Cindy, as a dumb keyboard (who definitely can't think, let alone remember), I'll just point to brenda's post above. Um, if I had a finger, which I don't. I'll use my cable for pointing, how's that? Not the one that connects me to the computer though, not while forming letters on the screen anyway, because that would prevent me from said forming letters.

This whole posting thing is so much easier when Nilly is here. If I had a mouth and some lungs, I would sigh. Only I don't, so I won't.

He then precedes to tell us that

Arg.

Aw. Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown died. Successfully evacuated, but at 90-something and in ill health, it looks like it might have just been too much. He was a fabulous musician, and great fun.

Shoot, brenda. I should have checked back in here, before asking Deena about Kara, in Bitches.

That's sad about Mr. Brown.

The occupants of the camp cannot leave the camp for any reason. If they leave the camp they may never return. They will be issued FEMA identification cards and "a sum of money" and they will remain within the camp for the next 5 months.

Yeah, heaven forbid they get out of a cramped, crowded, depressing place, get some sunshine and fresh air, maybe look for a job, or get to see family and friends who are elsewhere. Asshats.

Looks like race is a HUGE feature of how people are responding to those displaced. This is really and truly fucked up.

From the sounds of that article at least, yep--race and social class, and possibly sex, too.

I honestly don't think race/class had much to do with the problems with the early response. I don't even think it got that far. As far as I can tell, it was sheer incompetence, lack of communication, and an unwillingness to cut through red-tape, which is a must in a disaster. But if I had a choice, I would not be staying in any FEMA/Homeland shelter. I'd find a church or other charity-run shelter, or beg relatives, first. Gah.

Cindy,

I'm not convinced. It has been so easy for various individuals to demonize the residents of NO post-hurricane: "why didn't they leave?" "why are they looting?" "why are they shooting at EMS?" that I cannot imagine race not playing a role beforehand.

FIVE DAYS. That's an awful long time for NG and FEMA not to bring in the cavalry.

Yes, there's a whole lot of incompetence, but I think race definitely had something to do with it.

sorry to have missed Rio.

RIO!!!!!!

Wow. I'm watching a clip of Bill Maher take Bush apart.

"You govern like Billy Joel drives. You've performed so poorly I'm surprised you haven't given yourself a medal. You're a catastrophe that walks like a man. Herbert Hoover was a shitty president, but even he never conceded an entire metropolis to rising water and snakes. On your watch, we've lost almost all of our allies, the surplus, four airliners, two trade centers, a piece of the Pentagon, and the city of New Orleans. Maybe you're just not lucky. I'm not saying you don't love this country. I'm just wondering how much worse it could be if you were on the other side. So yes, God does speak to you. And what he's saying is 'Take a hint.'"

The occupants of the camp cannot leave the camp for any reason. If they leave the camp they may never return. They will be issued FEMA identification cards and "a sum of money" and they will remain within the camp for the next 5 months.

That’s not just happening in Oklahoma. I have a friend in the Nashville area who said that the local Red Cross person is imposing a lot of restrictions like that on locals who want to help some evacuees who will be staying in her town. He/she was turning away job offers, etc. for the evacuees and generally giving the impression that they are to be feared rather than helped.

I guess there will always be a number of narrow-minded "officials" who are -- because of their own prejudices -- in effect sabotaging the relief process.

Narrator, are you all whupped, lately?

Yea.

I'm not convinced. It has been so easy for various individuals to demonize the residents of NO post-hurricane: "why didn't they leave?" "why are they looting?" "why are they shooting at EMS?" that I cannot imagine race not playing a role beforehand.

To be clear, I have seen a lot of racism in the analysis. And I probably want to take back my statement that class had nothing to do with the lack of response. I do think if something of this scale had happened in some place like Aspen or Hilton Head, we'd have seen a more efficient and immediate federal response. To some extent race and social class are too tied together to separate, anyhow, particularly in an urban setting. And expecting city people to even have cars they can hop in for a quick escape ignores huge chunks of any big city, regardless of race.

Dana,

I saw that. Maher was pretty good!