Normal & Presidential Propaganda

I haven’t visited or posted to this blog in quite some time – 11 months to be exact. I tried to access a few links like the Hurricane Katrina Fact Sheet from Barack Obama’s website. Of course, it is 404. How soon we forget?

Scribd has this to offer.

I stopped reading after this line, “Amount spent by FEMA to date on operating expenses, including salaries and expense accounts: $6 billion”

Pissed Off. Even though I’ve discovered that there are new banking rules in the State of Louisiana after Katrina. I read this, too. And this, “The LA BEOC supports the coordination of activities and resources of businesses and volunteer organizations in Louisiana and across the nation to improve response and self-sufficiency, reduce reliance on FEMA and other federal assistance in order to maximize business, industry and economic stabilization, returning the business environment to normal operations as quickly as possible.”

There is is….

That N word again.

I liked the idea of Louisiana telling off FEMA. Even if it is subliminally & metaphorical, “reduce reliance on FEMA”.

I’ve missed my Louisiana blogs….
I’ll be dipped if we are not back to a Presidential Propaganda year.

Normal Presidential Propaganda
March 15, 2009

Normal is not snow.
Normal is not below 80*.
Normal is not rain that sprinkles daily.
Normal is not my pillow.
Normal is not underfoot.
Normal is not my yard.
Normal is not my flower bed.
Normal is not my grocery store.
Normal is not mine anymore.
Kiss my a** normal.
Normal is not the National Guard parked outside.
Normal is not the crime rate.
Normal is not living here.
Normal is not at home.
Normal does not live here.
Normal is not my school.
Normal is not my school board.
Normal is not my new friends.
Normal is not my neighbor.
Kiss my a** normal.
Normal is not the formaldehyde level.
Normal is not my shoes.
Normal is not my furniture.
Normal is not my memory.
Normal is not the trees.
Normal is not the bus.
Normal is not the radio stations.
Normal is not the latitude or longitude or wind speed.
Normal is not Katrina.
Normal is not the Road Home.
Kiss my a** normal.
Normal is not my local Government.
Normal is not my Federal Government.
Normal is not my levee.
Normal is not my canal.
Normal is not my city.
Normal is corrupt.
Normal is self rightous.
Normal is proud.
Normal is a sense of humor.
Normal is not laughing.

“As usual, the state and their agents of fortune are the one you need to guard against.” -<< this blog's singular post tagged about Katrina. The blog states further, "This is one of the better pieces of intel I have yet to see." Guess he didn't read Louisiana Questions or see my tags, "Clueless Katrina Comments" or "Media Oversight". It is certain that he, Deaconmatson, and the author of Disaster Mythology and the Law, Lisa Grow Sun, did not live in Louisiana during Katrina. The blog post is entitled, Disaster Mythology: Your real enemies are not who you think they are…, from Deaconmatson's Blog – observations from America. The article is a late bloomer, the ideas lay withering in the sun, wrinkled, burned, and useless. I skipped to her conclusion, "The true nightmare of Katrina was not the anarchy and violence reported to have consumed the city; rather, it was the painfully slow and often misguided response—spurred in part by the disaster myth of widespread looting and violence—that compounded the suffering of Katrina’s victims and all but guaranteed that disaster would become catastrophe. If we are to avoid that nightmare scenario in future disasters, we must reform both the design and implementation of our disaster laws to avoid the overemphasis on security and law enforcement that the disaster myth encourages." CORNELL LAW REVIEW Vol. 96:1131 2011 Honestly? You have got to be kidding me! I want to know exactly HOW MANY people she interviewed who ACTUALLY went through Katrina. I’m willing to bet ZERO! I would love for people who were not there to just shut up about Katrina. Media included. I’ve never really laughed so hard at Cornell Law. Actually, I did not expect this! rofl

FIRE THE MARKETING EXECS AT DIRECTV NOW

DirecTV online contact form

Clueless Katrina Comments
Media Oversight

Is the VOO program hiring commercial fisherman, first?

