A NEW URBAN LEGEND........IT’S ALL WET
Dangle24-7 December 09, 2005
The following was taken from an internet Discussion Board. (I chose not to correct spelling errors or grammer as I am unclear of my rights to change Farhat’s posting.)
BOMBS DESTROYED THE LEVEES NOT KATRINA!
Why there is no discussion about people reporting that they heard explosions before the levees breached and these levees were the same levees that few years earlier were bombed. There was a concerted effort to get rid of the poor blacks by destrying their sense of community. That is why instead of letting them return they are discouraging them from returning.What is the role of media in all of this? It seems that the media is captive media, just like Iraq, is a megaphone for the Security Forces.That is why we don't here anything but the sanitized news!And whenever there is a tragic report like the beating of the respectable blackman by white police men, then the contollers walkin and silence teh news or redirect it. The message of brutal beating of the black school teacher by white policemen was loud and clear if you are Black don't go back they would break your bones. Read this:
KATRINA DID NOT BREAK THE LEVEES, BOMBS DID IT.
FARHAT MAQUAMI
So thus begins a New Urban LEGEND
It becomes very difficult to arouse sympathy and support when this sort of insanity is spread by some citizens of New Orleans and people like Spike Lee and Lewis Farrakhan. The fact that when you combine the losses of Orleans, Jefferson, St. Tammany and St. Bernard Parish (which is 88.3%white and was completely destroyed by flood waters), you get a totally different-- but accurate picture of the racial makeup of the devastated areas. Lakeview, a middle to upper middle class area in New Orleans, is at least 90% white and twice the size of the Lower 9th Ward which is predominately black and poor. Both areas received equal levels of devastation. That is of course if we can trust the Louisiana State University Hurricane Center and C&C Technologies Survey Services, The Times Picayune that published a map showing the extent of flooding throughout the metropolitan area and last but not at all least; the water mark that remains on homes and buildings that remind us that when all is said and done; Hurricane Katrina did not discriminate.
There are those who want to spread the “Conspiracy theory” on the internet and tell these stories at congressional hearings as was the case Tuesday Dec. 6, 2005 when black residents from the lower 9th ward testified in front of a congressional panel in Washington. One resident testified she actually heard the bombs go off; “BOOM! BOOM!”. These untrue accounts destroy our credibility with Congress and the rest of America. Hopefully, the people of this country understand that these people are truly in the minority when it comes to this belief that levees were bombed to get rid of them; the black citizens of this area. My fear is not that "they" will be believed but that "they", along with the likes of Lewis Farrakhan and Spike Lee will discourage and sadly; give some an excuse not to rebuild New Orleans.
Urban legends live on and on and on; even the ones that are “All wet”.
posted by dangle24-7 @ 4:48 AM
2 comments
2 Comments:
I personally don't feel as if the response to Katrina/Rita was so much a black and white thing as a rich/poor or north south thing. I for one I’m tired of hearing the “race card” every time something bad happens.
Not all people, but many people, especially from the North have the idea that people from the South are uneducated and poor. They all live in trailers and have a car or two jacked up in their front yards. Or they are in gangs and are thieves.
This thought of these people is totally inaccurate. Oh granted, there may be some people like that, but there are people like that up north too. From my first hand experience people from the South are extremely gracious, God fearing people. They will welcome you into their home regardless of color or handicap. They will see that you are fed and clothed and well loved. They may not live in a penthouse on 5th Ave., but what they have is yours.
If this hurricane had hit one of our wealthiest states such as Connecticut the response would have been much different. In the government’s defense, this kind of devastation has never been seen here in this country and hopefully will never be seen again. I have always felt that the people waiting at the Convention Center and Superdome could have been kept informed of the situation. May of these people had no idea what was happening around them. I also think that the U.S. could have had some kind of better plan then what they had.
I also feel that building the levees back to their former self's is a huge mistake. They need to be able to withstand a Cat. 5 hurricane. If this were CT they would have done that already.
I firmly believe that had the levees not broken New Orleans and the surrounding areas would have been back up and running (maybe not as smoothly). It wasn’t the hurricane that devastated the area it was the flooding.
Most of these people would have had their home fixed and roofs tarped by now. But it was the flood and the mold that followed that is preventing most of these wonderful people from coming back. The damage from the floodwaters is the biggest problem from what I have seen.
A lot of these people were born and raised here, this is all they know. Home is where your heart is, and right now I think it is in New Orleans. FEMA wanted these people to get on with their lives, get jobs find new places to live. These people were traumatized and are still being traumatized daily by the gov. agencies. These people want to go back to their jobs, their friends and families. If they had wanted to get out of New Orleans and start their lives over they would have without a hurricane and the Government telling them they had to. All the want to do is go home. I have never heard one of these people say I want a new house all they want is their old one back. Most of these people would be thrilled with a roof over their head and clothes on their backs, just to be able to go home.
Another question I have is why if you have homeowners insurance did you not have flood insurance? The area is in a “bowl”.
As far the “BOOM, BOOM” that the lady heard, well we can’t discredit her. She may have well heard something of that nature, but I would bet it wasn’t an explosion. It was most likely the levee giving way and something crashing around the break. Things make strange sounds under pressure.
Please don’t think I am coming off harsh. I totally support the rebuild of New Orleans and the surrounding area. I just wish the process were a lot sooner and less painful for the victims.
Hi scoobydoo fan. You are correct. The theory that it was the "Economic Card" rather then the "Race Card" holds WATER (UGH, I hate puns). It would not at all surprise me that the lack of urgency could be linked to that theory. But to paint a picture that an attempt of "Racial Cleansing" was in progess while anger from reporters such as Shepard Smith from FOX broadcasted from an I-10 interstate overpass and literally pleaded for help for the black people who surrounded him. We saw Brian Williams of NBC report from the Super Dome. We saw CNN at the Convention Center. We saw the outragious conditions at the Super Dome and Convention Center and their faces were black and their horror became a part of all of us. Nothing was hidden including the body of an elderly woman covered up in a wheel chair!
As for the levees, it has been documented and reported that these levees were not built to the original Cat 3 spefifications. No one seems to have an answer as to why. These levees protected white and black alike.
You are also correct that if the levees had held, most of us would be griping and moaning about getting our roofs repaired from the comfort of our living and/or dining rooms. New Orleans would have "Dodged the proverbial bullet".
The average native New Orleanian is a warm hard working person with strong ties to New Orleans. They are white and they are black. The majority of them are good; the minority of them are bad. They are loyal (N.O. Saints), God fearing people who were born here and will die here. If they are transplanted from another part of this country; they stay or keep close ties to this city. (John Goodman, Dennis Quaid, Jimmy Buffett, Jerry Jeff Walker, Ed Bradly,etc.)
Why no flood insurance? Don't know. I am in Mandeville. La and I am four (4) feet above sea level. Been here for 12 years and never came close to flooding. I have flood insurance!!!
BOOM BOOM Could have been anything, but if it was the Feds who blew up all those levees, they really screwed up because they flooded as many if not more homes owned by whites then blacks.
Thank you Scooby for your comment. Please take the time to enlist your Congressman and U.S. Senator to help New Orleans and those on the Gulf Coast rebuild.
Thank you, dangle24-7
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