“This is all the perspective you need!”

by Kieran Healy on September 3, 2005

Shepard Smith and Geraldo Rivera “resist Sean Hannity’s efforts”:http://www.crooksandliars.com/2005/09/02.html#a4763 to spin the scale of the disaster and, in particular, the suffering caused by clear, continuing failures of organization. Smith, especially, was working hard to stay calm and focused on relaying the conditions in front of him — he seemed like he wanted to reach through his camera, throttle Hannity and shout “Can’t you see what’s happening here?”

{ 1 trackback }

Crooked Timber » » DHS selling Bullshit; CNN not Buying
09.03.05 at 9:04 pm

{ 15 comments }

1

Procrastinator 09.03.05 at 3:34 pm

Recently I read ‘Disposable People’ by Marshall Goldberg. Written 25 years ago, it dealt with a USA-wide killer disease. The writing was utter trash, with dreadful characterization, but the image it created of a society falling apart – racial hatred boiling over, the government holding certain socio-economic classes at gunpoint “for their own safety” – can now be seen to have been spot-on.

2

abb1 09.03.05 at 3:42 pm

Wow, that Foxnews video is indeed very dramatic. Maybe this will end up being a Watergate-like event for this scummy administration. Bastards.

3

Procrastinator 09.03.05 at 3:58 pm

Unfortunately, I’m on dial-up so can’t view the footage. But you’re right, when even Fox foot-soldiers have woken up to the fact that both their employers and government are beneath contempt, there’s been a sea-change in American media.

4

jim in austin 09.03.05 at 4:23 pm

You can be assured these malcontents will be replaced at the earliest opportunity with more reliable and objective observers of this wonderful, well co-ordinated relief effort that reflects so postively on the administration and our nation. Please stay tuned…

5

Bob B 09.03.05 at 4:24 pm

Is there an official line yet on the rather fundamental question of whether the timing, magnitude and direction of the Katrina hurricane was due to Intelligent Design or not?

6

abb1 09.03.05 at 4:57 pm

…was due to Intelligent Design or not…

I don’t think the divine purpose has been explicitly revealed yet, but there are theories, among them:

“Whenever this country encourages Israel to give up any part of their rightful God-given land we have suffered the consequences.”

“Katrina is a Wind of Torment and Evil from Allah Sent to This American Empire.”

and finally

a Philadelphia group called Repent America said the hurricane was sent by God to prevent an annual gay-pride festival that was due to take place this weekend.

Personally I suspect that it might have something to do with using washboards for a musical instrument.

7

gzombie 09.03.05 at 5:03 pm

And then there’s this:

“New Orleans now is abortion free. New Orleans now is Mardi Gras free. New Orleans now is free of Southern Decadence and the sodomites, the witchcraft workers, false religion — it’s free of all of those things now…God simply, I believe, in His mercy purged all of that stuff out of there — and now we’re going to start over again.”

Via Bitch Ph.D.

8

Procrastinator 09.03.05 at 5:34 pm

I’m going to steer clear of this thread, for the sake of my stress-levels. Rest assured, though, if I meet people who mention “end times”, I will punch them.

9

bryan 09.03.05 at 6:15 pm

“You can be assured these malcontents will be replaced at the earliest opportunity with more reliable and objective observers…”

I don’t think you need to worry about that, it’s not an easy thing to kiss corporate ass when you’ve just seen another human eaten by rats.

10

jonathan 09.03.05 at 8:55 pm

11

A. G. Rud 09.03.05 at 9:07 pm

Kieran, I agree. I have misgivings about Fox News but I think their coverage is the most powerful. Shepard Smith is riveting, and Geraldo, for all his historic bluster and opportunism, has shone. His tearful testimony while holding the baby last night in front of the Convention Center was one of the most remarkable things I have ever seen on television.

12

Bob B 09.04.05 at 4:11 am

As I recall, Voltaire posed the interesting question in: Candide (1759) of whether the catastrophic Lisbon earthquake of 1755 was part of the intended design for the best of all possible worlds:
http://www.readprint.com/chapter-10101/Francois-Marie-Arouet-Voltaire

Have they ever worked out the answer?

13

Procrastinator 09.04.05 at 9:29 am

Another appropriate book is my of my favourites, ‘The Drownded World’ by JG Ballard.

14

jet 09.04.05 at 4:55 pm

They were both on O’reiley that night telling the same story. At one point Sheperd tells O’reiley something like this “No, you will not cut me off. You’ll listen to this. We need people now. And you[O’reiley] are someone who can do this. We need people now.” 30 minutes after the show most of the rescue workers left the Superdome and went to the Convetion Center.

I don’t know if this was during that exact same time, but I remember hearing about “riot conditions” at the Superdome on the police scanner. No one one the forum or I could figure it out, why 2000 people at the Superdome who were being evactuated would riot. But I guess if they were abandoned, that would do it.

I guess this shows that O’reiley can make things happen and that the government can’t secure the 10,000 people at the convention center and the 2,000 people at the Superdome at the same time. Pathetic.

15

Jim M 09.05.05 at 11:10 am

WE NEED A GOVERNMENT THAT DOES NOT LET ITS PEOPLE DROWN.

Comments on this entry are closed.