Postcards from Ledge
Posted: September 1, 2012 Filed under: 2012 elections, 2012 presidential campaign, just because, Mitt Romney, New Orleans | Tags: federal disaster assistance, FEMA, Fuck Romney, hurricane Isaac, New Orleans 41 CommentsIsaac was not Katrina in many ways. That is not to say that getting through the past and next few days has not and will not be challenging. I did not evacuate so I was home when the ceiling started dripping in the bathroom and the hall. I was safe in a motel in Lake Charles during Katrina with Honey (who died 9 months after Katrina), Karma (as you know she died two mornings ago in the last of Isaac’s rain bands) and Miles (who is still hogging all the breeze from the crack in my bedroom window, undoubtedly). I am sitting at Coop’s–once more–trying to charge up the phone and borrow the internet. I did this a lot 7 years ago. There are no clean up workers eating here this time. There are a bunch of weary New Orleanians and a lot of gay guys celebrating Southern Decadence that are completely oblivious to the shortage of electricity, food, gas, and patience outside these precious 12 blocks.
The National Guard has been trying to hand out MRES, ice, and water at the Navy station on my block that’s no longer federal property but state. It was dark during the storm and there were no black berets staring me down. I am tired and the noise is every where. Post-Katrina, everything was deathly silent. I go home to listen to endless generator noise. I stay in the quarter and it’s just one big party that’s unaware of anything going on outside the bubble. That kind’ve reminds me of the RNC and the statue that the Republicans have given the electorate this year.
I’m supposed to dial 211 and get help from the endless number of not yet open non profits. Yup, that’s his idea of hurricane recovery help. See if any of the nonprofits that were taken down right along with you can get their acts together fast enough and their volunteers back in the office to help any one else that’s also taking it on the chin right now. I wish I had a second house to go to. It would be nice if the biggest decision I had was chosing a Cadillac out of the car elevator to match my Guccis daily or stressing over my horse not doing well in its dancy showy thing at the Olympics. The rest of us just have to rely on the scraps that are thrown us. Oh, and my guess is that the Romneys don’t give to the Red Cross, Habitat for Humanity, the Salvation Army, etc. or any of the myriad of charities that do help with disasters. Probably yet one of the many reasons they won’t show us their taxes. The “you people” just don’t need to know. They should dial for charity dollars.
Did I mention that Romney wants to privatize FEMA? The Federal Levees worked. The City did much better this time out. Every government agency learned from Katrina and functioned well this time. (That includes the NOPD which is not high on my respect list as you recall.) The only group of people that have been a complete screw up this time is our damned privatized electric company. You can listen into call in shows and read the comments on the media outlets here to get the story. That’s the response Romney wants to give us. Call the charities and hope a for profit organization won’t cut costs and people so much that you won’t be without for weeks.
Embracing a radical anti-government ideology from the most extreme elements of the Tea Party, Romney said that the victims in Mississippi, Louisiana, Tennessee, Massachusetts, and other communities hit by tornadoes and flooding should not receive governmental assistance. He argued it is “simply immoral” for there to be deficit spending that could harm future generations:
Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that’s the right direction. And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that’s even better. […] We cannot — we cannot afford to do those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids. It is simply immoral, in my view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts and pass them on to our kids, knowing full well that we’ll all be dead and gone before it’s paid off. It makes no sense at all.
I would like to argue that it is simply immoral to keep giving folks tax breaks to plant their money in the Caymans and to build the economy in other countries and to undermine the wages and earnings of US workers. It is also immoral to hide your tax returns from the people you want to hire you to “lead” them.
I was thinking that I really have gone from disbelief at what Romney has said and done in the past to a stone cold dislike of the man.
The day Karma died I could not find the SPCA or any one to help me. I tried to bury her and the water filled up the hole in the back yard as soon as I pushed the shovel in the ground. I drove first to the police station who told me to call “animal control” or the SPCA. I drove over there and left her in a blanket and bucket in front of their door. My sweet companion of over 15 years was left on the SPCA doorstep with the hope they’d cremate her properly. They are still not open.
