Thursday, September 01, 2005

David Bowie - Soul Love

New Orleans is starting to get to me.

Everyone with a rudimentary amount of interest in current affairs has known for years that New Orleans was going to end up in this situation eventually. Newspapers reported the danger. State and federal governments developed plans. Money was earmarked to work on solutions, and that money was diverted other places. Everyone knew that hundreds of thousands of people in the area would not have the financial wherewithal or the physical ablity to evacuate, and that they would need help. And yet, when New Orleans was hit, the worst case scenario unfolded. The head of FEMA blamed the people who didn't evacuate for their own plight. People who survived the hurricane are dying in the refugee camps. And this is just New Orleans. We have hundreds of thousands of other people in other states suffering as well. And as the weeks and months unfold, we may see terrible diseases and problems we don't even imagine now.

Many cities in America are waiting in line for their own disasters. Here in LA, we have several disasters that threaten us -- earthquake on top of the lis, obviously. If nothing else, this disaster shows us that we can't count on the government to help us after these disasters. Experts tell us we'll be on our own for a week or more after a major quake in Los Angeles. And we can see how this is playing out in New Orleans. I have a little earthquake kit in my car, but I don't have the supplies I'd need to live for days. I don't have anything at work in case I am at work when the earthquake hits.

I am not going to run out and get a gun, but for the first time, I see a real utility in having a firearm. When we get our major quake in LA, we will definitely have roving bands of armored gangs roaming the streets. And of course, they'll respect superior firepower, and that's it... oh, this is too depressing. The only fantasy I can spin to numb the intensity of despair over this disaster is LA's future disaster...

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