Kill 'em with Kindness

I understand and appreciate that liberals constantly strive to understand ‘root causes,’ and that liberals believe ‘there are no enemies, only friends we don’t understand yet.’ In support of those sentiments, and on the off-chance that a liberal will accidentally wander onto this site, permit me to take a few moments of your time, gentle reader, and introduce you to the root causes behind what some perceive as a blaming the victim mentality with respect to Hurricane Katrina.

First, you need to understand the worldview of those you perceive to be evil. Here are some commonly held precepts:

1. Bureaucracies and committees are inefficient and cowardly.
2. Governments are essentially composed of either a strong but usually vile single leader (dictatorship), or a herd of bureaucracies and committees.
3. Money is power. The more money you give to government, the more power it has. The more power it has, the less power you have.
4. A large group can do more damage than a single individual.
5. We are all human, and therefore fallible.
6. We are all human, and therefore capable of rising to great heights, if the need and motivation are present.
   

Put all the above into a pot and let it stew for a while. When it’s done cooking, one inevitably reaches the conclusion that relying on a government is iffy at best. Even if a particular government organization has great processes and 50% super-duper people, the not-so-super-duper will be afraid to act or incapable of acting promptly and efficiently, whilst the super-duper will have conflicting ideas about how to act. Research, analysis, and consensus-building all take time and tact.

On the other hand, each individual knows his own situation and is (or should be) in control of his own actions.

When you see us screaming at the TV "Where is your food? Don’t you know how to purify water with bleach? Why didn’t you leave?" we are not saying "chump. Serves you right." We’re saying "We want you to live! Why didn’t you want you to live?!"

Seeing people in pain and knowing that their pain wouldn’t have been quite so painful if only they too had been a bunch of redneck, survivalist nutjobs hurts.

The lack of preparation is also a reproach1. Among the 90,000 competing thoughts that scramble for attention when watching the devastation, one thought emerges repeatedly:

"I am a moron."

Two days before Katrina, I’m in Wal-Mart looking at the camping equipment. "Oh, a snake bite kit. Maybe I’ll add one to my hurricane kit next year."

1969, 500 people in Louisiana died of snake bite after the hurricane. I have still not purchased a snake bite kit. I am in Florida, with diamond-back rattlesnakes and pygmy rattlesnakes and water moccasins and coral snakes. Maybe this weekend . . .

"That could be me."

I don’t have anything to poop in, for pete’s squeak.

Will my water purification tablets take care of things like pesticide? I don’t know, but one day my life may depend on it.

Will my wind-up weather radio with the cell phone re-charger actually work? I don’t know. I’ve never tried it.

Will connectivity be available? Probably not.

If I could get in touch with anyone, could they reach me to help me? Probably not.

& so I get angry, on a primeval level, at all the evidence Katrina and her victims present to me, reminding me that I am human and fallible. Maybe if they’d done what I’d done, they’d be okay and I wouldn’t have to be reminded of my own mortality.

I’ve seen some comments and posts that imply we should not ‘blame the victim.’ But it is a mistaken kindness, and a false sentiment, that confuses ‘blaming the victim’ with ‘stating the facts.’ It is a fact that some people would still be alive today if they had been better prepared.

It is necessary to state that fact if we don’t want more people to die in future hurricanes. There are three hurricanes in the Eastern Atlantic right now. There are more hurricane seasons to come, one each year, and many more years to come, pray God.

When we holler "Why didn’t they . . .?" we are trying to help future hurricane victims. Maybe the LLLs, with their super-sensitivity, can help us re-phrase it, but do not try to shut us up or close your eyes to the value of the content. If you succeed, the life you fail to save by utilizing the expanded knowledge and increased personal responsibility of hard-hearted, evil right wingnuts may be your own.

Person A’s life trumps Person B’s feelings. There is an ever-widening gulf between the worldviews of an LLL and a conservative/libertarian/whatever I am, but surely we can all agree on that?

Yes?

1 Incidentally, when Christians talk about natural disasters being a warning, reproach, or punishment from God, they are generally meaning it in this sense. Those of us who escaped are to take it as a 'warning ticket' from God, that we need to behave ourselves in the future, look to our souls and also use the good sense that the Good Lord gave us.

ok, I've calmed down.

Maybe Mayor Nagin just freaked out and is behaving like a civilized person now. We're all freaked out right about now.

& we will be for quite a while, I imagine. Please, let's try not to make any stupid laws until we're out of reaction mode, okay?

Let it percolate for a while, and discuss it when we're all once again rational. I'm not talking about help or aid, obviously give now and give until it hurts, but about making new laws and new departments and new regulations.

