HeiBlog

I feel the need to comment on Katrina, mostly just to air out some thoughts. There been tons of commentary on the governments handling of the tragedy in New Orleans, to many to try and list, and I’ve only digested a few of them. They seem to fall into a few camps: the current administration dropped the ball and our resources as a nation are stretched thin. I personally find that both arguments have some amount of merit to them, though the former one seems to hold more water.

It is shocking how long it has taken for Washington to respond and how long it took Bush to visit. I almost get the impression as if they are just doing their duty and don’t really care. From the news stories I get the impression that the majority of the people who stayed simply could not leave, i.e. they didn’t have the means, i.e, they’re poor. The situation in New Orleans this is one of the worst natural disasters in American history and that it takes time to mobilize a response, but I think that the government could have handled the public opinion a bit better. Maybe they just can’t and don’t want to say. Although it’s very disturbing to see that there is finger point so early in the tragedy, I keep feeling like it’s not unjustified. Michael Moore has even piped up with an open letter to President Bush. There is also some opinion stating that the federal government had been cutting back funding for levy maintenance. Most speculate cutbacks in the Army Core of Engineers budget due to out efforts in Iraq.

With all this occurring I can help but wonder if being an imperial nation-state might have finally cost too much. We are being stretched too thin. The government is heavily in debt and local communities are running out of money. What’s the use of spreading democracy through the world (or at the very least using that as an excuse to make profitable inroads) if we are to suffer here at home. Or maybe out model of a democratic society is not as good as we think it is.

People around the world look to the US as a land of opportunity where anyone can make a mark for themselves. It’s hard to measure how a country handles poverty, but the extent of poverty that were have seen in New Orleans is astounding. The Third World handles this state better then we do. Now we have other nations helping out poor that are stuck down in the delta. Why can’t we take care of our own? When you see thousands of your own countrymen in living in squaller you really have to start to wonder where our priorities are as a nation.

The violence and looting in New Orleans struck me. Why do you fire upon public officials who are trying to help you? On the same note why are people left stranded on a bridge without proper supplies and sanitation? Do you remember this type of thing happening during the tsunami? We have some deep divides and problems in this country and they are being shown now. We can not blame these issues on terrorists or the breakdown of the family. The issue is much more complex and multifaceted then most would like to believe. For my $0.02 I think a good start would a long, hard look on all of our parts at how we conduct ourselves and how we treat others. It been said before, but I’ve seen way too many people just looking out for themselves, with little regard for the needs of others. Maybe it’s just me, just this country just seems to selfish.

Do I have a perfect solution? No. Am I just another person airing their opinion? Yes. I’m frustrated with where I see the country going and it’s nobody’s fault except out own.

Now I know for sure that I need a break from America (err, sorry Mexico, Canada, Central and South America I mean a break from the USA). In my daily news reading I came across a BBC news story about a girl in California who is being held on felony changes for throwing stones at a group of boys who had been tossing water balloons at here. One of the boys was hurt sustaining a deep gash in his head requiring medical attention. From the article “An ambulance was called, but arrived flanked by three police patrol vehicles. A helicopter meanwhile hovered overhead.” As for the girl’s detention she has spent “has since spent five days in detention, in which she was granted one 30 minute visit by her parents, and has spent a month under house arrest” and is due back in court at the end of the month. Did I mention that the girl is 11?

WTF! By this standard how much stuff did you do as a kid that would be deemed illegal and worthy of legal action? She admitted that she threw the stones and the boy admitted that he started the fight. Simple. Done. I really don’t understand what the big deal is. Okay, maybe one cop and a the cop taking the kid back to her parents. That should be enough just to scare her. When I was a kid I would have been scared shitless if a cop telling me I did something wrong. She did do something wrong by hurting the boy, but three cruisers and a helicopter for a an 11 year old girl with stones??!! Five days detention and only seeking your parents for 30 minutest during that time!!? House arrest?!! Thugs twice this girl’s and get off easier. Did I mention that the girl is 11?