This story from Bayou, Le Batre, Ala. really started the day off.

“At issue, according to those there, is that recreational boat owners are being hired before those who make their livelihoods solely from fishing local waters.”

URL

Evidently, BP’s VOO program is in question, “We are adjusting the vessels of opportunity program to give priority to commercial vessels and fisherman.”

There’s a post in the Louisiana Sportsman forum stating that boat captains could be paid $35/hr just to drive the boat. I wonder what that’s all about.

What does a fishing community look like?

Fishing Communities Facts

Many communities in the Gulf of Mexico were
originally founded to exploit the rich marine resources.

Some communities in the Gulf of Mexico, for example,
Empire and Venice in Louisiana, are below sea level
and protected by levies.

In many coastal communities, fishermen can no
longer afford to live near the water because
increasing development and redevelopment of these
areas has raised the cost of living beyond their means.

Seafood processing and sales

In 2006, there were 174 fish processing plants and
255 wholesale businesses located in the Gulf region
that together employed 10,841 workers.

Louisiana had the most wholesaler plants in 2006
(126) that together employed 661 workers, while
Texas had the second highest number (77) that
together employed 825 workers.

Shrimp fishery

The combination of long term increases in expenses
including marine diesel fuel, combined with the
dramatic increase in the amount of relatively cheap
imported farm raised shrimp, is making it very
difficult for many Gulf fishermen to make a living in
commercial fishing. Over 90% of the Nation’s shrimp
supply is now imported.

Vietnamese fishermen are now an important part of
the shrimp fishery in Mississippi and Louisiana.

Recreational fishing

Florida had the most saltwater recreational fishermen
in the United States in 2006: 3.7 million, and another
2.9 million saltwater anglers from other states
reported saltwater fishing trips to Florida in that year.
These recreational fishermen released just over 44%
of their catch in 2006.

Historical context

Coastal dwelling American Indians relied on the Gulf
of Mexico’s inshore marine resources for part of their
subsistence for thousands of years before Europeans
began arriving in the 16th century.

Some of the first scientific studies of the Gulf’s fishery
resources were begun in 1884 by the U.S.
Commission of Fish and Fisheries. They eventually
included surveys of the oyster beds in areas near
Apalachicola, Florida, and inshore waters of Alabama
as well as other areas.
[Source: Gulf Summary Communities]

“Overall, 30 fishing communities in Alabama, 99 in Louisiana, 14 in Mississippi, 68 in Texas, and 119 in West Florida have been profiled by NMFS social scientists because of the nature of their links with commercial and/or recreation fishing. In 2006, 14 United States’ top fifty ports by landings revenue were located in the Gulf region. They were: Bayou La Batre, Alabama; Dulac-Chauvin, Empire-Venice, Golden Meadow-Leeville, Intracoastal City. Lafitte-Barataria. Louisiana: Brownwsville-Port Isabel. Port Arthur, Galveston and Palacios, Texas; and Apalachicola, Fort Myers, Key West, Tampa Bay- st. Petersburg, Florida. On average, the Gulf of Mexico accounted for 21% of U.S. annual landing revenue from 1997-2006.

The Gulf’s top fishing communities were typically smaller towns and villages with populations below 20,000 persons. However, on major metropolitan center approaching 2 million (Houston, Texas), and a few larger coastal cities also have significant fisheries involvement (Tampa and St. Petersburg, Florida; Mobile, Alabama; and Brownsville, Texas) Louisiana’s and Alabama’s top fishing communities are most likely to have populations below 5,000.Nine of Louisiana’s top ten fishing communities and seven of Alabama’s top ten fishing communities fall in this group.”

[Source: NOAA Fisheries Service – Southeast Region – Publications,
http://sero.nmfs.noaa.gov/sf/socialsci/socialsci.htm, Accessed: June 2, 2010. No date cited. See also: Identifying Communities Associated with the Fishing Industry in Louisiana]

What is the Louisiana Barrier Island Project?

Read it.
and
shout for joy or weep here.