Carping at people who are trying to help is unproductive. It will only discourage them from helping in the next disaster.

Mayor Nagin, are you listening?

I'm starting to hear some things from people who are volunteering in the New Orleans area that ought not to be happening. I don't doubt that NO is under a whole lot of stress, but don't make the people who are helping you, out of their own time and own pocket, wonder why they bother.

Update: By. Gads. He didn't even read his own city's evacuation plan.

Nagin, just shut the fuck up. If ever I get my hands on your balls, you'll be wearing them for a necktie.

Update 2: It gets worse. Order an evacuation after commercial transportion shuts down, leave city transportion in the flood. Nice.

George Bush is not a weather god, racist or otherwise.

Persons evacuating to the Superdome in New Orleans were told to bring food and water for 3 days. If, as a crazed radio man stated, people were indeed dying in the SuperDome of deydration as early as Wednesday, they were either robbed or they came ill-prepared.

Recommendation for Florida EOCs, as a result of lessons learned:

Charge an admission to shelters, equal to 3 days food and water per person. Confiscate at the door and ration.

ok, water is heavy and there will be many people who can't carry 3 days worth. Stock those shelters with water, have 'em bring what they can

Carping at people who are trying to help is unproductive. It will only discourage them from helping in the next disaster.

Rebuilding New Orleans in situ is stupid. NOT WITH MY TAX MONEY, YOU DON'T!! Move the damn town, or what's left of it. I cannot bear watching this again. The remarkable adaptability of man is what enables us to survive from the cold wilds of Alaska and Siberia to the steaming heat of Mexico and dry heat of the Sahara. So embrace your humanity and adapt to geographical reality of New Orleans - which was not below sea level when originally built umpteen years ago.

The government is not your mama. Charity groups are not your mama. I am not saying this to berate those in trouble today, but to help those who may be in trouble tomorrow.

Can we stop laughing at traditional values, now, please? "Be prepared," that corny old Boy Scout motto, can come in pretty handy.

Pray.

BOO!

scared ya, didn't I?

Registration never leads to confiscation

O no. Never.

"Xena became an outlaw. . .won a reprieve . . . (she may) never return to Denver . . ."

Git outta town, girl, we don't like your kind.

It's bad enough that I won't willingly consider moving to some place like California or NY because of the gun registration there, but this is simply insane. Worse, in a day-to-day way.

Floridians who don't like thieves need to write a letter

The Select Committee to Protect Private Property Rights
1101 The Capitol
402 South Monroe Street
Tallahassee, Florida 32399-1300

Re: HJR31

Gentlepersons:

I appreciate the good intentions behind the introduction of HJR 31, and am pleased that the Florida Legislature has the good sense to be appalled by Kelo v. New London. However, the amendment as proposed is not tight enough.

Under no circumstances should any government take property from one private party and provide it to another. It doesn’t matter whether the recipient is acquiring the property for development purposes or to create a private haven for the spotted owl or injured pelicans; theft is still theft.

At the risk of sounding facetious: There are many thieves and robbers in the private sector, and the government is forbidden to compete with private enterprise.

On a more serious note, a government’s job is to protect citizens’ rights. The government that usurps its citizens’ rights has rendered itself obsolete.

Please tighten this amendment. Thank you for your time and attention.

Brian Blair, My Hero!

Raise a glass to Brian Blair, Hillsborough County Commissioner. According to the radio, my noble statesmen (countymen?) have informed 'the state' that eminent domain requests will not be considered unless they're for genuine public use, such as roads and schools, and requests for economic development will be right out. You go, Killer Bee!

According to the Orlando Business Journal, Florida's fair legislatures and governor aren't best pleased about Kelo either.

A blog entitled The Matrix Has You, but apparently run by a business called Florida Homestead Services, links to the amendment proposed by the Florida House to tighten definition of public use, but in my view it doesn't go far enough. Under no circumstances should the government transfer property from one private party to another, whether it's for economic development or not. What if the stealing party wants to use it protect spotted owls or something? It's still theft.

The following is from the Orland Business Journal Article, which also states that Florida is among the eight toughest states for eminent domain:

"Locally, the decision and Florida's law could be tested soon in places such as the Home Acres neighborhood near Winter Park, where developer Dan Bellows has bought up 51 acres in the community with the plan to redevelop it into a mixed-use project.

Not everyone in Home Acres, however, wants to be a part of the project, and Bellows has asked the Winter Park City Council to create a Community Redevelopment District and use its power of eminent domain to help with the project.

That would completely transform the blighted area, says Bellows.

