what should we do

Yesterday a good friend asked what we are going to do about the Gulf Coast. This was my answer:

depends on which "we" you're asking about, the "international proletariat we" will prolly have to suffer through crap like this for a (long) bit longer, the "progressives in america we" have a great chance to point out the utter impotence of the Democrats and the vicious amoral inhumanity of capitalism and the Republicans, the "sniviling do-gooder we" can send toys to kids (in process) adopt a hurricane refugee dog (in process) and just be nice to the people around us (working on it), the "cynical we" can wait for Sean Hannity et al to suggest that folks who can afford it should fly refugees to their homes where the refugees can stay for free in exchange for yard work and house keeping while ignoring the similarities between this arrangement and slavery, the "panic stricken fucking terrified we" should prolly turn off the TV and eat some ice cream while petting a cat or dog and then jerk-off, the "fan of teenage hooligans with gumption and a built in sense of social justice and community service we" should read this: and hope to fucking God we don't have to fly to Houston and spring Jabbor Gibson from jail.

I think the worst is over. I don't envy the folks that'll be cataloging the dead. I hope this derails the international permanent war, or at least costs the system some popular legitimacy. I hope that the Bay View and KPFT in Houston keep finding progressive community folks to give air time and print to and that some of those stories percolate out into the mainstream.

Honestly I've been trying to find someone from there that I can connect with personally and directly to help. I've also been thinking that some kind of fund to rebuild radical community infra-structure should exist, the typical charities are fine but I want to direct my $ to folks who will work for the long haul to make the world better not just to a short term Red Cross shelter.

xoxo

Ben

I wrote that before I read this

NEW ORLEANS — Combat operations are underway on the streets “to take this city back” in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

“This place is going to look like Little Somalia,” Brig. Gen. Gary Jones, commander of the Louisiana National Guard’s Joint Task Force told Army Times Friday as hundreds of armed troops under his charge prepared to launch a massive citywide security mission from a staging area outside the Louisiana Superdome. “We’re going to go out and take this city back. This will be a combat operation to get this city under control.”

It seems like no matter what the people in power in this country will find a way to make the terrible worse.

I've been trying to connect directly with people from the Gulf Coast area without much success, I've also been trying to locate a dog to foster/adopt from the area. Of course it is easier to track down an object (to unfairly catagorize critters) than a person, and I found this form that enters info in a database used by animal shelters to place rescued animals. I'll continue to try to link up with real live people from the area and support their work.