Where’s the oil headed?

You can view the maps, here. The news may broadcast maps that are different, however. At least the map I saw this morning on TV was different than the map link above.

Why did Gov. Jindal bring up Katrina?

KIRO Talk Radio attempted to make fun of Gov. Bobby Jindal’s speech yesterday evening. That part of the radio show was a success. Here is where KIRO talk radio invited chaos...they discredited Sheriff Harry Lee and they made fun of HURRICANE KATRINA victims and survivors by questioning , “Why did Bobby Jindal bring up Hurricane Katrina, again in his speech? What does Katrina have to do with it?”

I started crying inside. I wish that I had a cell phone handy at the time of the show when they said that they were taking calls and opened a discussion. I was busy at the time and couldn’t. They should be very, very, thankful that I didn’t call.

“As the president made clear this evening, we’re now in a time of challenge. Many of you listening tonight have lost jobs; others have seen your college and your retirement savings dwindle. Many of you are worried about losing your health care and your homes. You’re looking to your elected leaders in Washington for solutions.” –Bobby Jindal

Here is what KIRO didn’t understand. People lost their jobs, their transportation, their homes, their lives, and everything about their lives changed … INSTANTLY during Hurricane Katrina. Many are still fighting insurance companies, even today. Many are still rebuilding. Many cannot rebuild. Many are still not home. Many are still fighting bureaucrats.

When Mt. St. Helens blew, 50 people died. I didn’t hear KIRO making fun of that natural disaster. Hurricane Katrina killed three times that number of people. Some of those were children. No children died when Mt. St. Helens blew.

KIRO Talk Radio discredited Sheriff Harry Lee and laughed about the fact that he has since passed on. “We’re trying to….get….let’s call him.” they said. They actually wanted to call Harry Lee and confirm the conversation that he had had with Jindal during Hurricane Katrina. Then KIRO realized that Harry Lee was dead. KIRO doesn’t understand how well liked and well respected Sheriff Harry Lee was and still is in Louisiana. KIRO Talk Radio screwed up. Maybe if Harry had better health care he would still be here today. Many people in Louisiana didn’t have access to health care prior to Hurricane Katrina as Louisiana was one of those states that was deemed a “healthcare shortage area.” I can’t expect KIRO to understand what that means after Katrina.

“We’re grateful for the support we’ve received from across the nation for our ongoing recovery efforts.” KIRO Talk Radio wasn’t listening. And for those of us who cannot “go home” and are forced to listen to KIRO instead of WWL? It is because people “ignored the bureaucrats” that “There’s a lesson in this experience: The strength of America is not found in our government. It is found in the compassionate hearts and the enterprising spirit of our citizens.”

Making fun of Jindals diction, tone, and meter in his speech was okay with me.

Making fun of Bobby Jinda’s RED WHITE AND BLUE TIE, was even okay with me. (Even though I’d like to wrap it around KIRO TALK RADIO’s NECK.) The fact that Bobby Jindal has ALWAYS worn a RED WHITE AND BLUE TIE, escaped KIRO listeners and KIRO Talk Radio.

Making fun of Hurricane Katrina victims and the travesty that REMAINS WITH US DAILY by KIRO TALK RADIO PERSONALITIES asking, “Why did Bobby Jindal bring up Hurricane Katrina, again?” shows complete and total, utter disregard, disrespect, ignorance, and poor taste in broadcast journalism. I can go on and on. I won’t. KIRO Talk Radio, like many other Americans, unfortunately, have no inkling.

The current so called “financial crisis” that America is facing cannot be compared to anything else but Katrina. The banks closed after Katrina. There was no cash to be had, no credit, NOTHING. KIRO couldn’t put up a radio station from scratch, I’d be willing to bet on it.

I’d like to see WWL interview these KIRO Talk Radio folks. I’d like to see KIRO get GRILLED.

I’ll show you mine cowboy, if you show me yours. (I think I already know who won this fight.)

KIRO,? You’re FIRED.