Thursday, September 01, 2005
Thanks Katrina
Katrina has thrown the spotlight on one of America's nasty little secrets. There is always this talk by conservatives that the American South is the Bible Belt where family values are strong and people hold on tightly to tradition. Well, Katrina has shown us also that the South has huge swaths of poverty--especially in Mississippi and Louisiana. Southern states have the nations lowest high school graduation rates, lowest per capita incomes, and the lowest tax revenues (meaning less services for those in need-more revenue would mean more concrete dikes instead of those bullshit levees that failed in New Orleans). The modern "planter" class still dominates southern life by diverting the attention of poor southern whites away from important issues (higher incomes, public services, and better schools) by talking about values that will not fill one of their childrens stomachs. That way they can maintain their economic stranglehold on the majority of the the resources and prevent any true challenge to their oligarchy.
That is why people are looting for food, diapers, and clothes but our stupid "liberal" media will never reveal that side of the story. If people that are already barely able to feed themselves and pay rent lose what little they have because of, let's say, some natural disaster, they do what is necessary to survive. Remember, these people have a right to life...that is what the religious right tells us...thus they need food and clothing to live. I wish someone would punch Bill O'Rielly in the fucking mouth a couple-a-hundred times.
That is why people are looting for food, diapers, and clothes but our stupid "liberal" media will never reveal that side of the story. If people that are already barely able to feed themselves and pay rent lose what little they have because of, let's say, some natural disaster, they do what is necessary to survive. Remember, these people have a right to life...that is what the religious right tells us...thus they need food and clothing to live. I wish someone would punch Bill O'Rielly in the fucking mouth a couple-a-hundred times.
# posted by The Alabama Hammer @ Thursday, September 01, 2005 
