Holy Fuck. The National Guard are proud of how they handled the convention center.
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The most contentious issues were lawlessness in the streets, and particularly a potentially very dangerous volatile situation in the convention center where tens of thousands of people literally occupied that on their own. We had people that were evacuated from hotels, and tourists that were lumped together with some street thugs and some gang members that -- it was a potentially very dangerous situation.
We waited until we had enough force in place to do an overwhelming force. Went in with police powers, 1,000 National Guard military policemen under the command and control of the adjutant general of the State of Louisiana, Major General Landreneau, yesterday shortly after noon stormed the convention center, for lack of a better term, and there was absolutely no opposition, complete cooperation, and we attribute that to an excellent plan, superbly executed with great military precision. It was rather complex. It was executed absolutely flawlessly in that there was no violent resistance, no one injured, no one shot, even though there were stabbed, even though there were weapons in the area. There were no soldiers injured and we did not have to fire a shot.
Some people asked why didn't we go in sooner. Had we gone in with less force it may have been challenged, innocents may have been caught in a fight between the Guard military police and those who did not want to be processed or apprehended, and we would put innocents' lives at risk. As soon as we could mass the appropriate force, which we flew in from all over the states at the rate of 1,400 a day, they were immediately moved off the tail gates of C-130 aircraft flown by the Air National Guard, moved right to the scene, briefed, rehearsed, and then they went in and took this convention center down.
Those that were undesirable to re-enter the convention center were segregated from the people that we wanted to provide water, shelter and food. Those people were processed to make sure they had no weapons, no illicit dugs, no alcohol, no contraband, and then they were escorted back into the building. Now there's a controlled safe and secure environment and a shelter and a haven as they await movement out of that center for onward integration to their normal lives.
It's a great success story -- a terrific success story.
It's a great success story, yup. We didn't *feed* them, we didn't give them *water*, but we sure as hell invaded them once we had enough guards.
The weatherman is saying that Tropical Storm Ophelia is on an erratic path.
This makes me very happy.
My hurricane dream last night was that they were doing away with the number rankings and using names instead. Something smaller than a 2 would be a "Shack," while a Category 5 storm would be a "Clysm." In my dream I realized these names were chosen because they'd been abbreviating "Category" as "Cat'y," so you'd have a Cat'yShack or a Cat'yClysm.
Last Night tennis = THE AWESOME.
This morning getting to work = the suck.
am tired, am hoarse, am a wee bit cranky.
Funny sight of the day - aging punk on the subway. bleached out hair, skinny black stretch jeans, skinny red tie, black nails, purple lips, wrinkly face and hands, droopy neck skin. as sad as the appearance was, he was plugged into a walkman playing cassettes. the whole thing made me laugh.
Cranky-making item of the day - reading places on the net I should just avoid.
Funny sight of the day - aging punk on the subway. bleached out hair, skinny black stretch jeans, skinny red tie, black nails, purple lips, wrinkly face and hands, droopy neck skin. as sad as the appearance was, he was plugged into a walkman playing cassettes. the whole thing made me laugh.
I blame THAT GUY for the long, slow death of CBGBs. Let it go, people. LET IT GO.
ION, I'm going to go look at an apartment in an hour. Msbelle: it's like one block north of your bro's.
So buffistas...
I am sort of thinking of giving up my at home internet connection (and phone line, as it is dialup) for the winter. I am finding in my new apartment that I am hardly ever online because my cat doesn't really let me do anything. (I can't use the keyboard without him being on it and trying to chase my fingers. He also chases the mouse) Also, in the winter I am hardly ever home because of theatre. And frankly, I could use the $40 bucks I would save to pay for gas.
Am I craxy? Will I go craxy????
Uhg. I have a work "picnic" to go to sunday. It's pretty much BYOEverything. Plus park entrance fee. Plus contribution to reserving a spot fee.
This is going to be so many kinds of unfun.
Monday I have to bring cookies for a meeting.
Tuesday is a moving-out work party.
Did I mention I really really really dislike work parties and large groups of people?
Would you then have no phone? That concerns me a little.
I love how I can be off work for a week, have my boss be at a meeting, and still immediately hate him again. Note to self: Give two weeks' notice.
No, but that goes without saying.
Would it be redundant to point out that you live in the "land of the misdemeanor homicide"?
I'm sure you'll think of something, sarameg.
They came at you, remember?
Sophia, can you get a dial up account through your looniversity that might be cheaper that would eb worth hanging onto?
Did I mention I really really really dislike work parties and large groups of people?
Yeah, I dislike large groups of people too.
I bet releasing a pack of wolves would get a large group of people to separate into many smaller clumps of people.
