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When the Levees Broke: A Requiem in Four Acts

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Johnny Dangerously, Aug 20, 2006.

  1. Chi City 81

    Chi City 81 Guest

    Dunno about you, but I saw a ton of stranded folks toting shotguns. Them's some matters.

    It was all vaguely comical until I actually went down there to help. I don't recall your question coming up. Looking back, it should have been the No. 1 question all us volunteers asked before serving meals: "Before you get this salt pork hash and cup of apple juice to drown away your lost home can you tell me why you've relied on me, a volunteer, to assist you? What, dear day laborer, happened to your Victory Red Hummer?"
    [/quote]

    Goddamn, Alma, you need to be around here more often.
     
  2. I don't remember the exact specifics of this, but, from what I remember of what several people told me, part of the reason so many black people believe the levees were bombed this time is that there was a time in the past (might have not been in the New Orleans area) where either the levees were bombed to intentionally flood the black neighborhoods or plans to bomb the black neigborhoods were uncovered. Either way, there was some tangible evidence of that happening. (I wish I could remember more of the specifics off-hand.)

    Again, I'm NOT saying that this was the case in Katrina. I'm just saying that's why so many black people believe this.

    All you have to do to disprove this theory this time is basically visit New Orleans, and, if you were AT ALL familiar with pre-Katrinia New Orleans, you can see that the damage stretched WELL beyond just the black neigborhoods. Black neighborhoods were hard hit, but so were MANY other neighborhoods.

    Still, should be interesting watching. Thanks for the tip, J-D.
     
  3. Della9250

    Della9250 Well-Known Member

    That's what it's about?? I thought it was about the Red Sox bullpen.
     
  4. Boom_70

    Boom_70 Well-Known Member

    Dunno about you, but I saw a ton of stranded folks toting shotguns. Them's some matters.

    It was all vaguely comical until I actually went down there to help. I don't recall your question coming up. Looking back, it should have been the No. 1 question all us volunteers asked before serving meals: "Before you get this salt pork hash and cup of apple juice to drown away your lost home can you tell me why you've relied on me, a volunteer, to assist you? What, dear day laborer, happened to your Victory Red Hummer?"
    [/quote]

    Alma - a tad harsh but yet you raise an interesting question.

    While its an important question to understand how all levels of government failed so badly in aftermath of Katrina, Its even more important to ask how all of these people got in such a dire situation in the first place.

    I look at the aftermath of Katrina as the final failure of Lyndon Johnson's "great society". What we saw was an entire population conditioned to rely on government as the solution instead taking control of their own destiny.

    As Micheal Lewis wrote dry ground was only a short walk away from the Superdome yet few chose to walk it:

    I spent some time inside a Whole Foods choosing from the selection of PowerBars. The door was open, the shelves groaned with untouched bottles of water and food. Downtown, 25,000 people spent the previous four days without food and water when a few miles away - and it's a lovely stroll - entire grocery stores, doors ajar, were untouched. From the moment the crisis downtown began, there had been a clear path, requiring maybe an hour's walk, to food, water and shelter. And no one, not a single person, it seemed, took it.
     
  5. JR

    JR Well-Known Member

    Note to Canucks: Part one is on the Movie Network tonight at 9:00
     
  6. Johnny Dangerously

    Johnny Dangerously Well-Known Member

    Alma - a tad harsh but yet you raise an interesting question.

    While its an important question to understand how all levels of government failed so badly in aftermath of Katrina, Its even more important to ask how all of these people got in such a dire situation in the first place.

    I look at the aftermath of Katrina as the final failure of Lyndon Johnson's "great society". What we saw was an entire population conditioned to rely on government as the solution instead taking control of their own destiny.

    As Micheal Lewis wrote dry ground was only a short walk away from the Superdome yet few chose to walk it:

    I spent some time inside a Whole Foods choosing from the selection of PowerBars. The door was open, the shelves groaned with untouched bottles of water and food. Downtown, 25,000 people spent the previous four days without food and water when a few miles away - and it's a lovely stroll - entire grocery stores, doors ajar, were untouched. From the moment the crisis downtown began, there had been a clear path, requiring maybe an hour's walk, to food, water and shelter. And no one, not a single person, it seemed, took it.
    [/quote]



    I'm sure there were regular, loud announcements letting people know this, and many signs pointing the way to the store an hour away.
     
  7. People seem to be having trouble with the quote function in the new format, so it's hard to know to whom I should respond.
    Anyway, Spike's got terrific chops as a documentarian -- his Birmingham bombing film is terrfic -- and it seems like he got everybody on camera here, so I'm looking forward to it.
    I'm not going to wade back into the "how much should we blame the victims?" argument again. There are certain obligations The Government -- which is to say, Us, unless we chanegd our form of government when I wasn't looking -- has to its citizens. Public safety, in all its forms, is one of them. At this, The Government -- which is to say, Us -- failed.
     
  8. JackS

    JackS Member

    Anyone who watched the movie and took that as one of its major themes is just looking for something to criticize. As I said before, do not miss this flick...

    http://www.sportsjournalists.com/forum/threads/30823/
     
  9. FuerteJ

    FuerteJ Active Member

    Firsttime, here's the deal. I've never heard this story. I do know for a fact that back during the flood of 1927, the Mississippi River was swollen beyond belief. If nothing were done, it would have blown the levees and flooded New Orleans. So, what happend was that the levees were destroyed down river, flooding St. Bernard Parish. To this day, the folks of St. Bernard Parish think plans are always made to destroy them. I can't say I blame them.

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Mississippi_Flood_of_1927

    The corps just came out with a plan dealing with flood gates and MRGO and, if done as the corps originally planned, the flood gates would block waters from getting to NOLA. However, the buildup at the gates themselves would end up flooding St. Bernard Parish again.
     
  10. Johnny Dangerously

    Johnny Dangerously Well-Known Member

    I taped the documentary. Really liked it. It's not perfect, but what is?

    When you watch and hear it, you'll understand why it's called a requiem.

    As for Ernesto ... stay away from Louisiana, fucker.
     
  11. PaseanaARG

    PaseanaARG Guest

    Outstanding documentary. We really enjoyed it.

    Loved Nagin's account of showering on the Pimpmobile.

    "Then I took another five minutes."
     
  12. FuerteJ

    FuerteJ Active Member

    J_D has graciously offered to help me get a copy of the film. I don't have HBO so I can't wait to get a copy and watch it. Thanks JD. You're the man. I've heard good things about it.
     
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