tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8394922.post115565810770811988..comments2024-02-19T00:54:37.767-08:00Comments on The Columnist Manifesto: War of the worldsOscar Madisonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05558650379298098292noreply@blogger.comBlogger6125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8394922.post-1155746134198630922006-08-16T09:35:00.000-07:002006-08-16T09:35:00.000-07:00Dude, do not get me started on Katrina. You said ...Dude, do not get me started on Katrina. You said we didn't have an episode on American soil like the type you described. I nearly corrected you. Because we did. It was Katrina (and it <I>still is </I>Katrina because the aftermath of that disaster is not yet over).<BR/><BR/>Yeah, of course it's not like WWII where thousands of people were being killed everyday -- but so what. If we compare everything to WWII or to slavery or some other horrific event from history, it just serves to diminish the extent to which we acknowledge current tragedies. <BR/><BR/>Besides, it's not just about death tolls. It's also about the complete destruction of a city and the lives of the surviving people who lived in that city. And it's about the willingness and ability of the US to respond swiftly and adequately to that type of event. In the case of Katrina, they obviously didn't. We can't blame some invading enemy for what happened. It's something that was preventable. It happened to poor people. To black people. And nobody gave a shit . . . until the media began to focus attention on the severity of the conditions and how the federal government was doing almost nothing to address things. Then everyone starting pointing fingers at everyone else. Then help finally came and it was too little and too late for most people.<BR/><BR/>The real tragedy of Katrina -- as you say -- is that so many people have forgotten about it. <BR/><BR/>One more thing before I get off my Katrina soap box. Spike Lee made a 4-hour HBO documentary about it and it airs later this month. Here's an article from <A HREF="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/14322933/" REL="nofollow">Newsweek</A>.Tonyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10156140761362996117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8394922.post-1155740653677805582006-08-16T08:04:00.000-07:002006-08-16T08:04:00.000-07:00Katrina? Oh my gosh, I totally forgot that even ha...Katrina? Oh my gosh, <B><I>I totally forgot that even happened</B></I>!!!<BR/><BR/>Seriously, horrible as Katrina has been, it's not the same as an armed invasion. The death toll from Katrina has been put at just over 1,000. When the Germans invaded Poland in September 1939, they killed 5,000 civilians a day for an entire month. When the Japanese overran Nanking during their invasion of China, they killed 300,000 Chinese civilians in one month.<BR/><BR/>Holding up Katrina as an example of "it has happened here" shows just how sheltered we are.Oscar Madisonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05558650379298098292noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8394922.post-1155680253909011182006-08-15T15:17:00.000-07:002006-08-15T15:17:00.000-07:00We have had an event in the US like you described:...We have had an event in the US like you described: <I> widespread destruction of entire regions: buildings and houses levelled, infrastructure put out of action, human carnage, of course -- and refugees. Dazed people migrating in an instinctive but diretionless throng hoping to escape the danger.</I><BR/><BR/>It is called Katrina.Tonyahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10156140761362996117noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8394922.post-1155675159520457812006-08-15T13:52:00.000-07:002006-08-15T13:52:00.000-07:00yes of course the ending is the same as the book's...yes of course the ending is the same as the book's. It's a lame ending now, but taken in context and in the time it was written, it was pretty hoopy frood thinking.<BR/><BR/>--<BR/>inrusb - a typo for inrush.@wendydesignshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12496827663647388930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8394922.post-1155670147076084962006-08-15T12:29:00.000-07:002006-08-15T12:29:00.000-07:00WotW was OK. It certainly had it's exceedingly ten...WotW was OK. It certainly had it's exceedingly tense moments. It's been a while since I watched this version of it (and the original, if it comes to that). I'm not sure if I liked the original better than the remake.<BR/><BR/>--<BR/>zcofp - trendy head-wear.@wendydesignshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12496827663647388930noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8394922.post-1155666702825855372006-08-15T11:31:00.000-07:002006-08-15T11:31:00.000-07:00Now, I'm surprised this post hasn't received a com...Now, I'm surprised <I>this</I> post hasn't received a comment yet. <BR/><BR/>Bravo. A very nice post.<BR/><BR/><BR/>...........<BR/>tapmxn (tap mex'n): Mexican tap danceAnonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05572514705373755851noreply@blogger.com