My roommate is moving out at the end of the month. Due to the fact that he just recently know exactly when he was moving out I just started a few weeks ago to look for a roommate. Three weeks on listing services and I only get a few people to even have a look at the place. If it’s not the price then it’s the fact that parking sucks in my neighborhood. Once guy really likes the place and we hit it off, but says that he might get word on another place first. He had issue with my roommate’s uncertain move out date and the other place suited him better. The only place came though and he decided to go with it. Fine.

So this last Sunday I showed the place to a woman. A fellow graduate student trying to finish up her thesis in history. We hit it off, she likes the place, and decides that she wants to move it. I’m thinking that I can rest easy and get on with my normal affairs. Well I get an email from her saying that she has bad news. Her grandmother passed away and she is going home to help out and thinks that she just might move back home to finish her thesis. I feel bad

Oh well, so if you are still interested in renting my extra room, drop me a line.

Why do plants get special privilege to fornicate anywhere they want to? I can’t, they fine and lock people up for things like that. Everyday I walk by their organs. Sure they’re pretty and all, but they just hand there spewing out gametes to get suck in my sinuses and give my bored immune system something to attack. At least animals have the decency to concentrate theirs to a contained area. Guess there is such a thing as free love, at least for some of us Terrans.

I’ve been so focused on the United States doing downhill that I sometimes forget that there are charlatans and cheats in other countries as well. The Christian Science Monitor was running an article about a land grab in Thailand. Apparently developers are trying to push squatters who’s homes were destroyed by the tsunami. Most of this land is beach front so the developers of course want to build resorts and hotels for the tourist trade that is sure to blossom again in a few years after the tsunami mess is cleaned up and people start to be resettled. The dispute comes from a Thai law that states that occupancy on public land for 10 years constitutes ownership. Many of these villagers don’t have any proof of when they set up occupancy and in some cases the development companies have bribed government officials to post-date the relevant paperwork or just used good old fashion intimidation to try and acquire the land. One even went to the effort of sending armed guards to prevent former occupants from looking through their demolished house for what was left of their belongings. I guess it gives me some comfort to know that the US isn’t the only country that has people who would take everything from people who have nothing.

You ever had puppies? They have those cute little faces and run around all the time. You think they are just full of love and kindness. Well they do have cute faces and love giving and receiving attention, but they also crap and piss everywhere. Then they grow up a little, so you have a full sized dog with the mind of a puppy, aka no self-control. Now take two of them, more ideas and more destructive ability.

I’ve been taking care of a friend’s two 9-month-old Labs for the last few days. Other than being sleep deprived things were going fairly well. Very few messes, no blood, but, then with out thinking I left my wallet and some groceries on the kitchen counter. They woke me up this morning at 5, they needed walking, and all went well. “Fine,” I think, “I can just leave them out and get a few more hours of sleep, they won’t do anything bad.” At 7:30 I exit the bedroom to find the contents of my wallet scattered all over the living room and the wallet itself mangled. In the end I was only missing one credit card and my drives license and one credit card have chew dents in them.

I was pissed at them and they knew it. They just sat in their little corner eyes up with sad faces. Soon they forget though. It’s nobody’s fault really, I should have know better. Started me thinking though if there is any such thing as unconditional love (might write more on that later). I feed and walk the bitches and they look to me for more. Every time I go into the kitchen they are looking for a hand out. They are dependent on me to some extent, but what am I getting form them? Should I expect this? Why do we keep these beasts around? Hell, maybe I’m just a cat person. I need more sleep.

This seems to be all over the net, but I just got an email about it from a friend of mine. The picture shows an American soldure kneeing in front of a burial site of his commrad, being consilde by a young girl. The statue was commissioned as a memorial for the fallen of the 4th Infantry Division of the US Army from a Iraq artest. All this is true, btu not the whole story, it’s the spin that is different and is the perfect exmpale of how you tell the story they way you want it told. Remember that I am a cynic, so I love this shit.

(more…)

Sorry guys, the State of the Union didn’t do it for me. Lots of obvious things were said. I do have some pet peeves though…

“Our second great responsibility to our children and grandchildren is to honor and to pass along the values that sustain a free society. So many of my generation, after a long journey, have come home to family and faith, and are determined to bring up responsible, moral children. Government is not the source of these values, but government should never undermine them.”

