French Quarter POV

It’s called the Battle of the Badges. This Battle is really a friendly competition between the firefighters and the police to see who can get the most people to donate plasma. The drive is on the corner of Howard and Barronne and will continue until 2 or 3 this afternoon.As of this posting, the firefighters are ahead. The general feeling is that our firefighters get dumped on the most of all our first responders. They get left out of pay raises, haven’t had fire stations rebuilt in a timely manner, and had the crappiest evacuation during the last storm.

I can’t decide which one sums the situation up the best.

After calling for a manditory evacuation of the city, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin is going to stay behind as Hurricane Gustav hits the area. Read more HERE.

It’s not that he doesn’t understand the risk of staying in the danger zone; he knows the facts about this incoming storm better than most. Just last night, I watched him give a speech in which he outlined the worst case scenario. Video HERE .

There’s a certain heroic “Captain going down with his ship” imagery there. Then, there’s the “Damn, that’s stupid” followed quickly by “He must be nuts!”

What’s your vote? Is he brave, stupid, crazy, or all of the above for staying in New Orleans for what he said was the Mother of all Storms and the Storm of the Century?

So far, votes from my sister’s place are 1 for stupid, 1 for crazy, and 1 for attempt to save his career with a publicity stunt.

It may seem ironic, horrible, or sad that on the anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, we’re all looking at another dangerous storm likely heading this way. I say it’s good timing.

This morning, over 80 unidentified people — not remains, bodies, or corpses, but people — who died during Hurricane Katrina or the days that followed were laid to rest. If that isn’t a motivation to get out of harm’s way, I don’t know what is.

Not only do all of the hurricane forecasts show us getting tagged, but there are other equally strong factors that went into our decision to evacuate. Our mayor left the Democratic Convention early, passing on a chance to speak on a national stage. You know, the mayor who was protested by citizens when he got an award last week from his photographer.

Plus, Anderson Cooper is coming to town. I love him and 360, but there are plenty of newsworthy things going on in the world for him to cover, so if he’s coming to New Orleans for this storm, it’s bound to be big!

I’ll try to update this blog from my sister’s place in Texas. If I can’t, then know that we are safe and well. Unless we have too many mojitos while I watch Anderson’s broadcasts.

Like everyone else in this crazy town, I’m waiting to see if this storm is going to force us to evacuate New Orleans. They’ll only call for a mandatory evacuation if the storm strengthens to a Category 3 hurricane.

Looks like the Ritz-Carlton hotel is in for some free publicity tonight.

The mayor of New Orleans is being presented with an award this evening. It’s supposed to be the “The Excellence in Recovery Host Committee’s Award of Distinction for Recovery, Courage, and Leadership” award, one that most people can’t believe C. Ray Nagin is getting. (More on that HERE.)

To say that people are upset is an understatement of epic proportions. The local photosphere has been lit up with calls to protest, calls which many are heeding. Supposedly.

Yours truly will not be there, not because I think the mayor is doing a super dandy job.

<soapbox> This protest will not change anything. Some people seem to be born with a placard and a marker in hand, ready to write their slogan and march at a moments notice over just about anything.

The mayor knows the people are upset. If he doesn’t care enough to do a better job, do we really believe that one more protest will get through to him?

I plan to say my piece in the voting booth, as the city did when they re-elected Nagin in the first place. Let’s see that energy channeled into a voting drive or hell, a blood drive, and really make a difference in New Orleans.

</soapbox>

The third anniversary of Katrina is coming up soon. President Bush is coming to town to make a speech and check out the recovery progress.

New Orleans has not forgotten the incredibly slow and sloppy reaction to the disaster by everyone from Bush on down. Something tells me that there won’t be many photo ops with smiling citizens and applause.

Instead of the usually grumbles about the current state of this country’s affairs, there’s been outright anger expressed over this latest bright idea for a visit. Here’s the story in the local paper (opens in a new window).  http://www.nola.com/news/index.ssf/2008/08/bush_to_visit_new_orleans_next.html

Note the comments below the report, even making allowances for the usual forum-type trolls.

He’s never going to win a popularity contest in New Orleans, no matter what he does. I guess he had to decide between showing up and getting blasted with hostility, or not showing up and getting blasted for being uncaring and insensitive.

As I’ve said of him and other politicians, Boy, am I glad I’m not him!