Life Un-Scripted

Not being a big Kanye West fan I was half listing to what appeared to be just another round of the very scripted speeches made by folks working the fundraiser for the Katrina "evacuees" (notice at some point they stopped referring to them as refugees..Too inflammatory I guess) when my focus sharpened. Kanye said on national TV what up till then had only been voiced on such a public level by the folks living the nightmare, "George Bush doesn't care about Black people or poor people". Of course you folks living on the west coast never got to hear it as the comments were removed as soon as folks recovered from the shock. I mean damn we all know it's true but how can you say that kinda shit publicly ? Your liable to start some serious trouble with that kind of talk. NBC could hardly wait to disassociate itself with what was said in the form of an official statement "Mr West went off script... blah, blah, blah." We all know its true, the white reporters first on the scene knew it and in their shock and horror at the situation articulated that very sentiment but they eventually regained their composure and went back to the "non-bias" reporting of the crisis (Black folks looting vs white folks finding)... They didn't dare send any Blacks from the major networks to report, who knows what they might of said with the stranded being their people and all. And when the Mayor and several other city officials both white and Black said the unmentionable it was explained away as being a result of the extreme stress they were under. This is not a dialog white amerikkka wants to have and when it is forced upon them the majority would rather look the other way. Mr West had a captive audience for his remarks and thank god the censures were only watching for swear words and not content or we on the east coast would have never heard it. At this point it looks like the big white wash has begun, the news magazines are now filled with the feel good stories of people being reunited and such...The majority of the stories are about white folks who lost their beach houses. I'm not saying poor white folks didn't loose everything but it appears that no one wants to talk to the poor,Black, Latinos or Asians who lost ...That would be too raw , too real. As Barbara Bush said "most of these people are better off in the shelters than they were before the hurricane" The white house is making sure that everyone knows her comments were also "unscripted". Sure that $2000 debit card will make a world of difference to someone who's entire life is gone...I mean who needs family, friends, neighbors and a home when you got some free money. I can't wait for the backlash surrounding that. And now the white house has hired a new PR director to "change the worlds view of how the US government has handled the hurricane " Too late ... The worlds view of the US was set after Jr went into Iraq and well before ..The hurricane only reinforced the view that if your not white you don't really matter...Not to mention the offers of help by other nations that were ignored by the arrogance of this administration...So thanks Kanye for the "unscripted remarks" They were heard loud and clear...Too bad it feels like you were preaching to the choir not the sinners

Less Than Zero

New Orleans is a car wreck that everyone can't help but watch . The images are horrific and solicit comments like "Where are the relief agencies?" "Why is it taking so long for someone to help these people?" And my favorite "It looks like a third world country". I am in shock but none of this surprises me. Louisiana and Mississippi have the two highest rates of children living below the poverty level in the U.S.at approximately 30%. New Orleans is a city made up of 67% Black folks and again 30% of them live below the poverty level. So yeah I'm not surprised at the slow response after and no response prior to Katrina's arrival. Yes folks were told to leave the city before the storm hit but that is only possible if you have the ways and means to do so. That there would be thousands of people who could not get out is something that should not have been a surprise to anyone. That the powers that be made no proactive plan to remedy this is sickening but again not surprising after all this is a country obsessed with race and class as evidenced by it's not so equal treatment of people of color around the world. Amerikkka will not be there for you unless you have something worth helping you for...like oil. Opening the Super Bowl as a shelter and not providing even the basic necessities like food,water and basic healthcare was insane at best...at worst genocide. Now comes the media with images of Black and Brown faces "looting". Is it so surprising that when people ask for help and don't get it they then will take what they can? Only after that did the powers that be deem it appropriate to send in the National Guard to take back the city from the "hands of anarchy". This the city that the speaker of the house stated "wasn't worth rebuilding" needed not food or water for it's citizen's who have been without for 5 days but protection from a "lawless mob taking over the streets". Not a thought to the people dying in the streets. Where have you been FEMA? How do they answer the inquiries of the foreign press who ask "Why is your government not doing anything to help?" Is the reply "All of our efforts are directed to Homeland Security at this time and that issue in Iraq?" I suggest they read the poem called Home..Land..Security.. by Letta Neely and get a clue to what humane and ethical treatment of all people is about and why folks get so angry when it is denied them. I know that won't happen ...So this month my rent will be late and I'll skip a car payment knowing I will still have a roof over my head and enough food to eat. My pay check will be better spent in Biloxi and New Orleans. Not much..I know..