Obligatory Katrina Posting

Here is a tough one. What to blog about that doesn't include a rant about gas prices... NOTHING, it's not possible! Tuesday went into work and as I passed the Cal's Express, it was $2.54/gal, when I came home it was $2.75/gal at the same place, and 24 hours later, $2.99/gal. For the maimpairedred, that is a 17.7% increase in 36 hours, or an annualized increase of 4307%. I paid $3.199/gal today. $37.27 to fill up.

Okay, so there is my little fuel complaint. Here is what is really pissing me off.

I have personally understood that this was going to happen in New Orleans for at least ten years. In fact, this type of disaster is/was much more predictable than "the big one" shaking L.A. to the ground. This was not a maybe, but a certainty, and every year that went by, New Orleans subsided a little more, the ocean level rose a little more, and more precious storm surge land in-between New Orleans and the ocean disappeared. That this happened cannot be a shock to anyone who pays attention to hurricanes, geology, hydrology, or a freaking newspaper. So why A) did so many people stay? (more on this in a second) and why B) are rescue efforts looking like so much buffoonery? Especially B!!!

Okay, so A, why did so many people stay? Well the common story that has always been said about emptying New Orleans for a hurricane is that you can't get everyone out, there are so few roads out, and you have such short notice. Bull! If authorities can empty a concert/sports facility of 10,000 people in 90 minutes using a two lane road. I'm betting you $20 that they can figure out how to empty out a million people across I-10 and various other major and minor roads in a day and a half. I don't even need to solve this problem, people smarter than me can do that. Part of the problem is poor, elderly, or disabled people who cannot drive themselves out of town... I have another $20 that those people can ALL be planned for also. How to get them out, where to keep them until they can safely return. I'm not going to run and holler racism as already has been done. The color that matters here is green, not white or black. Planning, preparing, and executing cost money, not a popular thing amongst the wealthy, and what do they care if poor people die? They will be safely in Dallas in a hotel figuring out how to get extra money out of the insurance companies.

And B. FEMA chief Michael Brown has got to be a cross bred 2nd & 1st cousin of somebody high in the government, cause the man is a moron. I don't even know where to begin. I am reading on CNN.com for at least two days about people at the convention center in New Orleans. Friday morning Brown comes out with the statement "We learned about that (Thursday), so I have directed that we have all available resources to get that convention center to make sure that they have the food and water and medical care that they need." Hey genius, read an f***ing paper or web site... people died in horrible conditions who would not have because of your incompetence. Mayor Nagin and Governor Blanco would do well to not point the fingers at the feds despite Brown's obvious stupidity. They failed to plan also. For once I'm not getting on President Bush's case, his biggest mistake in this is trusting that Brown had a clue... and it seems obvious that when he did figure it out, he sent in the army. Lt Gen Honore seems to understand what he is supposed to be doing there and is getting it done, something the political appointees and elected officials could not even come close to do. He is also demonstrating how easy it is to be a hero in situations like this, and not another moronic politician. Pay attention politicians, you could learn something from this officer and gentleman.

As for New Orleans itself. I'm sorry, I am not for rebuilding it, at least in its current location. Below see level in hurricane country is no where to be, and old man river would be best left to it's own devices in that area of the country. You cadikesld dykes, walls, and levees, but they won't stop subsidence, and New Orleans is just going to keep sinking. I'm glad I got to visit there. I hope they find a way to rescue some of the more important buildings and flavor of the town, but there isn't a point in building another disaster waiting to happen.