Breakdown of society

I don't know if you've been paying attention to some less-well-known media outlets regarding what's going on in New Orleans. Let me start by saying that by mentioning New Orleans, don't think I'm disregarding Alabama and Mississippi, parts of which were also trashed by Katrina this week, it's just that I haven't been seeing many reports from those places about people shooting at rescue helicopters, trashing ambulances, and cops looting stores.

In New Orleans, all those things happened. Just today.

Check out these sites, if you haven't already:

http://www.nola.com/
http://www.livejournal.com/users/interdictor
http://www.brendanloy.com
http://www.chron.com

New Orleans is breaking apart. The few people left in the city seem to have shifted backwards a couple of notches in what we used to think of as a civilized society. The reporters are bailing out, the cops can't keep order, the streets are all flooded, and even FEMA is reported to have backed out of some areas. Looks like the End Times have arrived for the Crescent City.

The one thing I didn't much appreciate was House Speaker Dennis Hastert's comment today something to the effect that he didn't think New Orleans ought to be rebuilt. He will deserve the ass-kicking from all sides that he will receive. Hope he never runs for President... despite his being a Republican, nobody in the Gulf States will ever vote for him, even the ones who might agree with him. There are some things you Just Don't Say.

I am going to try to distract myself tonight by going to see the Ravens/Redskins game. Someday the Ravens will be a trivia question: who won the last pro football game played in New Orleans? And yes, by asking it that way, I am a little doubtful that Superdome will ever host a Saints game again. It's been so thoroughly trashed it'd be cheaper to demolish it (being as it's now one of the oldest stadiums in the NFL) and rebuild it... but then again, New Orleans won't be able to afford a pro football team for years, if ever. There's serious talk about permanently moving the team elsewhere, talked that predates the storm.

I know I'll break down and take the Clie along anyway. Just in case there's any new news.