New Orleans

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Most of you probably haven't noticed, but the SA servers finally had their plug pulled Thursday afternoon despite the heroic efforts of the people at DirectNIC. While I appreciate what they did for us, their devotion to some websites seems a little misguided in the midst of what is happening. That "what" is hell on earth in the greater New Orleans area.

Rich, myself, Livestock, and probably some of the other writers have been watching the hurricane aftermath with nothing short of dumb shock. There is a disaster going on right now and it is manmade. The disaster is three strangers in Mississippi, together because they're all that's left and alone in a town without buildings, drinking floodwater polluted by corpses, shit and gasoline. The disaster is a woman wading through waist deep streets holding her daughter and wondering why the trucks won't stop to get her out of the city. The disaster is ICU patients dying one after another because diesel didn't flow and order couldn't be kept. It's an uninterrupted chain of personal disasters. It's inept triage on a national scale.

It's unbelievable that this is America. It's hard to comprehend that these repeating images of herds of people without food or water or medical treatment after nearly a week are happening on our soil. They're our fellow citizens and while the politicians, directors, planners and generals congratulate each other at press conferences they are suffering and dying.

I have seen some efforts in the media to pressure officials to accept responsibility. None have, because in public office the buck stops nowhere. The only person I have really seen come close to capturing the raw fury of the people trapped in New Orleans or forgotten in Mississippi and Alabama is CNN's Anderson Cooper. He confronted Democratic Senator Mary Landrieu on live TV, chiding her with a voice cracking with emotion that he couldn't believe the politicians were patting each other on the back over a job well done when he just saw rats eating a woman's body in the street of Biloxi.

On the Internet I've seen people blatantly placing blame on Bush, FEMA, Congress, the National Guard, and even Homeland Security. Who is responsible? Who should be blamed? All of them. This is a colossal failure of our government to care for and protect its citizenry on every conceivable level.

The heroes are the men and women on the scene doing their utmost to help those in need. Coast Guard rescue workers plucking people to safety and Red Cross workers feeding people from emergency kitchens are heroes. The man who commandeered a bus and got people out of New Orleans when the government was woefully impotent is a hero. The woman who smashed the glass on a convenience store to loot bottled water for fifteen kids who should have been absolutely inundated with supplies by then is a hero. The doctors and nurses hand-bagging ventilator patients 24 hours a day in dark hospitals are heroes.

In the ineloquent but true words of the Mayor of New Orleans: "Don't tell me 40,000 people are coming here. They're not here. It's too doggone late. Now get off your asses and do something, and let's fix the biggest goddamn crisis in the history of this country." CNN was better prepared to deal with this disaster than FEMA was.

I am ashamed of my country's government in a universal way right now. Republicans, democrats, opportunists, it doesn't matter; they're all guilty in this situation. In a magical world where justice is actually served most of these people would not have jobs in a month or two. Instead the people without jobs will be the millions who have lost everything and found their government with its back turned. Remember that people are still dying because of this incompetence. Remember that when each and every one of these fools appears on TV for a photo op or complains about "placing blame later," because placing blame now is the only hope America has to change the situation.

As of right now Something Awful is temporarily down due to Hurricane Katrina's abuse of New Orleans, where are servers are located. Our real site is either underwater or strapped to the roof of a stolen vehicle that is also underwater. The guys at the colocation center have a website here, but we have absolutely no idea when anything will be back online, and we can't get ahold of anybody there. Hell, according to this Wired Magazine article, SA is still online!

We will be coming back as soon as we are able to with all kinds of unfunny crap and forums full of anime poop references. For now we recommend you do something productive or consider helping out the thousands of people now living under the sea by donating some time or money or dry land.

In order to aid the relief effort, David Thorpe will be listening to Juvenile's hit "Nolia Clap" on repeat until New Orleans is rebuilt.

Thanks for your understanding!

-- Zack Parsons, SA

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Because he's from Illinois; not Lousiana and he would've gotten slammed for meddling in local politics.

And I still don't believe he meant not rebuilding New Orleans at all.

I fully understand that in a horrific tragedy like this we need a Bad Guy. After 9/11 we had UBL. A Bad Guy gives us something to rally against.

But can't we do better than the representative from the 14th district of Illinois...1/435th of the House of Representatives???

