In my last post about Katrina, I criticized the federal government a little for being slow. I've had some time to think and analyze some of the facts. As an ex-National Guardsman, I know how the system works. I was in the Air National Guard for eight years before switching to the Air Force Reserves. While the Air National Guard follows all of the U.S. Air Force protocols, shares resources, and even supports any war effort, they still report to and are subservient to its state. Even federal reservists and active duty military cannot be directly used for certain domestic purposes like law enforcement. This is the way things are and have been for more than a hundred years (see Posse Comitatus).
In reality, there were city and public school busses not used, a governor who refused federalization of the situation, and a news media hell-bent on reporting the victimization of the people who stayed as the only side of the story (see Don Singleton: Who is responsible). I'm not pointing this out to jump into the blame game since there are enough people doing that already. What I'd like to do is point out this new culture of virulent hatred and how in today's culture, you only have to convince an audience to get angry with you to change perception.
Take a look at Mayor Nagin of New Orleans. He shows an obvious lack of crisis management skills. Yet, he held press conference after press conference blaming Bush for the disaster. Suddenly the news becomes the mayor's rants and he is the sound bite of the day on nearly every channel. The news is so much more than the mayor. It is the history and culture of the city. It is the long history of the levees. It is the people who are not in front of the camera but instead are driving trucks of supplies into New Orleans. It is the volunteers in other places prepping supplies for people they don't even know. It is the immediate help given by Arkansas and Texas to those who are displaced.
Yet when you see reports, even a week after, you see so many shots of angry, bitter people. No wonder people are so cynical these days. Is extreme bitterness the only way to view the world? I can't prove it, but I think there is a group of people out there who have nothing better to do than spew hatred. They do this while the rest of the world doesn't have time to play petty PR games.
As for the victims in New Orleans, I don't get the sense from the media they are glad to be alive in spite living through one of the most ferocious hurricanes in our history. Should I point out that nearly a quarter of a million people disappeared in a few hours time after the Indian Ocean Tsunami? Right now, we know that the numbers from New Orleans will not even come close. While it's a tragedy that people did die, so many people did not and I haven't seen that as a headline yet. I'd probably die if there was a headline like "Hundreds of Thousands Saved Before New Orleans Hit." In fact, the media seems to be struggling to elevate the body count even when the actual dead bodies aren't even close to their estimates yet.
Regardless of the tragedy, it's clear misery loves company and the company is kept by the media. Every once in a while, I'll see somebody happy to be alive profiled, but the overall presentation of this disaster fits into a new media template: There are people to blame and we will ensure everybody smells blood. I don't know if this comes from a simple bias in the media against the current administration or if it runs deeper.
Facts are dry and boring. To analyze facts requires reading and thought and some ability to process the facts objectively. You can't fit that in 30 seconds before the next break. What you can fit in that 30 second spot is some angry person yelling at the camera for her new trailer from FEMA. This is what is happening. This is why terrorists do what they do. They create a culture of misery and entitlement and then use it to kill. I'm not comparing Katrina victims to terrorists in any way, but I am stating that people respond to this hatred at an emotional level they seem to forget the facts. For instance, I've seen people who recognize the political opportunity presented and are discussing the action they should take. Look at this quote from Daily Kos:
If this builds like I think it might, and if we follow the steps above, it could be a political Perfect Storm. I think (without any first-hand knowledge) that something like this is what has kept the Reids of the world quiet for now. They can't make a big play until they feel that the national political will is ready to be moved in that direction. That preparation work is up to us, and to the mid-level pols.
So, keep up the groundswell, and let's hope that when the mayors and governors and back-seat/middle-seat congressfolk give their statements to the media, that along with the "here's what we're doing" and "here's what you can do" parts, they also have a "Why?" part, definitely an "I'm concerned for what this lack of federal competence means for our community/state/region" part, and maybe even an "I'm angry and I want action" moment as well.
Picture a pyramid. The people at the point can't take action until the base is wide enough and the middle has followed. Keep making the base bigger, and start trying to get the middle to follow — that's our tasks for the next few weeks.
In other words: feed on the anger and get our people elected. Disgusting.
The political hatred on both sides is enough to make me turn off my TV. I can't take the negativity any more. I can't hear one more person who would rather tear down instead of figuring out how to build up. Katrina destroyed New Orleans and a good portion of the Gulf Coast; that's enough destruction for me.
Proving my point almost immediately, Jennifer Loven of the Associated Press gets her digs in this story.
Like estranged in-laws at a holiday gathering, President Bush and Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco kept their distance as both toured a relief center for storm victims Monday. At their next stop, the Republican president kissed the Democratic governor on the cheek, but it wasn't clear whether they had made up.
Thanks, Jennifer. I appreciate you comparing the President of the United States and the governor of a state in crisis to in-laws before anybody can catch a breath. You are proving that you thrive on the conflict and the negativity. You are not reporting; you are stoking the flames controversy. Thanks from all of us who just can't wait until the Katrina Commission grandstanding and sound bites. If you keep this up, you may get assigned to the commission story since you have such a knack for similes.
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