Go home and dial 211 my ass. The man should be sent to live in elsewhere, not elected President.
peej
Carissa
bostonboomer
ecocatwoman
mablue2
peggysue22
quixote
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
“There are a bunch of weary New Orleanians and a lot of gay guys celebrating Southern Decadence that are completely oblivious to the shortage of electricity, food, gas, and patience outside these precious 12 blocks.”
Spending a week doing meth will make you oblivious to a whole lot of things. #cynicalbastard
[…] Apparently he does – and he’d like to change all that. Bookmark […]
Posted to my fb, Kat. You’ve left me in tears. One of your finest.
Yes, me too! This was magnificent.
What Mona said. /sniff.
Crying… but so proud to know such a strong, courageous, caring, intelligent woman. Sharing on my FB. Stay safe.
Matt Taibbi deconstructs R/R speeches and his meme fits well with “go home and call 211” attitude of that asshat!
Rolling Stone: Mitt Romney, Paul Ryan Speeches Make Me Miss George Bush
I agree with the stone cold dislike of the man, myself. He is just too stupid to understand that he gets help from private companies because they just love how wealthy he is and they put him at the top of the list. The rest of us don’t get treated like that. Also that bit about living in a basement apartment. I bet it was a lot better appointed than people picture. I have seen ‘basement apartments’ that would compare well to a luxury condo.
Compared to Romney and Ryan, Bush was a nice guy.
Amazing — Mrs. Reagan said that Bush realized that she needed help to get back to her chair during the long funeral service for her husband — and Bush quickly realized that fact and just did what needed to be done.
I’m no fan of GW — but he is a better man than either Romney or Ryan. Both Romney and Ryan are part of a patriarchal religion which has no room for women — other than a subservient prone position.
Sad, moving post Kat, keep safe.
As for Rmoney, how can any intelligent, rational human being vote for this vicious, soulless man. Screw all the children of today, ignore their needs, let them die, so he can privatize every single thing that helps people not of his class – yeah that’s just strange logic, if one could call it logic.
Very moving. Thank you for sharing this.
I just don’t understand the people like Romney who don’t care about anyone but themselves. It’s just unthinkable for anyone to be that way. It strikes me as sick and twisted and I don’t understand how anyone can be supportive of someone like that.
I suspect it has to do with them never having to care about anyone but themselves. They have the money to take care of their sick relatives, so have never had to take care of them. They have the money to take care of all their immediate families needs, so why should they worry about others, after all, if they’ve got the wherewithal, why don’t others – the others are LAZY of course. They forget that they were given inheritances, and they are not self made people, but that doesn’t deter them from their climb to even greater power in order to impose their class beliefs on the general populace. I shudder to think of any of these people in a presidential situation. After all, there are billions of people in the world who are not of their class, and according to Mitt’s latest, are totally expendable.
Wonderful post, Dak. You were so good to Karma. I’m glad she died with you and not in an animal hospital. Although I never met her, the things you’ve told me made me love her. I will miss hearing about her. I just hope you get power soon. If not, get hold of a shotgun and kill that generator next door!
So glad that dak has found a safe refuge.
But I know just what she is talking about with the noise of the generator. When I “fled” Spfld for Brimfleld last Oct from that freak storm we had where we lost power for 8 days, I did so knowing my son had a generator (purchased after the tornado in June!).
The noise drove me nuts! Glad to have heat and means of keeping in touch with the clean up, after awhile it became a total nuisance because of the noise level.
A necessary irritant I suppose but maddening after 8 days.
Here’s some good news: Romney’s bounce from the convention looks short-lived.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/09/01/us-usa-campaign-poll-idUSBRE87U1CJ20120901
Obama addressed a crowd in Iowa today and mentioned the GOP convention.
“They talked a lot about me, they talked a lot about themselves, but they didnt talk about you!”
Truer words were never spoken.
