You mustlisten to this interview with the Mayor of New Orleans*. (update: mp3 version here.) It's pretty amazing. And depressing. The guy was pleading with the government for help, and getting little. He described his frustrations at not being given powers, not being able to marshall resources. He expresses his feelings in no uncertain terms, and he says:
Excuse my language, people out there in America, but I am pissed.
More quotes I typed out for you while listening:
This is crazy. I've got 15,000 - 20,000 people over at the Convention Centre, it's bursting at the seams....
Every day that we delay, people are dying...
Our critical water supply was destroyed, because of lack of action...
They're feeding the public a line of bull, and they're spinning, and there are people dying down here...
You've got some knuckleheads out there....and they're doing some awful things..... but that's the minority of people...
They're waiting for an official request...? Did the Iraqi people request that they come in there?
(and a paraphrase from memory...:)
We authorized $8 billion to go into Iraq....lickety-quick; after 9/11 they authorized help.... lickety-quick.... you're telling me you can't get help down here? I'm not one of those drug addicts....I'm thinking straight here....
Don't do another Goddam press conference ... get off your asses and do something.....
And there's a whole lot more.... (update: transcript over at Wonkette.) -cvj (Thanks Cathy, Arun. Update: Thanks bittergraduatestudent, Rikard) (*You need Windows media player for this format. I don't know if it is available in another format.)
