3 years later: hurricane katrina

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Friday, August 29th, 2008

3 years later: hurricane katrina

it’s hard to believe that today is the 3rd anniversary of hurricane katrina’s landfall on new orleans. i can definitely say that, besides 9/11, that was probably the most heartbreaking and difficult thing to watch play out on t.v. it was really a sad time to be an american.

i’m not on of those politically nearsighted people who want to blame george bush or the republicans or whoever (who can forget this ridiculousness by our favorite douchebag of a rapper friend…). blame isn’t helpful. but, it was certainly a harsh look at the lack of response by our government. moreover than that, it gave an embarrassing and heartbreaking look at the state of race and class in america. 
anyway, i thought it might be an appropriate time to offer a personal (i probably need one worse than anyone else…) and communal wakeup call to crises like this (especially with the potential of hurricane gustav…). after katrina, chris cornell wrote a song in response to what he perceived as george bush’s lack of response. again, i don’t falsely push blame on president bush, but i think his song is amazingly poignant and important to the conversation. so, here’s a live version of wide awake.
You can a look a hurricane right in the eye
1200 people dead or left to die
Follow the leaders, we’re in an eye for an eye we’ll all be blind
Death for murder and this I’m sure in this uncertain time
So come pull the sheet over my eyes
So I can sleep tonight
Despite what I’ve seen today
I find you guilty of a crime, of sleeping at a time
When you should have been wide awake
Down on the road the world is floating by
The poor and undefended left behind
While you’re somewhere trading lives for oil
As if the whole world were blind, hey
So come pull the sheet over my eyes
So I can sleep tonight
Despite what I’ve seen today
I find you guilty of a crime of sleeping at a time
When you should have been wide awake
Come pull the sheet over my eyes
So I can sleep tonight
Despite what I’ve seen today
I find you guilty of a crime of sleeping at a time
When you should have been wide awake
Wide awake! Wide awake! Wide awake! Wide awake!