Okay, I agree. The government should not dictate moral values, the society does and the government should reflect the society as long as it does not discriminate against minorities in the society. That goes back to the Framers. I’m not sure if kids need to come home to the type of faith that I think Mr. Bush is speaking of, but I’ll go with it.

Next paragraph:

“Because marriage is a sacred institution and the foundation of society, it should not be re-defined by activist judges. For the good of families, children, and society, I support a constitutional amendment to protect the institution of marriage.”

Wait, since when is marriage sanctioned by the government sacred? Perhaps sectors of the society have different opinions of marriage. Last time I checked if a church said that you were married it meant nothing to the government unless you paid the fee and signed the form. If it’s so “sacred” they why is the divorce rate over 50%? And wasn’t it just said that the government should not undermine values? Or did I misunderstand the first point and what was actually meant was that the government should not undermine the values of the majority or at the very least the strong minority that installed the current regime? In this “amendment to protect the institution of marriage” are you going to make divorce illegal or just really hard? It seems to me that there are more problems here than a few homosexuals wanting to be able to do some of the basic things that heterosexual couples can. I still can’t see how this is a threat, the gay guys aren’t trying to bugger you. And when was the last time we had an amendment that limited rights. Personal opinion here, but I think this type of amendment would be the worst thing since prohibition.

“The United States has no right, no desire, and no intention to impose our form of government on anyone else.” Ack!, Cough! Sorry getting over a sinusitis infection.

Well I don’t feel warm of fuzzy and I still think should look for a post-doc in Europe. Yep, we’re going down the shitter, but at least we will feel good about the whole think. Or at least be told that this is the right thing for us.

I stopped by work after my day on the islands to set up some reactions. Unfortunately I hit the end of a Sox game when I was walking home. Not to slight Sox fans, but intoxication, sporting events, and mobs just don’t seem to bring the best in humanity. For instance, take in the intersection of Yawkee Way and Boylston St. This is normally a busy intersection and a nightmare after a game, even with Yawkee Way being closed now during games. The light was flashing yellow, people were trying to cross the stress, know body knows if they should go or not, and there is a lot of honking. Then I see a cop very leisurely walking toward the intersection. The next intersection on Boylston is even more fun; no light, no closed cross street (people trying to turn left), and tonight no cop.

As I am walking over toward the Landmark Center I cross in front of a car trying to exit a garage. I’m about 30 ft past the car and a passenger calles out to me from behind, “You should watch that backpack, might be a bomb in it.” Where the hell did that come from? I was wearing my yellow day-pack. Guess the that combined with my boots and slight sunburn makes me look suspicious. I can only hope that the ass was drunk. I just walked on.

I should have written about this earlier. Maybe it is just my ignorance, but are the searches that the MBTA is conducting during the DNC legal? My guess is that is falls under the roof of public safety which I can accept. Up to now it seems that police are mostly just looking for explosives and are just wiping random bags (every nth person, n being a number that the assigned officers agree on) to check for residue and bring in some bomb sniffing dogs. They have also apparently opened a few bags that are “suspicious.” Okay so the selection of people is random, but the MBTA still says that they will stop people who look suspicious.

Two things pop into my mind. What happens if they find something illegal, same some marijuana for example. Has probably cause been fulfilled and can that person be prosecuted? I would hope not. The other thing that comes to mind is the disturbing trend away from full, publicly debated policy (aka laws) to ad hoc policy. It sees that we are increasingly being asked to trust the enforcers of the law, when no solid outline of their bounds has been laid out. I know that this type of enforcement as been practiced for years by the EPA and for things like emigration and customs where an agency is given an area of responsibility and given authorization to pass policy in that area. Should this be extended though to to the areas that could send people to jail and cause them to be held without due cause?

Maybe I am being Chicken Little, but it just seems that things are going downhill, that we are still living in fear and this is being used as a mechanism to centralize more power with the government. I’ll gripe more on this later. Thanks for listening.