“You might as well have watched it on a black-and-white TV,” President Obama tells an Iowa crowd.
🙂
According to the Gallup tracking poll, Romney got no bounce at all.
Good. That’s exactly what he deserves.
That is good news BB, The Gallup running 7 day has Obama by 1. The rASSmussen running 3 day has RMoney by 3.
Dak, I’m so so sorry about your beloved Karma. I know how hard that had to be.
I hope you are OK.
ditto. When my Tavi was euthanized I was totally distraught. When my Holmes – well that’s another story. I swore after that I would be wih them at home, and I never thought about the aftermath. Kat, you did what was the most appropriate and loving thing you could have done. Had you left her in in alley….but you didn’t. Particularly in the circumstances. I doubt that Karma would have disapproved, after 15 years of love and caring.
DAK — thank you so much for your eye witness accounts.
It was great to read that the Navy was called to duty and doing what they can for the folks of New Orleans. This is different from GWShrub’s not involving the Navy or Air Force. In Fact I remember one hero Navy crew who rescued people from roofs etc during the worst of the flooding post-Katrina. These Navy guys got in trouble because there were orders (from bush or someone from on high) that the Navy wasn’t supposed to respond.
How different from another President — Ike — who called out the military during a major flood in California. My dad spent his career in part responding to natural disasters — but when GWshrub was in office that didn’t happen.
So the idea that it is immoral for the Feds to lift a finger or be concerned when a Natural disaster hits — because with bush. In fact the first Natural disaster for Shrub&Cheney happened in Washington — an earthquake. The Governor was told that there would be Federal help — IF Unions were more or less disbanded. Which is what did happen after Katrina — no unions and cheap labor hired — and those awful trailers that people in the RV industry are still talking about.
The navy isn’t here. Just the national guard. I just had dinner at the red cross food truck. My batteries are desperately low but i just don’t want to do another night of loud crowded smoky bar.
AT least the National Guard was there — I remember during Katrina they were in Iraq — with the high water vehicles that are really so necessary in a desert!
I found this review of Romney’s speech interesting, even more so because it’s in The American Conservative: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/millman/an-infantilizing-speech/
Millman considers himself a liberal and explains why he’s writing for The American Conservative: http://www.theamericanconservative.com/millman/whats-a-nice-jewish-boy-like-you-doing-at-a-website-like-this/
I visited the site because the magazine’s editor was interviewed on NPR’s ATC today & I was curious about the magazine – http://www.npr.org/2012/09/01/160438753/how-government-became-a-dirty-word. The points McCarthy made here seemed off the Republican Party line:
Yep — I’ll always credit Raygun for getting the GOP’s message/mythology that Government is evil across to “everyman”. Raygun, it seemed to me, went out of his way to preach his message — The government is the problem.
Yet who was Jindal calling for when LA got hit by Issac?? Da Government — paid for by the Northern taxpayers. That little map which shows which state send more to the Fed then they get back — seems like it is the northern states.
And as a northern taxpayer — I do not ever begrudge any help given to states — even the red states.
Dak…..Thank you for the great post. I can only imagine your heartbreak at not being able to bury your companion, but there were no options under the circumstances. Be at peace with it.
I watched this live this morning and wanted to share. But watching Mehta’s responses during the entire show really leads into what happened. I wanted to smack Mehta before Perry did. Also there was a young white girl on the panel, I wish I knew her, name who was great.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/09/01/melissa-harris-perry-what-is-riskier-than-living-poor-in-america/
And this is such a good comment section. After the Dairy Queen comment by Mehta.
Handypants2 • 3 hours ago
The wealthy are risking all of their wealth everyday. You little people have no idea the terror that can set in when one realizes millions and millions of dollars of personal wealth is all at risk of not generating enough profit to support the necessary number of homes and cars and dancing horses and car elevators, oh yeah and ironing boards.
Nothing is more admirable than the fortitude with which millionaires tolerate the disadvantages of their wealth.