For starters, how about some local yokels. I remember living in East New Orleans (Schaumburg Elementary) when I was nine and waking up to a gunshot through our back door. The mayor...Dutch Morial. By the end of the weekend, my family moved to Holden (Livingston Parish).

Go Rockets!

Maybe we can blame Edwin Edwards. He was a crook and under his reign of profiteering and womanizing, Louisiana slid further and further behind the rest of the nation economically.

IIRC, Roemer was governor in 1988. Living in Lincoln Parish, the economy was so bad and my prospects so bleak that I got my GED, enlisted in the Army, and skipped half my Junior year and all of my Senior year of highschool.

I'm still pretty resentful about missing both Proms and losing contact with friends from school. I feel like I was robbed of my teenage years by a partnership between Louisiana and suckyass parents.

Maybe we can go back to the Longs. Or fast forward to the recent...Foster, Blanco, Breaux, Hillary-lite, etc. This sort of specificity is tedious and best reserved for the current citizens.

There's a reason so many of us grew up in the NOLA area and yet we're not living there. Economics. Many of us couldn't make the livings that we enjoy now if we stayed. Why? Best that I can tell some of it is slimy, crooked politicians who have stifled any semblance of economic growth in the state. And some of it is a significant percentage of the population that is totally dependent on government welfare and they turn out big time at the polling booths to vote for the candidate who promises the biggest payout.

While New Orleans, post oil bust, hitched their wagon to a tourism and hospitality industry notorious for low wages and low standards of living, other cities discovered high tech. And no...the tech bubble didn't burst, it merely deflated back to reality a little.

(CNN is reporting that sniper fire is impeding area hospital evacuations.)

I hope New Orleans is rebuilt. A vast majority of the people. The history. The arts and culture. Those parts are worth saving. The other parts - high crime, high unemployment, welfare-dependent, political scumbag, flood-prone parts - those parts can remain in Lake Pontchartrain for all I care.

Dennis Hastert is the least of our problems.

Posted on the WhoDatZone after Illinois representative Dennis Hastert stated that he didn't think New Orleans should be rebuilt.

[AArdvark]

I heard that the guv'ment was slow to respond because the people that didn't /couldn't get out of the area were mostly poor welfare cases that voted democrat.




THE
GRAPEVINE
AARDVARK

[Worm]

I, for one, am glad Zack "Geist Editor" Parsons is on the case.

Even if Dean was elected and given the powers of Superman Prime this still would have been a disaster because of underlying structural and economic issues that need to be deal with and never will be dealt with.

[Knuckles the CLown]

MODERATOR: Good evening Gentleman
In the event that the city of New Orleans is to hit be by a hurricane that would engulf the town in millions of gallons of water, what would you propose to be done?
Senator Kerry you may answer first

Kerry: I HAVE A PLAN for hurricane relief for the city of New Orleans if it were to be hit by a devastating hurricane. Under my plan people of all incomes would be covered in the event of a hurricane.
(dead silence for 20 seconds)

Moderator: is that you answer Senator Kerry?
Kerry: Yes
Moderator: Can we at least hear the plan?
Kerry: (perplexed look)

Moderator: Ok President Bush your turn

Bush: In the case if terrorists decide to sink the city of New Orleans
Moderator: Uhm, excuse me President Bush. Hurricane not terrorists
Bush: Heh Heh Heh scuse me'
Moderator: proceed
Bush: in the event "a hurricane" should...should...should.
huricanize the city of New Orleans, well let me take that back. I think we should take preventative measures in this case. (silence for 30 seconds)
Moderator: Such as...
Bush: Well I would propose that when news of one of them there hurricanes is heading to New Orleans that all citizens of New Orleans be forcibly removed
Kerry: MR PRESIDENT are you suggesting that everyone in a city of 400,000 people be removed from their homes! Under my plan no American would ever have to leave their homes. This is another example of americans civil liberties being violated under the guise of the Patriot Act….
Mayor of New Orleans: Cracker ass white boys

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

I, for one, am glad Zack "Geist Editor" Parsons is on the case.

Even if Dean was elected and given the powers of Superman Prime this still would have been a disaster because of underlying structural and economic issues that need to be deal with and never will be dealt with.

No, actually, I'm pretty sure that if someone else was President there wouldn't have been executive freezing like there was for 9/11 and Katrina. But please, do what you can to vote for him for a third term. Get those signatures.

