Island Richards

Calling Katrina survivors ‘refugees’ stirs debate – Hurricane Katrina – MSNBC.com:

“It is racist to call American citizens refugees,” the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, visiting the Houston Astrodome on Monday. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have expressed similar sentiments.

Jesse Jackson has never seen a word he didn’t like to call racist. This man, who portrays himself as a man of God, is probably the most divisive man in the country. He sits between the TV and the phone and just waits for a chance to use one to complain about the other, hoping to spew the word “racist” at the drop of an adverb.

Language is descriptive but also alive and generational. Each new generation seems to think the terms common among the last generation are not fit for their own generation. Soon, we will be out of combinations of letters to describe each other.

I therefore put forth that from now on those displaced in the aftermath of Katrina be called “DISCOKATs,” short for “DISplaced in their own COuntry by KATrina.” I will also no longer allow myself to be referred to by the racial slur “white,” and will forthwith be described as “Scottish-Slavik-English-Irish-Deutsch-Nordic-and a few other hyphens-American!”

Peace,
Wisdom

Calling Katrina survivors ‘refugees’ stirs debate – Hurricane Katrina – MSNBC.com:

“It is racist to call American citizens refugees,” the Rev. Jesse Jackson said, visiting the Houston Astrodome on Monday. Members of the Congressional Black Caucus have expressed similar sentiments.

Jesse Jackson has never seen a word he didn’t like to call racist. This man, who portrays himself as a man of God, is probably the most divisive man in the country. He sits between the TV and the phone and just waits for a chance to use one to complain about the other, hoping to spew the word “racist” at the drop of an adverb.

Language is descriptive but also alive and generational. Each new generation seems to think the terms common among the last generation are not fit for their own generation. Soon, we will be out of combinations of letters to describe each other.

I therefore put forth that from now on those displaced in the aftermath of Katrina be called “DISCOKATs,” short for “DISplaced in their own COuntry by KATrina.” I will also no longer allow myself to be referred to by the racial slur “white,” and will forthwith be described as “Scottish-Slavik-English-Irish-Deutsch-Nordic-and a few other hyphens-American!”

Peace,
Wisdom

Simply put, Kanye West’s diatribe was disgusting and out of place. Hillary probably gave him a call before he went on the air. It never fails to amaze me when people can claim others are racists when they have no concept of what is in the others heart.

Was aid too slow to come? Yes.

Was it because the victims were mostly black? That is simply asinine.

Was it because the President didn’t do his job? Get real. He’s a human being and felt the same despair over the situation as everyone else. He was also just as suprised by the extent of the tragedy as everyone else.

Let’s be real here. 90,000 square miles of America were destroyed. How long do you think it takes to put together food, water, shelter, and transportation for the inhabitants of 90,000 square miles? Moreover, some of the residents of New Orleans themselves are responsible for the delay in rescue and supplies. Police were attacked by the people in the Convention Center, and people mugged each other for food and water. Snipers took pot shots at rescue helicopters, and lit fires in shelters. When rescue workers are shot at by the very people they are trying to help, how willing do you think they are going to be to continue to volunteer their efforts and put their own lives in danger?

More blame, I think, should go to both the mayor and the governor of Louisianna. The mayor’s estimates of how many stayed behind were only a third of the actual number, and when his city needed leadership, all they got was a raving madman, casting blame rather than finding solutions. The state’s governor, who should have immediately deployed the national guard troops that were under HER command, instead spent her time crying about how helpless her state was.

Remember, it is not the President’s duty to deploy national guardsmen within the borders of the United States. That is the job of each state’s governor. The President is also forbidden from deploying regular army within the United States to act as security. That is not what our army is trained for, and not the function we want them to perform.

When this situation has calmed down, many people will have a lot to answer for, including the President, the Director of Homeland Security, FEMA, The Governor of Louisiana, the Mayor of New Orleans, the New Orleans police officers who walked away from their duties, and yes, the people of New Orleans who failed to be responsible for their own safety and well being, (and that of their families) and the few of those who chose to take advantage of the tragedy and react by looting nonessential goods, assaulting and raping their neighbors, and running mad through the streets firing wildly at any moving target.

But, for now, let’s hold off on the name calling and Monday morning quarterbacking, and get those people taken care of. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson can wait until every one of the refugees have a safe place to sleep and a full belly before they start their campaign for G. W. Bush’s job in 2008. W, however, won’t be running, so let’s allow him focus on the job at hand.

Peace,
Wisdom

An Aside From
Kanye West’s Torrent of Criticism, Live on NBC

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/09/03/AR2005090300165.html