New Orleans' "Flood Rush"
Two disasters hit New Orleans this week: a hurricane and a flood. We all know the name of the hurricane, but we still need a name for the flood that submerged 80% of the city.
Remember that the storm swell didn't swamp New Orleans. The city flooded after the storm had receded. The hurricane was a natural disaster, but the flood was the product of more mundane human priority-setting. It had long been known that New Orleans' levees weren't prepared for the aftermath of a major hurricane.
Luckily, Rush Limbaugh reacted quickly to the hurricane--by attempting to shame the editor of the Nation for emphasizing that the poor bore the brunt of the cataclysm:
So Katrina vanden Heuvel, Hurricane Katrina vanden Heuvel was an equal opportunity destroyer. It spared nobody. It made sure that not only did the poor who normally get hit by hurricanes get hit, but the rich got hit, and the affluent got hit! What a way to look at this. What a way to look at it. It's not enough just to say that there's devastation all along the Gulf coast, but to have to divvy it up into the haves and have-nots and somehow express some sort of... Not pleasure, but why else would you note this?
Floods aren't usually named, but I think we should make an exception in this case and refer henceforth to the great flood of '05 as the "The Big Rush."
I think it makes a good point, but its just too awful to play with. Rush is a stupid, lying sack of shit and he proved it again.
What boils me is how badly prepared we are. Lots more people are going to be killed and lives ruined because this adminstration and congress have cut resources despite warnings about the risks of a sinking city, they have played games with FEMA, and now because of a stupid ass war the national guard we need to handle the emergency overseas not defeating an insurgency in what is becoming an ever-more disgusting remix of Vietnam.
And one the jewel cities in the nation, off incaculable historic and cultural importance, has just been ruined. The New Orleans so many of us cherish and love is no more. All the people dead, all the incedible art, all the historic buildings . . . I am starting to cry just thinking about it.
And it did not have to be this bad if we had just done what was asked to limit the risk of disaster. The flooding was preventable, you are so correct.
Read my pet fucking goat, George. You sorry ass sack of shit worst fucking president ever ever ever.
Posted by: Some Guy | August 31, 2005 at 08:16 PM
Picking up on Some Guy's rage, how about "the Preventable Flood?"
Simple, to the point, and a boot up the ass of the loathesome characters who prioritized this well under the Bloody Islamic Republic of Mesapotamia.
Posted by: JustDave | August 31, 2005 at 08:44 PM
Rush Limbagh, like his Repubevangelical masters, is a flaccid excuse for a human being.
Posted by: ol cranky | August 31, 2005 at 10:45 PM
Not to mention that there has been a plan "on the table" for some time relating to shoring up the whole shoreline on the gulf coast. The cost of this endeavor would be significant, but somewhere around the cost of a month of the war in Iraq would have prevented the city of New Orleans from being destroyed.
Posted by: cooper | August 31, 2005 at 10:58 PM
For those of you who are fans of "Oh Brother Where Art Thou" and the hobo songs of the 20s and 30s, how about...
"The Big Rush to the Oxycotin Mountain"?
Posted by: Flint | August 31, 2005 at 11:28 PM
Lac d'Iraq
Lake Dubya
A colossal failure of leadership--and people are starving and dying. Unbelievable...
Posted by: amberglow | September 01, 2005 at 01:42 PM
This is from a friend at the EPA:
We're naming it Lake George, ...
Posted by: amberglow | September 01, 2005 at 02:40 PM
If y'all feel that way about Rush, I wonder why you care so much about what he says...
Posted by: Moon God | September 02, 2005 at 02:08 AM
If y'all feel that way about Rush, I wonder why you care so much about what he says...
Uh, because he has 20 million listeners and is incredibly influential? I hate him -- he's a dishonest, compassionless, hypocritical, racist, self-serving douchebag -- but he has an audience and it would be a mistake to ignore what he says.
Posted by: Thad | September 02, 2005 at 02:36 AM
Hi how are you. I really do hate what has happen to all the people in all the cities that were hit by Katrina. The only thing we can do is pray and ask God to help them all. I wish I had the money to help these peolpe. We all here in Ga know how it is to be flooded we all had two flood's one in 94 and 98. We all just need to pray for them and our troups.
Posted by: ke_key Morris | September 03, 2005 at 02:42 AM
Hi how are you. I really do hate what has happen to all the people in all the cities that were hit by Katrina. The only thing we can do is pray and ask God to help them all. I wish I had the money to help these peolpe. We all here in Ga know how it is to be flooded we all had two flood's one in 94 and 98. We all just need to pray for them and our troups. I also feel that the the people that up hold the law is wrong. I feel that they may as well let thoses people who are getting what's needed to let them get it because they need it. On the other had those who are getting silly thing like Tv's and playstastion ok make them put that down. These people need this stuff if they were in there shoes they'd get it also. I will give something because some food. I don't have the funds. I'll keep you all in my prayer's. And everyone that is on this site help me pray for them to ok. Love you all.
Posted by: ke_key Morris | September 03, 2005 at 02:52 AM
Why don't you guys all just shut up and go help?
Posted by: TGoforth | September 05, 2005 at 09:21 AM
Why don't you guys all just shut up and go help instead of fueling the fire and making this a policital issue?
Posted by: Tkg from N.O | September 05, 2005 at 09:25 AM