Rex Stout (1886 – 1975)
Maybe I should just say, read the comments on that link, but watching the whole show made me so mad, here is another comment.
Hoodathunk • 3 hours ago
−
I would say voting rich when you aren’t. Not only is it riskier, its downright stupid.
I watched it this morning too, MHP ripped Mehta a new one.
About Ralph Reed — the driving force of the wingnuts. If you happen to be a bible believer — then Ralph Reed is exactly who Jesus would have tossed out of the temple according to the story by one of the male writer from the Bible.
http://readersupportednews.org/opinion2/277-75/13237-focus-ralph-reed-from-purgatory-to-power
Ralph Reed helped to take over the Republican party — Whatever that group of people were they would not have been welcomed by the OLD Republican party.
BILL MOYERS: You are witness to a modern tale of resurrection. A second-coming. The Bible speaks of Lazarus, raised by Jesus from the grave to walk again among the living. Ralph Reed, too, has been returned to life, political life. But he goes Lazarus one further. Lazarus was a poor man. Reed is rich, and he just keeps getting richer from mixing religion and politics. And that’s a story you don’t want to miss.
At age 33, Ralph Reed was the Christian Right’s wonder boy. Anointed in a 1995 Time Magazine cover story as the “right hand of God” for spinning the trust of conservative Christians into political gold. It was Reed who built the Christian Coalition of televangelist Pat Robertson into a powerful arm of the Republican Party.
It makes me so angry — when the leaders of the nutjob Religious Right are so pleased that their got sent yet another Hurricane to New Orleans. Just who are the weirdo Voodoo wackjobs??
This bit from the end of Bill Moyer’s piece:
You heard Reed boast earlier about how his Faith and Freedom coalition reached out to 600,000 voters to keep Scott Walker from being recalled. The organization’s tax forms show no compensation to Reed. However, the Washington bureau chief for Alternet.ORG, Adele Stan, found that the non-profit coalition did hire a for-profit company to help turn out the vote. That for-profit company is Millennium Marketing, a division of Century Strategies, whose founder and CEO is Ralph Reed.
Reed is again armed for “guerrilla warfare” with millions of dollars that are almost impossible to trace. It’s reported that some of the money has come from billionaire Bernie Marcus, a co-founder of Home Depot, and some has come from a nonprofit partly funded by the billionaire Koch Brothers. The brothers also have their own tax exempt vehicle, Americans for Prosperity, a 501c4 nonprofit– which allows them to raise money without revealing the source. It is run by Tim Phillips, Ralph Reed’s former business partner.
It’s an incestuous world they have created, and much of the money travels in secret subterranean pipelines from donors whose identities and agendas remain hidden. We may never find out where Reed’s Faith and Freedom Coalition funds are coming from. The “right hand of God” doesn’t have to reveal what the left hand is doing.
Ralph Reed should be in jail.
Moyers show this week is about Ralph Reed. Mike Lofgren is going to be a guest on the show.
http://www.slate.com/blogs/moneybox/2012/08/31/romney_on_mothers_if_ann_s_work_is_harder_and_more_important_why_isn_t_she_running_for_president_.html
Now he says it.
Thank you for putting a human and canine face on this disaster for us. I’m so sorry. I wish I could help you.
Irin Carmon: Republicans vs. straw men
I understand the GOP women a bit better now anyway. Still weird though.
Easy — get women to believe in male mythology and then she will believe anything– even believe that she is a worthless piece of crap.
But — BUT — once women break away from that patriarchal mythology and start asking WHY? Why am I hated just because I am a girl/female/woman?? “Because god says so.” is not going to cut it.
All religions are cults. Some are better than others but when they are still cults that teach mythology.
And yes this mythology is also harmful to the boy/male/man.
So we get to see a baby incubator in a red dress — try to act like a full human being with full human rights. Ha — she is a member of a cult and she can’t get to heaven by herself according to her adopted mythology.
What will her role be in heaven?? Time keeper for all the other celestial wives? What is the role of women in the Mormon male heaven??? Submissive and prone?