There really isn't much for me add on the tragedy of Hurricane Katrina. The Bush administration has disgraced itself again, though this may yet be their worst disgrace...I've lost track. Being poor and black means that you are treated like dirt by the GOP because you are not on their "to-do list." They are just animals to them. It's an outrage - plain and simple. I don't have anything profound to add that hasn't already been said.
With that said, I putting in what I consider to be a relatively flippant diary.
The aftermath of 9/11 was a troubling period for our country. For me personally, it was a depressing time. And in the midst of this period, I was trying to pass my state of Texas professional engineer licensing exam. Not a great combination.
Well, I did pass in January, which was a relief. And as a football fan, Super Bowl XXXVI was around the corner at the Louisiana Superdome in New Orleans. Even more important personally, the halftime show that I had always religiously avoided was not going to be avoided this time around.
Yes, U2, my favorite band (and IMHO, the greatest band of the last 25 years) was the halftime entertainment - and the ONLY act for the halftime show.
I attended a conference in Kansas City, and my flight back to Texas was unfortunately such that I was going to be back home during the second half. With this in mind, I asked a friend to tape the halftime show. It wasn't going to be the same, but I would still get to watch it.
Then I got lucky, and flew an earlier flight on standby. I got back home with about a minute left in the 1st half. I was already surprised that the Patriots were winning by 2 touchdowns.
Next, it was time for U2. And in the aftermath of 9/11, I couldn't think of anybody (except Bruce Springsteen) who was more appropriate for the job.
And Bono and the boys did not disappoint. They rose to the occaision. By the end of halftime, I was touched and inspired - all at once, and then some. They had hit the chord as they had done so many times before. And with 9/11 fresh in our minds, U2 got it right.
The second half followed. And one of the greatest Super Bowls ever ended with an Adam Viniteri field goal that began the Patriots dynasty.
Following that day, the fun of the Super Bowl and the hope of U2 slipped away in the abyss of the Bush Administration. We went to Iraq. The Republicans continued to sink to new lows on a daily basis. There was the re-election of Bush. Many other things were going downhill - economically and otherwise.
And now, we have Hurricane Katrina.
So now, the day of hope in New Orleans in February 2002 has taken a cruel twist. The location of this hope from February 2002 now needs hope itself - and then some.
I will go back to my U2 collection. It isn't much, but sometimes you take what you can get.
My heart goes out to the city and its residents, who have suffered far more than they should have done.
Bill Simmons talks about this better than I have
http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/page2/story?page=simmons/050902