Oh by the way, which one's Pink?
This is a graphic-intensive post, and be advised the last few images are rather strong.
They are tragically nothing you won't see on your local news, but some people may find them disturbing, and my intention is not to be gratuitous.
I'm simply furious.
("Us and Them", from "Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd, 1973)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Us
and Them
And after all we're only ordinary men
Me,
and you
God only knows
it's not what we would choose to do
Forward he cried from the rear
and the front rank died
And the General sat, as the lines on the map
moved from side to side
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
Black
and Blue
And who knows which is which and who is who
Up
and Down
And in the end
it's only round and round
and round
Haven't you heard it's a battle of words
the poster bearer cried
Listen son, said the man with the gun
There's room for you inside
Down
and Out
It can't be helped but there's a lot of it about
With,
without,
And who'll deny that's what the fightings all about
Get out of the way, it's a busy day
And I've got things on my mind
And for want of the price...
of tea and a slice
The old man died
Fuck these men, and God damn you if you voted for them.
I don't believe for one minute in a petulant and vengeful Deity that murders people to score debating points. However, if I did actually put my faith in such childish superstitions, I think I would be much less inclined to blame gays for every single bad thing that happens and pay very close attention to the fact that God is at His most wrathful when foolish men in great nations make monsters into kings.
May God forgive us for letting criminals and madmen run our country.
Four years later I have seen no reason to improve my opinion of the people who let New Orleans drown -- or the Beckshirts and droolers and "I want my country back!" caterwauling human atavists with their Ziplocked baggies full of manufactured hysteria who elected them -- one iota.
(FYI, the post struck a chord, and a few days later blogger Joe Max made a slightly altered version of it into a movie, which also traveled widely. It was a terribly nice thing for him to do, and I did not want to let the day pass without thanking him for his efforts, and Progressive Independent for hosting it.)
Peace
driftglass
19 comments:
This was my very first introduction to Driftglass and has haunted me ever since.
I never could find it again for some reason, so, thanks for putting it up again.
Off the charts brilliant my man.
You do classic work everyday.
Driftglass for President.
S
This was one of the two finest responses to the Drowning of NO.
The other was Steve Gilliard's Katrina Post, which should be required reading for everyone.
http://stevegilliard.blogspot.com/2005/09/we-told-you-so.html
Thanks for reposting this, DG.
I may cut some slack for people who voted for Bush the first time, but I'm with you, driftglass: anyone who voted for him after Iraq and Katrina has something fundamentally wrong with them. Katrina was the event that conclusively proved "compassionate conservatism" was not just an oxymoron but a particularly sick joke.
Back when Reagan was elected for a second term, I told some friends I was resigned to living in a country that was going slowly insane. And damn if the last twenty-five years haven't borne out the truth of that observation. (If only I'd been as good at picking up-and-coming stocks or winning horses.)
It's been an interesting nightmare, but I'd really like to wake up now ...
Rupe, you get a big virtual kiss from me for relinking Gilly's original; I thought of it the second I saw this. Don't forget the original graphic, which was suppressed in the press, of police shooting at a gator that was moving in on the body of a dead Black man (from Der Stern).
Don't forget that another one of his NOLA posts had a similar picture of another corpse and the caption "Dead N**gers=Gator MREs" as the headline for a bit on Bush's NOLA reaction.
Drifty, awesome work as always.
Thanks for bringing it back; had me in tears... the second time too.
What WereBear said. So important to never ever forget.
I was in Alabama during Katrina and the connection to Iraq must be repeated. There were virtually no Alabama National Guard to send to New Orleans because they were all in Iraq. Not ironic, not unconscious; a conscious easy decision on the part of an evil group of men who took the easy way to get their war on and abandoned all possibility of homeland security in the process.
Drift, you are truly wonderful. This post has brought to my attention that the fine point of my hatred for these monstrous, wretched pieces of human offal has not been blunted one iota by the passing of time and probably never will be. Thanks for being here now.
This song is one I hear in my dreams, as also for many other Floyd songs absorbed over countless years and repetitions, and as they were for so, so many people. The juxtaposition of the photos with those lyrics is sublime. Absolutely brilliant, evocative, and emotional. I can hear the melodies and emphatic portions of the song, making the effect even more powerful. Great work, thank you.
To this day I can't watch that video without getting a little choked up.
And what really makes me sad is how little we've done since then. Imagine what Teddy Roosevelt, FDR, Eisenhower or JFK would have done with the challenge of a whole city needing to be rebuilt. Imagine what Obama might do if the money was there and not needed for about a dozen other things.
More than anything, I hate this creeping national entropy that's turning us into a has-been power, boring the rest of the world with the stories of how we won World War II and landed on the moon back in the day.
"Fuck these men, and God damn you if you voted for them." My sentiments exactly, When, pray God, are we going to hold those shits, accountable and turn the corner?
Tough weekend here in Katrina-ville... heard some folks arguing in the buffet line..."well, I feel they made their choice"..."but why didn't they use the buses?" "who cares?, they didn't leave, so whose fault is that?" Makes me sick...
This wasn't just about the failure of government. It was the failure of humanity. Thank God some people thought differently, and came.
That was, and still is, one of your most brilliant posts.
Thank you sir!
Oh yeah, I remember that. I also recall that someone had set it to music and made a Youtube video out of it. I still think that's your best post ever (although I confess that I haven't read all your screeds). In fact, this post got me addicted to assembling photo essays of my own.
you are a righteous man. thanks for being. this post ... what can i say, you said it all. thanks
I propose we shape the political discourse to fit events thusly:
Thug: ....healthcare is socialism scaaaaaaary -
You: Dude, Hurricane Katrina.
Thug: ...national security bugaboo -
You: Sorry, Hurricane Katrina.
Thug: ...gift certificate Black president -
You: Wanker, you lost me at Hurricane Katrina.
Thug: ...forgetting 9/11 -
You: You forgot Hurricane Katrina. So forget you.
Don't give an inch.
Hi drifty, and thanks for the props, and you're welcome. I've kept that video posted ever since (and never want to take it down - some things must never be forgotten.)
I read your original essay and started to cry (something I did a lot back then - my cousin's house and car and possessions were utterly destroyed, insurance wouldn't cover it. She ended up a refugee in Houston and never went back.) Then I played the song track while I read through it again. Then out came the iMovie and...
Thanks for sticking around, drifty. Four years, damn...
Drifty,
Thanks for re-running one of the all time seminal posts ever!
I remember well living overseas during Katrina and simply wondering what the f*ck was happening to my country?!?!?!
And getting madder by the second.
Sadly, although the scoundrels might have been oustered from their thrones, not a one has been held accountable. And many are behind the scenes, sowing discord and mayhem in our even more depressed (morally, economically and physically) nation. They used to call me Traitor. Now, they prove themselves to be so. They used to say elections (like 2004) were accountability moments and had consequences. Now they simply say he's not my President and worse.
Katrina was the crack in the dam that held back the dissonance in the American psyche. And your post was among the most eloquent and visual representations of the chasm.
Thanks again friend!
SP
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