The likelihood of the project happening seems slim, though, as city officials are not even sure if they would use eminent domain for such projects.

'I'm not comfortable at all with eminent domain being used for a private development, especially when it runs to the advantage of one developer," says Winter Park Mayor Kip Marchman. "Blight, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, and we need to be careful that any project is truly for a public purpose, meaning literally everybody benefits from it."

If Florida is among the eight toughest states, citizens of 42 states are really screwed. There appears to be nothing standing between the Home Acres folks and the Robber Barons but one mayor's good sense and decency.

Would someone please throw some ice cubes into the Gulf of Mexico?

Tx.

P.E.T.A. = Cat Killers

If you happen to see a PETA member, be sure to remind them that they are responsible for any harm that may come to Allison and Smokey during this hurricane season. Why? Because, due to the machinations of animal rights activists, animals can no longer be shipped with the luggage, in pressurized but not temperature controlled areas. Due to PETA and others of their ilk, it is now more expensive to fly one of my cats than to fly myself. If I must evacuate out of state, I will not be able to afford to take the cats. I'll be leaving them here, in flood zone You-gonna-die-girl, to fend for themselves.

Thanks, PETA. Thanks a fucking lot.

Anybody who has a problem with the above can set up a $1600 escrow account for me, with the funds to be released when a hurricane is Tampa Bay bound.

Florida Tax Holiday, June 1 through June 12!!

Press release here and more details here.

Stock up on those hurricane supplies! No tax on flashlights, lanterns and candles under $20 (including Yankee Candles? o boy!)

Gas cans under $25

Batteries, coolers, ice chests, first aid kits under $30

Radios and tarps under $50.

I didn't see water purifiers on the list, though. O well.

The tax holiday is over June 12th - go shopping now!

& a special "Thanks" to the Honorable Jeb Bush.

That explains a lot!


Rongorongo (Easter Island, C.E. 1800)You are RONGORONGO. You are the script of the
language Rapanui. The language is still spoken,
but no one can read the script. Are you
ideographic? Phonetic? Ideo-phonetic?
Hieroglyphic? A comic strip? Illustrations for
a fairy tale? No one knows.

Which Indecipherable Script Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Headdress tip to The Politburo Diktat

'Twas a dark and scarey night

cuz dey ain't no street lights in this town

There are two types of street lighting available to unincorporated Hillsborough County residents: Area lights, which are privately placed, owned, and paid for; and Street lights, placed on county property, maintained by the county, and paid for with your tax dollars.

To get an Area Light, call TECO, 813 635-1500, and schedule an appointment.

Caveats:

• Two year contract required
• Minimum charge of $10 per month, added to your electric bill
• Light must be placed on your private property, not on the easement/devil's strip/parkway
• A large truck (about the size of a dump truck) must be able to access the property.
  

To get a Street Light, work with the Hillsborough County Street Lighting Program, telephone 813 272-1551.

Caveats:

• Street Lighting must be done to the entire subdivision
• Petition required; a majority of homeowners must sign it. See website for details
• Your property taxes will increase by an unknown amount. A study must be done; number & type of street lights determined, etc. County could not provide a minimum or maximum dollar figure.
• In the February following petition signature, the street light request will go before a public hearing. If approved, "street lights could be installed the following year." (emphasis added) Or, presumably, they could not be installed the following year.
  

In short, if you feel the need for better lighting, start with TECO and see if an area light does the trick. If yes, fine. If not, start the street light petition process. By the time it goes through, your TECO contract will have expired.

How to install a catflap in a steel door

Step 1: Get a Dremel.

Step 2: Get a Cut-off wheel and a grinding stone. Grab a steak knife from the kitchen.

Step 3: Sketch the template outline on the door in accordance with the instructions.

Step 4: Cut down the outline you have drawn, using the Dremel and cut-off wheel, just through the steel. Wear safety glasses for this, really. The sparks fly!

Step 5: Pry out the steel. It's just an outer lining. Take the steak knife and carve out the foam inside the door. Smooth the steel edges with the grinding stone.

Step 6: Cut out the other steel lining with the cut-off wheel. Smooth out with the grinding stone.

Step 7: Shove the cat through the hole a few times.

Step 8: Follow the instructions for putting up the door. Here, you will need a metal-cutting drill bit and probably a regular drill, or maybe an attachment for the Dremel. Anyway, my bit wouldn't fit my Dremel. Do not drill into the foam; you only want to pierce the steel. Your cat should catch on to using the door right away, if it's been through the open hole a few times. If your cat is dumb, like one of mine is, put them on one side of the door, and food on the other. Go shopping. By the time you get back, your cat will have figured it out.