This is the second time there's been a disaster and that monkey hasn't acted in an even vaguely helpful way. The USA is going to be a very dangerous place until he's out of there. Stock up on supplies -- if any of you guys are hit by a disaster or terrorist attack the fucking government and military aren't going to be around any time soon to help you. I feel like an idiot for having not already purchased a gun.

[Knuckles the CLown]

This not directed soley at you Robb, so don't choke on your pizza while feverishly clickity clacking a response.

Jesus Christ what's he supposed to do jump on his spaceship and pick up an AK-47 the instant something happens. On 9/11 I remember the fire department and police officers didn't act until the president personaly called each station.

New Orleans has been on the brink of disaster for as long as that shithole has been under sea level. I have never heard one fucking person say maybe that towns fucked in case of a hurricane, except every person with an ounce of common sense. Just like when California has an earthquake again everybody will be blamng the goverment if more than 10 people die. We don't live in a world where we have the capabilities to handle natural disasters of this magnitude. People our age grew in an era were there was absolutley no threat our entire lives. An era unlike any other in the history of the world. Now two disasters hit in a span in a span of 4 years and you see what a bunch of goddman pussies everyone is. People should be thanking god at how WELL this has turned out. If this was any other part of the world millions would be dead. There are things that happen that our government can't prevent.

And Robb I'll tell to u what, you and need to agree with this because of where you live. What happens everytime it is going to rain in Colorado? The fucking news stations interupt every T.V. show with Tornando warnings. And you know what, there never is a fucking tornado and nobody dies. Just like when this hurricane hit, nobobdy beleived it would be that big a deal. Well it is.

Unfortunatley what was underestimated here were the people of New Orleans. They looked at this as an opportunity to rape, loot and shoot people. That treated this like woodstock '99 and not a disaster.

And everybody who is whining makes me sick. Quit your job go down there and help out if you are so appalled. But nobody ever does. Everybody wants to sit on there soap box do nothing and send $20. Then blast how it was handled. The people that complain are the people of course that are- that are too good to help, too good and too smart to join the national guard or the Army, and too good to ever do anything but sit on there ass and bitch.

Now we are faced with 4.00 gas prices and the entire loss of a city. And still nobody does anything. I'd be happy if somebody shot the goddamn president. At least someone would be taking a stand. Voting for your idiotic democratic party leader isn't enough.
Also I can't wait until the hurricane issue is brought up in the 2008 elections. That will be priceless.
Directed towards Robb
Your upset so you will buy a gun? What the hell would you do with a gun besides end up shooting your own goddamn thumbs off, rendering your existence useless. Ever try to feverishly click without thumbs?

[Knuckles the CLown]

I listended to the jew liberal radio station, they slammed GWB for doing nothing, when he did something they slammed him for being late, when he went down there they slammed him for using it as a photo opp.

I think the President is as big a piece of shit as the next guy, but the only thing I found offensive about the HURRICANE is how the fucking liberals are using it as a party platform.

[Ice Cream Jonsey]

Jesus Christ what's he supposed to do jump on his spaceship and pick up an AK-47 the instant something happens.

Having military units escort the Red Cross into the affected areas would have been sufficient. That's all I'm asking.

We don't live in a world where we have the capabilities to handle natural disasters of this magnitude.

We live in a world capable of creating a levee to withstand a Category 5 hurricane. That is a fact. The reason that there wasn't one there was due to local politics, who get the blame for that one. Plenty of blame to go around!

Your upset so you will buy a gun? What the hell would you do with a gun besides end up shooting your own goddamn thumbs off, rendering your existence useless. Ever try to feverishly click without thumbs?

I only use the thumb for the space bar, due to the self-taught way I type. I am simply saying: if there is any sort of national disaster from now until January of 2008 it's every man for himself. I think you're doing yourself a disservice from now until then if you don't take steps to be able to ensure limited survival for your family. What's the downside if I go and get a shotgun? I live in a town with a lot of poor people. For now, anyway. Not that I have anything but a nice car and a now non-functional arcade game -- tabletop at that -- from 1983. But Jesus, everyone ought to have a gun anyway.

[AArdvark]

The very fact that the hurricane was reported makes no difference in the long run. How many hurricanes (cylones in the east) have hit other countries and nobody even remembers. Because people CHOOSE to make it a big thing, they CHOOSE to use it as a political focus makes me sad. Sure new Orleans and environs are wasted. Makes zero impact on life in the northeast except for gas prices and the checkout guy asking if I want to donate a dollar to the relief fund.
Think about it this way, If I didn't hear about it via radio and the local news it wouldn't exist in my conciousness.

