"No One Can Say they Didn't See it Coming"

"No One Can Say they Didn't See it Coming"
salon.com
By Sidney Blumenthal
Former Clinton Advisor

In 2001, FEMA warned that a hurricane striking New Orleans was one of the three most likely disasters in the U.S. But the Bush administration cut New Orleans flood control funding by 44 percent to pay for the Iraq war.
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Amy Sedaris on "Knitters Rage"

from Amy's advice column in The Believer:
http://www.believermag.com/issues/200509/?read=column_sedaris

Dear Amy,
A knitting pattern gave me bad instructions and I don’t know what to do with my rage. Any suggestions?
Peter McGrath
Washington, D.C.

Dear Peter,
This sounds to me like Knitter’s Rage. Not to be confused with aggressive knitting. You should take this test:

Do I feel I need to “get back” at other knitters for wronging me?
Do I get angry with knitters who knit faster than I do?
Do I find myself yelling at other knitters whether they can hear me or not?
Do I cut off other knitters when driving?
While knitting, do I often think, “Hey, these heavy steel needles would look great sticking out of that guy’s skull?”

If you answered yes to three out of five questions, then you probably have Knitter’s Rage. I would recommend sedating the rage with alcohol or PCP, eating a lot of junk food, and then heading over to the gun range to blow off some steam. If there isn’t a gun range in your neighborhood, try the parking lot of a Burger King or a belltower.

Amy

SOS from NOLA survivors blog

I'm trying desperately to keep abreast of what's happening down South since the hurricane ripped to shreds one of the coolest places on the planet. I'm shocked not only that the devestation was so massive, but also that the aid to the area is so slow and unorganized. Even many members of the media down there covering the news seem to be outwardly upset about the way people are being treated.

However, I was more drawn to a Livejournal blog by a hurricane survivor deep in the thick of things, who has been blogging comments from both survivors and the police about the situation. And it's completely horrifying.

Reports of the National Guard literally dropping supplies off a bridge to the stranded masses -- sometimes destroying the supplies themselves in the process out of fear of what the mob will do if they get too close.

Not to mention snipers shooting at helicopers and the hospitals using them to evacuate. It's like some bizarre real-life zombie film except they're all alive and pissed off about the lack of supplies and information.

Here's a passionate plea straight from the NOLA survivors blog -- interdictor:

In case anyone in national security is reading this, get the word to President Bush that we need the military in here NOW. The Active Duty Armed Forces. Mr. President, we are losing this city. I don't care what you're hearing on the news. The city is being lost. It is the law of the jungle down here. The command and control structure here is barely functioning. I'm not sure it's anyone's fault -- I'm not sure it could be any other way at this point. We need the kind of logistical support and infrastructure only the Active Duty military can provide. The hospitals are in dire straights. The police barely have any capabilities at this point. The National Guard is doing their best, but the situation is not being contained. I'm here to help in anyway I can, but my capabilities are limited and dropping. Please get the military here to maintain order before this city is lost.

Last report was that what's left of the city is in flames.