing anytime soon so hunker back and remeber that you are still an important member of the group of people dedicated to protect us. You know full well that the higher the monkey climbs in the tree the more his ass shows, so don't feed me any of that, "for crissake, Gunny, the cops were deserting until the Mayor started sending them to Vegas and you think YOU could have handled it any better?" bullswaggle. No Mike, I could not have done any better. That's why I wasn't there and you were.
Now stop the lefty-sounding whine and go make us proud.
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