I'm really curious to see how the Republican party is going to address the class issue (I don't think they'll do much with the racial aspect of this disaster). Because this really is the most obvious, visceral exposure of what it means to be left behind economically.

This is why Lyndon Johnson proposed The Great Society in the first place. But I think that rhetoric is exhausted now, even if the issues are basically the same.

But there is no Republican rhetoric to deal with the chronically poor. It's either "a rising tide lifts all boats" or blameful.

Strega! Did you see I got the Slow Bob? Many many thanks! Plus Steve Buscemi. Cool.

Haley Barbour wasn't sounding the Federal horn earlier this week. Now he's had a chance to calm down and get on message.

You are right about that. On Tuesday he was sounding panicked. I wonder if GWB promised to rebuild his coastal summer home too.

Oof.

*****

9/4/2005, 6:37 p.m. CT
The Associated Press

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Police shot and killed at least five people Sunday after gunmen opened fire on a group of contractors traveling across a bridge on their way to make repairs, authorities said.

Deputy Police Chief W.J. Riley said police shot at eight people carrying guns, killing five or six.

Fourteen contractors were traveling across the Danziger Bridge under police escort when they came under fire, said John Hall, a spokesman for the Army Corps of Engineers.

It's either "a rising tide lifts all boats" or blameful.

A particularly apt saying, since we've just seen quite literally demonstrated how much this depends on having a boat.

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — Police shot and killed at least five people Sunday after gunmen opened fire on a group of contractors traveling across a bridge on their way to make repairs, authorities said.

They reported that on the CBS news earlier, Hec, and by the end of the broadcast they reported that the contractors were shot at by a sniper and the police killed him, so I think there's a lot of confusion around the story still.

Strega! Did you see I got the Slow Bob?

Oh, yes, I saw the earlier post but this weekend's been crazed and I forgot, but: yay! I think that's the only thing I've said "Yay!" about this week. I'm glad you got it, & it's all playable and stuff. I like the Buscemi short because I always wind up making up backstory for it afterwards. (Sorry about the quality.)

Have you ever seen the South Bank Show ep with Douglas Adams? I only thought of it now, because I suck. Well, and because I'd already put it on DVD, and I think I was mostly looking at tapes when I was throwing that together. But if you're a DNA fan it's awesome, so I don't know why I didn't think to ask before. Stupid brain.

CNN corrected the story and said contractors were not shot. Who knows?

Sounds like they closed they breach at the 17th Street Levee. Which, as I now know from 60 Minutes, is not actually a levee but a floodwall. All the old levees made out of dirt did just fine.

If you say so. Everytime I see him, he seems really surly and a Bush administration apologist. But at least he's keeping his cool.

Yeah, he is a shill, but unlike his "boss" he's been out front all along.

I understand some MS residents aren't too happy for him because he didn't call for mandatory evacuations. Granted I don't know this for a fact, just something I read from a MS resident.

MS issued evacuation orders but lacked the manpower to enforce them all along the coast. And a lot of people stayed, thinking that since their house had survived Camille it would survive Katrina. Unfortunately, a lot of them were wrong.

And Washington is taking 2000 evacuees, all going to Puget Sound area counties. [link]

I wonder how many of my old bosses will be housing refugees in their weekend/summer homes.

None I bet.