Tuesday, July 25, 2006
We're gonna party
like it's not 8-29
What can I say about the Mayor's plans for a festive gala and fireworks to celebrate the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina and the Federal Flood that followed? I think that Jack Ware at Metroblogging New Orleans, Matri at VatulNet and Kimberly at DangerBlonde pretty much cover the waterfront.
Most of my reactions are visceral and unpleasant. The nicest suggestion I have is to round up all of the remaining unopened refrigerators we can find, and dump the contents out in front of all the entrances to Harrah's right before the Gala. Perhaps we could somehow manage some tickets (or at least an unlocked door), and enact the Masque of the Brown Death, a silent parade of people dressed as the folks as the Convention Center and as the dead, to silently march through the festivities.
Fireworks, Ray? A silent jewelry auction? A masquerade gala for "platinum and gold ticket holders"? If there was any lingering doubt among us that our mayor is completely out of his mind, this pretty much takes care of that. This dude is one chocolate bar short of a Snickers; he's pure nuts.
In case you haven't noticed, Ray, most people here are just hanging on. They're not ready to party like its not 8-29. They want to know when the damn debris is going to be picked up, when the water pressure will come back, when they can expect the lights to come on and stay on, when the schools are going to really open. They don't think anybody is ready for a victory lap yet, not until we're really sure we aren't going to find any more of the dead in an unopened house.
This twisted party plan collides this particular evening with my meeting of the Mid-City recovery planning group. After tonight's homework from that meeting, I fully expect to wake up tomorrow morning and find I have turned into a cockroach. Each committee was asked to research a few of the planners selected for us by Our Betters at the Greater New Orleans Foundation for the latest and greatest disaster recovery planning exercise. I drew Torre Design Consortium.
It turns out that TDC specializes in Zoo and related designs, and were responsible for the Aquarium of the Americas. What particular expertise they have in disaster recovery planning is not apparently clear from their pitifully designed website. Perhaps they could guide us in the construction of the Herpatorium of the Americas next to the Rock-n-Bowl, with live gator wrasslin' at 10, 12, 2 and 4. That would give all the snake-handlers another Nice Family Oriented Attraction to visit next time they are in town.
What is clear is that a firm in their line of work with the Aquarium on their vitae is almost certainly close to Ron Foreman of the Audubon Institute. I look forward to see what other interesting planning firms are selected, based on their vast experience in Japanese garden design or perhaps a particular specialty in desert xeriscaping, and their close ties to, oh, heck, who knows? Joe Canizaro? Jimmy Reiss?
It's hard to put a finger on it, but there is an increasing sense that Our Betters have A Plan of their own. Perhaps they will be celebrating how its all coming together next month at the gala at Harrah's. The only thing that is increasingly clear is that they believe we are not invited. Well, sorry guys but C. Ray already invited a whole lot of us to the party, back in the Fall. Well, we're here. And we're not about to let the recovery (and the billions we need to rebuild) get hijacked.
Like the Yippies said back in '68, The Whole World is Watching.
Now excuse me while I get busy on my costume for the Masque of the Brown Death. Oh, and if you know where we can find an unopened refrigerator, let me know. I'll bring my respirator.
Katrina NOLA New Orleans Hurricane Katrina Think New Orleans Louisiana FEMA levees flooding Corps of Engineers We Are Not OK wetlands news rebirth Debrisville Federal Flood 8-29
Most of my reactions are visceral and unpleasant. The nicest suggestion I have is to round up all of the remaining unopened refrigerators we can find, and dump the contents out in front of all the entrances to Harrah's right before the Gala. Perhaps we could somehow manage some tickets (or at least an unlocked door), and enact the Masque of the Brown Death, a silent parade of people dressed as the folks as the Convention Center and as the dead, to silently march through the festivities.
Fireworks, Ray? A silent jewelry auction? A masquerade gala for "platinum and gold ticket holders"? If there was any lingering doubt among us that our mayor is completely out of his mind, this pretty much takes care of that. This dude is one chocolate bar short of a Snickers; he's pure nuts.
In case you haven't noticed, Ray, most people here are just hanging on. They're not ready to party like its not 8-29. They want to know when the damn debris is going to be picked up, when the water pressure will come back, when they can expect the lights to come on and stay on, when the schools are going to really open. They don't think anybody is ready for a victory lap yet, not until we're really sure we aren't going to find any more of the dead in an unopened house.
This twisted party plan collides this particular evening with my meeting of the Mid-City recovery planning group. After tonight's homework from that meeting, I fully expect to wake up tomorrow morning and find I have turned into a cockroach. Each committee was asked to research a few of the planners selected for us by Our Betters at the Greater New Orleans Foundation for the latest and greatest disaster recovery planning exercise. I drew Torre Design Consortium.
It turns out that TDC specializes in Zoo and related designs, and were responsible for the Aquarium of the Americas. What particular expertise they have in disaster recovery planning is not apparently clear from their pitifully designed website. Perhaps they could guide us in the construction of the Herpatorium of the Americas next to the Rock-n-Bowl, with live gator wrasslin' at 10, 12, 2 and 4. That would give all the snake-handlers another Nice Family Oriented Attraction to visit next time they are in town.
What is clear is that a firm in their line of work with the Aquarium on their vitae is almost certainly close to Ron Foreman of the Audubon Institute. I look forward to see what other interesting planning firms are selected, based on their vast experience in Japanese garden design or perhaps a particular specialty in desert xeriscaping, and their close ties to, oh, heck, who knows? Joe Canizaro? Jimmy Reiss?
It's hard to put a finger on it, but there is an increasing sense that Our Betters have A Plan of their own. Perhaps they will be celebrating how its all coming together next month at the gala at Harrah's. The only thing that is increasingly clear is that they believe we are not invited. Well, sorry guys but C. Ray already invited a whole lot of us to the party, back in the Fall. Well, we're here. And we're not about to let the recovery (and the billions we need to rebuild) get hijacked.
Like the Yippies said back in '68, The Whole World is Watching.
Now excuse me while I get busy on my costume for the Masque of the Brown Death. Oh, and if you know where we can find an unopened refrigerator, let me know. I'll bring my respirator.
Katrina NOLA New Orleans Hurricane Katrina Think New Orleans Louisiana FEMA levees flooding Corps of Engineers We Are Not OK wetlands news rebirth Debrisville Federal Flood 8-29
Comments:
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Even Masque of the Brown Death seems to theatrical for me. (I know you're kidding.)
This was such a tragic and profound loss for New Orleans, America and the world and it seems as if Our Betters don't understand the gravity of the situation.
Alia iacta est.
This was such a tragic and profound loss for New Orleans, America and the world and it seems as if Our Betters don't understand the gravity of the situation.
Alia iacta est.
# posted by 
: 9:10 AM CDT
: 9:10 AM CDT
I think you're right. He has to be off his rocker. This is just plain crazy and completely inappropriate. They need to be stopped.
# posted by : 11:33 AM CDT
: 11:33 AM CDT 
Hey, it's all in the name of fun. (Hope there isn't a wading pool though, that just might cross the line.)
I am stunned. That is just unbelievably tasteless. I feel like I keep getting blindsided by one piece of astonsihingly bad news after another.
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