they're saying thousands

Music: Robert Wyatt: Rock Bottom I don't have anything coherent to say, but that on my way home from the office I listened to the news on NPR, then saw two news broadcasts about how things worsened in Louisiana. Friends in Baton Rouge say gas is harder to find; LSU has become a shelter; Tulane is relocated to Jackson . . . and they fear thousands have drown. Calling friends in LA, you usually get the "circuits are busy" message--if I hear from anyone, it's when they call me. It's simply horrible, and try as I might, my mind keeps dwelling on it . . . this tacit guilt that I just moved a month ago, and earlier this morning emailed a slew of buddies in Louisiana my cheerful "Austin report." I regret sending the report now; I regret not doing more; I regret not knowing what I can do to feel like I'm doing more. Jesus. All those people. And we knew it was coming all along. It's the whole feeling one has when hanging in the quater: that any day now, the big one will come, so DRINK UP!

[EDIT: Now hours later from this post. I emailed my friends in Louisiana to apologize for sending my "update" about moving to Austin during what turned out to be a very, very bad day. Shortly after my apology, this email arrived:

Delivered-To: slewfoot@mail.utexas.edu X-IronPort-MID: 1601762724 X-SBRS: 3.7 X-BrightmailFiltered: true X-Brightmail-Tracker: AAAAAA== X-Ironport-AV: i="3.96,159,1122872400"; d="scan'208"; a="1601762724:sNHT18099032" Date: Wed, 31 Aug 2005 18:58:40 -0700 (PDT) From: Deep Throat Subject: Your happy post on CMST-L To: jgunn@LSU.EDU

This is off list because it is personal.

Once again you have proven just how insensitive and churlish you really are. How crass and immature to totally ignore what has happened even to make a jestful post.

My extended family has lost more than six homes in the Greater New Orleans and River Parishes area that we can confirm so far.

And you want to update us on Austin?

Thank God you are no longer here.

Good riddance.

I recognize that intellectually I should dismiss this kind of message, but emotionally it hurts. I suspect this is one of the LSU students whom I recommended that we get rid of . . . even so, I don't wish any misery on him or his family (if anyone knows how to read all the gobbledegook to identify this person, please let me know). What happened is truly terrible. I'm sorry I've hurt someone's feelings, but dammit, I'm NOT happy or in any way gleeful THOUSANDS OF FOLKS have lost their homes! I'm mortified that thousands are presumed dead. Shit. I don't know what to say. [end edit]

I guess I never expected it to come so soon. I guess that's what residents thought too. As much as I cannot stand the guy (god he's an asshole), Codrescu's editorial today on NPR was dead right. He does a marvelous job of capturing the centrality of poverity in all of this: it's a class thing. Indeed, it's a race thing. And on that note, just one more comment before I drown my feelings and try to sleep: compare the coverage of the Tsunami and then Katrina. Looting is the emphasis in the national media here, despite the protests of the Mayor of New Orleans (you'd loot too if you were starving!) . . . I cannot recall any obsession with reporting looting with the recent Tsunami . . . . Maybe I'm looking for something to gripe about, but . . . Jesus. I should go.