The above is the wrong, Persnickety way to do it, but darn it it worked. The right way is to draw your outline, use your metal bit and electric drill to drill holes clear through the door in each corner of the outline. Then, using a jig saw and metal-cutting blade, insert the blade into one of the holes and cut out the door hole clean through, following merrily along the outline. Power tools and $10 blades notwithstanding, I lacked the physical strength to control the saw, particularly when it cut through the steel, encountered the soft foam, then hit hard steel again. I actually broke the saw blade off inside the door. The right way is probably the quicker way, for those with the muscle. But the right way is the wrong way if it's not personally possible.

Cheers!

P.S. You may have another bit of difficulty with the wood at the bottom of the door, or the door panels. The bottom two inches of my door is wood. My cat flap just barely fit. Ideally, the bottom of the cat flap should be at the same height as the bottom of your standing cat's belly. You might want to do a little measuring - of the cat, the door, and the various available cat flaps, before you start carving holes in anything.

Crazy Kids

Well, I'm back.

Der kinder is married now, and I guess that means he's officially all grown up. May God bless and guide him and his bride, and grant them a long and happy life together.

It was quite a ceremony. They memorized their vows and said them without prompting from the priest, with no 'repeat after me' stuff from the priest. Their feeling was that their love should be strong enough that it needed no prompting. They're both musicians, and played some of their own wedding music.

You should have seen them - him in his tux at the piano, her in her wedding dress with the flute. Nerves of steel, I'm tellin' ya.

After they exchanged rings, they both just looked at their hands for a bit, with the rings on them, like 'Gosh, it's really real.' Then he wasn't sure how to kiss her without stepping on her dress.

May the good Lord bless you and keep you, my children. May He make His sun to shine upon you.

One Team, One Fight, One Focus!!


Denzel Washington was visiting BAMC (Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas) earlier this month. BAMC is where soldiers who have been med-evac'd from the combat zone via Germany come to the US to be hospitalized, especially burn victims. At Fort Sam Houston they have facilities called Fisher Houses. The Fisher House is basically aplace where soldier's families can stay (at little charge or no charge) while their soldier is recovering at BAMC. Even though Fort Sam Houston has more than one Fisher House, you can easily imagine that they are all "filled to the brim" almost constantly. While Denzel Washington was visiting patients in BAMC, they gave him a tour of one fo the installation's Fisher Houses. During the tour, he asked how much one of these Fisher Houes cost to build. When he received the answer, he got out his check book and wrote out a check for the full amount, right there "on-the-spot." The soldiers in BAMC were amazed to hear this story, and they want to "get the word out" to the American public because it warmed their hearts. I hope that you too will spread this "good news" story. May God bless Denzel Washington and good-hearted people like him.

Update: or maybe not quite.

Name of newsletter/people removed because hey, we can all mistakes and it's my blog and I'll do what I want to.

Nar nee Nar nee boo boo.

I have the best kid in the whole darn world.

So der kinder is getting married on the 15th. Apparently there's some sort of mother-and-son dance which the bride requires, so der kinder called to discuss songs we could both stand, that weren't too long. Said he wistfully: "I kind of wish we could use Puberty Love.

Me too, kiddo, me too.

Why are comments disappearing, and where do they go?

Da Agony of Defeat

Persnickety is a Giant Bee that shoots Laser Beams, carries a Samurai Sword, is Radioactive, and Tunnels Underground. Strength: 3 Agility: 8 Intelligence: 7 To see if your Giant Battle Monster can defeat Persnickety, enter your name and choose an attack: fights Persnickety using Strength Agility Intelligence

You'd think a sword-wielding bee would stand a pretty good chance in a fight, but Bthe Backroad whupped me with the weather.

Ah, the Good Old Days

Jeff at Alphecca posts on schlock Sci-Fi movies, and goodness but I feel nostalgic now. His commenters mention two movies that will forever be dear to my heart: The Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai and Attack of the Killer Tomatoes.

My son would usually have friends over for New Year's Eve. It worked out well - other parents could go do the New Year's Eve thing, the kids generally had a pretty good time, and so did I.

We'd watch these two movies on New Year's Eve - at least 3 or 4 years in a row. & we'd play Killer Tomatoes all year long. The boys would curl into a ball and roll around on the floor saying 'greeble greeble' until I sang Puberty Love at them; whereupon they'd gasp and choke and stretch out on the floor.

I could nearly always get them to mind by singing Puberty Love. It even worked when they acted up in public, although I did receive a few weird looks.

sigh.

Does anyone want to play Killer Tomatoes with me? You be the tomato, and I'll be the radio.