Comments on: THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT – KATRINA AND OCCUPATION

By: Stan

Stan — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 15:47:15 +0000

Boy, you really gave it to me that time, Frank.

Bye.

By: Frank

Frank — Thu, 24 Nov 2005 15:23:36 +0000

Okay, your a fucking idiot. You honestly believe the “white man” created Hurricanm Katrina and made it destroy New Orleans? You are a racist towards white people. If you hate this country so much, get the hell out you damn commie, treehugging, liberal! You want the white man to give, give, give, give and no matter how much the white man gives, it’s never enough.

By: Stan

Stan — Sat, 08 Oct 2005 18:38:32 +0000

I want to engage in a bit of self-criticism for engaging in polemics that overreached my rigor. I stand by the conception of the Black Nation. My reference to a White Naiton however was confusing and inexact. The (white) nation in question is the United States… and whiteness is not definitive of the US. White supremacy is a core organizing principle, but “white” is a normative national identity that has been very flexible over time. The Black Nation has a real objective and subjective existence, and remains a powerful if latent political force… contained most effectively by consumerist individualism as an ideology and by an internal comprador class. “Black” in Black Nation is a linguistic marker for African American.

My bad.

By: mark

mark — Mon, 12 Sep 2005 15:44:13 +0000

The “elephant in the living room” relating to Katrina is that the US
military is overextended. All those cops and troops from Wyoming and
Vermont? The Mexican Army? Isn’t this patently obvious? Not only are
these guys (Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld, etc..) a bunch of neo-nazis they
are totally inept. Tried to do the invasion on the cheap. Obviously
didn’t read their Goebbles and Himmler for directions on how to run an
occupation. The racism of the Empire is so obvious it takes years of
indoctrination (Public schools) and daily propaganda doses to prop up
the facade of freedom. Is Katrina the tipping point?

By: debby

debby — Sat, 10 Sep 2005 04:46:55 +0000

This is undoubtedly the most insightful, informative and eloquent piece written on this
subject.

By: Kraig

Kraig — Fri, 09 Sep 2005 04:49:21 +0000

Brilliant article. You are also right about Dr. King, it was definately his Poor Peoples’ March plans that caused “Operation: Lantern Spike” and his assassination. I can’t help but think his speaking out against the illegal war in Vietnam was also a factor, as he publicly came out against it at Riverside Baptist Church on 4 April 1967, exactly one year to the day before his assassination. Also note that his brother, the Rev. Alfred Daniel King was also murdered, the award-winning swim champion somehow “drowning” [being drowned] in his swimming pool at home in the summer of ’69, and the bastards timed it to coincide with the moon landing so that any news of Dr. King’s brother’s death would be swamped by news of the moon landing. It was literally on the same day (night actually). Also note that Dr. King’s widow Coretta Scott King had a press conference in 1974 I believe it was, where she publicly stated she felt pretty sure a conspiracy was behind her husband’s death as opposed to the obvious patsy Ray, and two weeks later the mother of Dr. King was shot to death at Ebenezer Bapt. Church as she played the pipe organ by a young man named Marcus Wayne Chennault who professed a desire [assignment rather] to also kill Dr. King’s father which he thankfully was not able to carry out. After Dr. King’s assassination, the white pig power structure maneuvered Jesse Jackson into place as a more “manageable” “replacement”, just as they manuvered the cartoonish Louis Farrakhan into place to be the “replacement” for the more radical end of the Black Civil Rights movement after they had Malcolm X assassinated. So you are absolutely right to be certain that Dr. King’s assassination was not the work of the patsy Ray acting as some kind of “lone nut assassin”. Anyone who tries to tell you otherwise is either ignorant of the facts or can’t bear to look at them.

By: jay taber

jay taber — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 18:36:03 +0000

There’s currently plenty of motivation to comprehend what the heck is going on, and once
stabilized, some of the evacuees might very well be among those who’d appreciate
enrolling in your popular education courses and workshops. I’ve developed a few myself,
and, as a result of community organizing under sudden and unanticipated adversity, I am
convinced of two things: 1.the public health model is applicable, and 2.the Research-
Education-Organizing-Action formula works.

Mobilizing freedom schools with instructors like yourself for the New Orleans survivors
(who will soon have considerable time on their hands) is a project worthy of support by
groups like AFSC, Common Cause and League of Women Voters. Hope you have connections.

By: eoinmonkey

eoinmonkey — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 07:09:19 +0000

“The reason prejudice continues to exist in America is because liberals are completely smitten by their own labeling mentality. In a country where everyone is (finally) granted fair and equal treatment under the law, there are liberals who firmly believe that federal law still bans women and minorities from basic rights.

It’s shameful that we cannot grasp a hold of our collective American heritage. Instead, we focus on the plights of individual populations, thus creating the “salad bowl” America instead of the melting pot ideal.

One example is how many racial minorities segregate themselves from other races and preach how “the Man” is keeping the entire subculture down. Even after the success of the civil rights era, many minorities feel that there is still a form of structural racism within America. As a result, even in the twenty-first century, there is no sense of American pride within certain pockets of the country.

Because of this mentality, I will never be an American. I will always be perceived by liberals as an African-American. This is a serious threat to national unity.

Whereas the most influential role models in my life are black men and women who fought for my civil rights, my concern lies in the fact that I am perceived in a completely different way from a Hispanic-American or a Caucasian-American, regardless of my socioeconomic status, dialect, etc.

Oddly enough, the racism and sexism problems are derived from liberals who take joy in labeling individuals within the population, which disconnects women and minorities from mainstream America.”

http://www.bgnews.com/vnews/display.v/ART/2005/05/18/428a4f0c30a74?in_archive=1

Just wondered about peoples thoughts to this snippet of an editorial from the local student newspaper. Its from before all of this, but I doubt the guy has changed his mind since. Has anyone heard this before? It surprised me at the time.

By: Yolanda Carrington

Yolanda Carrington — Thu, 08 Sep 2005 01:49:05 +0000

As a student of history, I realize how crucial New Orleans is to the economy and identity of the United States, so I don’t believe that it will be a “lost city” (according to some international newspapers). However, if NOLA is rebuilt, it cannot go back to the way it was.

This may be wishful thinking, but I’m goddamn serious. The racism, class/gender oppression, and disvestment of the Big Easy is an atrocity. This can be said about many metropoles around the country, but it’s still no damn excuse. I’m ain’t asking for capitalism to be destroyed overnight, and I’m ain’t asking for love; I’m asking for states to fucking do what they promise: protect the health, welfare, and safety of their people. If they don’t, we gotta give the bastards holy hell. I’m mean that.

When you see politicians bold-face lie, pat each other on the goddamn back for doing jack shit, and physically threaten victims of a natural disaster on national TV, it’s time to stop being polite. They claim to govern with our consent. Use that shit against them. Pull back your consent until they do their jobs. If they don’t, fire their asses. No excuses.

On September 24th, plan to make shit hot for the bastards. Ask for these simple things. Evict the moron. Fire every federal official responsible for the disaster. Rebuild these communities, and put real fucking federal dollars on that shit. Bring the young people home from Iraq. Leave the Iraqi nation in peace, and bother them no more. No excuses.

Katrina has ripped us open. Shit is real. It’s time to move folks.

By: m.c.

m.c. — Wed, 07 Sep 2005 21:01:41 +0000

I just read Alexander Cockburn’s weekend piece on Counterpunch,(9/3-4) about you and Tom Hayden’s dialogue. I admit he’s done some good in the past with SDS, but the world is better off usually without the advice of professional politicians.