I had an interesting idea today. I thought I might write something that wouldn't offend anybody. The notion quickly passed, as my very existence offends people. The fact that I just keep writing also seems to cause a lot of anger. I have been endlessly amused by the negativity, and I appreciate the passion very much.
I have been blogging on the police actions in St. Paul almost around the clock, except for the couple of hours I drifted off. St. Paul is the only place in the nation that's almost as bad a place to be as New Orleans right now. I would have been in St. Paul today if it weren't for Gustav, but that doesn't make me feel any better about the massive storm. I would rather be under arrest in Minnesoata than face the devastation that's liable to take place in Louisiana.
Just when I thought things wouldn't get any worse, I heard Bush and McCain will both come here. Oh, yay. I hoped to be spared such an insult from John McCain, but Bush's visit and lies were inevitable. If there were only some way I could avoid listening to any of the Repiglican leaders... I know, I'll instantly turn off the television when they speak. What are the best lies? Is that an oxymoron?
More:
Today somebody from the Homeland Big Brother Corporation looked into the camera and said New Orleans is safer from hurricanes than st any other time in the city's history. I would have smashed the television, but it doesn't belong to me. The WSJ:
Only in April, for instance, did the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers award a $695 million contract to build a barrier that would help protect the eastern part of New Orleans from a Gulf of Mexico storm surge of the type that flooded much of the city during Katrina. The project isn't scheduled to be finished for at least another year, according to federal officials.
On Thursday, federal officials were racing to strengthen an 1,800-foot stretch of the Industrial Canal that has been identified as structurally deficient. Workers were buttressing that section of the levee with sand-filled baskets.
A massive hurricane also could expose numerous other weaknesses in other areas -- levees that have yet to be strengthened on the west bank of the Mississippi River; and floodgates that haven't been installed at the mouth of the Industrial Canal, whose walls cracked open three years ago and famously flooded the impoverished Lower 9th Ward.
When I was searching for specific vulnerabilities just now Bobby Jindal referred to the uncompleted projects. He also referred to Reagan twice in 30 seconds. I guess saying Reagan works as a sort of mantra for him, calming his frayed nerves and soothing his worries. Rayyyyguhhhhn... Rayyyyguhhhhn... Bobby's mind must be a very strange place.
Bush's all time best lie, in my opinion, was when he referred to what a great job Michael Brown was doing. Awesome disaster! Great job! At that moment tens of thousands of exiled Louisiana residents were betrayed.
If we hadn't lost the extremely motivated voters from the poor areas of New Orleans, and if we had a better education system here, then this state would be a blowout for Barack Obama right now. We have the worst schools in the nation, though, and the most ignorant red neck country boys in the world. A friend of mine told me he's voting for John McCain. I asked him why, incredulously. He said, "Because the black dude wants to take away our guns." He had never heard about the SCOTUS ruling on DC's ban, and this guy graduated from Tulane. That was when it hit me how Neanderthal some of our less educated residents must be.
Here's a great lie. John McCain actually cares about Louisiana. He cares so much he's coming here to disrupt post-hurricane recovery so he can get his picture taken. I wonder if he's bringing his bimbo VP pick. Thanks, Walnuts! There's nothing to worry about now.
I could write about this all night, but there are illegal police actions taking place in St. Paul right now (and I'm going to liveblog that all night). Amy Goodman climbed over a fence to question police. How amazing is she? I am so jealous of the people there right now, even if it is a nightmare of swarming police. I just wanted to do a few murals for the RNC... [sigh]. I've lost my chance to do my protest art, thanks to Gustav. It's just as well. The police probably would have beaten the crap out of me after they saw my work.
Good Luck to the RNC Welcoming Committee.
You are in my thoughts.
Peace, DK!