I think that if people live where there's no food and whine because they are starving there's a basic Sam Kinnison lesson here. If people live where nature busts in and relocates houses
then it (seems to me) that they need to move. No they should have already moved.

Attention people living in the California earthquake zone! Sooner or later the ground will shake apart your multi million dollar houses. Move now while you can. Don't say you weren't warned. And don't bitch about either because if you live under a cow sonner of later you will get shit upon.

It's the same principal. I like living in the northeast where the most we get from nature is ice storms and blizzards.


THE
SAFETY ZONE
AARDVARK

[Lysander]

Ummm... why isn't this in the political base?

I'd also like to go on record here agreeing with Knuckles the CloWn. Just for the sake of posperity. Twoo often, the people who'd handle a situation best are the ones too chickenshit to do it. And i'm guilty of this too.

[Lysander]

Okay, I'm gonna use this website's as-yet unexplained insane Google popularity to make myself louder. This is for the benefit of everyone on teh internet who is not actually on Jolt Country, but who found this by doing a search for "who is to blame for the New Orleans anarchy disaster?"

The answer is: mayor Ray Nagin.

This man is quite possibly the worst example of scumbag polititian I have ever seen in my entire life, and I'm growing up in the Bush administration. Okay, Bush's not smooth, but whatever, we're getting off topic here.

Nagin had no plan. It's as simple as that. How much warning did he have before hurrican Katrina hit? Plenty. He had DAYS. Days to come up with a plan, any plan, that would have worked. I'm not asking for, you know, very much--but, I mean, really, just fucking ANYTHING. School buses. THere were fifteen school busses that could have carried hundreds--thousands?--of people out of hte city, and then come back in for more. There! I jsut thought of something--in two seconds, one fascet of a plan to remove people. I am not a governor, I am a college kid, and I can come up with a better plan than Ray Nagin after about a minute's worth of thought than the man supposed to be responsible for doing exactly that did in two or more days. The blame for the devolution into anarchy should be--and it is absolutely incredible, astonishing to me that it is not--flugn directly at his face.

Simple, god damned things i'm talking about here. Not sending out police to take food from grocery stores, so that they could centralize all the food that's already in the city in one place, and hand it out equally to all the survivors--the failure to do this is squarely Nagin's fault. The equally appauling failure of police to do the obvious--go to the gun stores and secure the firearms--is also, directly, Ray Nagin's failure. The colossal, inconceivable clusterfuck of a failure regarding the convention center survivors were told to be held up in but not telling the police so they coudl secure order--this is, once again, completely, and totally, the fault of Ray Nagin. What should have been done? I don't know, I'm not a disaster planner. All I know is is that sending police officers into a hurricane-ravaged city without orders to shoot to kill rioters when they have more guns then the police do becasue no one told them to secure the firearms beforehand, and relying on--for god's sake--RADIOS, RADIOS, in a fucking hurricane that are not only very likely but are in fact GUARANTIED to fucking go out--to coordinate positions... That is not a relief plan. That is a fucking disaster. An inexcusable disaster, who's every single failing is directly, personally the responsibility of Mayor Ray Nagin. But what's America doing? Because the media knows how much of the country hates Bush and it's such an easy angle, that's who they're blaming. "We don't have cells for these people!" Well then shoot to kill them, you cuntrag. Your inability to do anythign but whine with your thumb up your ass eating pretzels behind your fucking desk is causing hundreds, thousands of people to be raped and murdered, but because you don't have the fucking spine to admit that it's all your stupid fault you go and blame it on the Bush administration! Never mind that the government is neutoriously slow in reacting to anything at the best of times (hey, UPS is faster than, er, USPS, and you know it.) Never mind that the reason why we have smaller polititians in our governmental system in the first place is so that they can handle local chrisees without having to pander to the big government for help. Yes, blame it on the President, it's all his fault. And people live that angle, too. This man has caused thousands of innocent people to die screaming needlessly, but because he's using it as an excuse to smear Bush, I guaranty you, the Democratic party will grab on to this man and never let him go. I guaranty it, they will put him on the fast track, and people will praise him. Praise him! For what? For fucking doing nothing!

Thank you, America, for completely fucking it all up. Again, and again, and again.