Jesus, this co-worker isn't even a freeper but -- AAAAHHHHHH!

[bertha katzenengel]

She IS a racist, though. The kind who says, "I'm not a racist, but look at them -- it's FACT!"

This is in reference to this thread http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4746568 -- with which many DUers are already helping.

Here's the discussion so far.

SHE ("Subject: RE: katrina -- read it and weep")

I do agree w most of this.

(again, this http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4746568 is what she agrees with)

~~~~~

BERTHA
The only thing that makes me weep about Katrina are the dead. Everything else just pisses me off.

Now, my friend: Do you want me to answer this? Because I can. It's a big shove of old statistics, an administration attempt to make their response look better.

~~~~~

SHE
i agree w both some - i do think the STATE should have responded better before the storm. I also think those people chose to remain - unlike anyone w half a brain.

~~~~~

BERTHA
And what of the people who had no transportation? No contacts to find transportation? No money? Poor health? Stranded in nursing homes? The working poor are the ones in question here.

~~~~~ evidently that was the wrong tack to take:

SHE
As i said - the STATE should be charged w neglectful homicide. Many others made no attempt and using poverty and no cars as an excuse. Shit - all they had to do was walk further into New Orleans - most of it is still standing. I understand the old, feeble but not the majority of them. they didn't want to leave their drug connections, their hood. i am sorry for them - but as Laura bush slipped and said - they are a hell of a lot better off now then they ever could have hoped to be. I just don't understand - we did not hear the victims of Andrew acting like this. Nor did they set one area aside so they could rape and mutilate each other. notice that it is a majority of women, children and elderly? where are the men?

/end ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~ just shoot me now :banghead:

So many lousy, racist, WRONG points to argue with, and no time to do it in. :banghead:

[OldLeftieLawyer]

1. Why waste your time?

Clearly, she's an idiot.

Why bother? She's not even trainable.

Move on to where you'll have some fun.

[mitchtv]

2. I think she meant Barbara, not Laura

or maybe the Quaker Oats guy.

[B Calm]

3. You might tell her that most people died after the storm. The same

levee that Bush underfunded broke, drowning thousands.

[salin]

4. tell her calmly,

that you hope that she is never struck by some kind of catastrophe and in need of assistance and concern - as undoubtedly many will stereotype and generalize her plight to the point of determining that she was somehow not worthy of concern.

Such a sad lack of empathy in our society.

[bertha katzenengel]

6. That's exactly what it is: LACK OF EMPATHY.

Thank you, salin, for bringing into stark relief exactly what bothers me about this woman. It helps to define my problem... thanks

[salin]

11. anytime, bertha

I work with teens - where one understands that some have not yet developed empathy - and we work on trying to build some, very intentionally. Lest we fill future communities with even more lack of empathy.

Compassionate conservatism - what a frickin' joke.

[nyhuskyfan]

5. "all they had to do was walk"....

Sure, great idea. Let's walk around outside as a Category 5 Hurricane blows overhead.

People see the flood and say that everyone should have moved to higher ground. But the first issue was the Hurricane, and 150 mph winds are pretty indiscriminatory when it comes to where you stand in regards to sea level. It'll knock houses down, knock trees over, knock power lines down, etc. Not the time for a leisurely stroll.

[Rainscents]

7. Tell her, State and Local government evacuated 80% of people

before storm hit! 20% of the people had no money, no cars, health problems, elderlies, etc... You can also tell her, once, GWB declared the "State Of Emergency" (on Aug 27th, two day before Katrina hit)it is FEDS total responsibility!!! Enough said!

Show her the copy of State of Emergency paper! This document is all over the internet.

[GreenPartyVoter]

8. Just tell her to her face that she is a racist. Period. Let her chew on

that for a while.

------------------------------------------------------
URGENT yet easy! Hold the government accountable for Katrina's aftermath
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4736062

[KharmaTrain]

9. Ask Her The WTC Question...

Does she think those people trapped in the World Trade Center chose to remain?

How about the many ill and elderly in not only public but private hospitals and nursing homes...are they "stupid" cause they didn't get out. And whose responsibility is it to evacuate people in those private institutions? I won't even mention how those private hospitals were evacuated before the public ones were by the national guard.

Finally, ask her if Blanco was such a screw up and it was her fault that it took so long for food and water to get into NOLA, what explains the same problem happening in Mississippi and Alabama. Did Barbour and Riley fail the same way?

She's playing the blame game...you're demanding accountability.

[bertha katzenengel]

10. private hospitals evac'd by NG before public? Source?

I have not had time to keep up on this like many DUers....

[KharmaTrain]

14. Sanjay Guptah - CNN

When he arrived at Charity hospital, FEMA has declared all patients in that and nearby Tulane hospital had been evacuated. This was either Thursday, or night have been Friday...five days after landfall.

Guptah got into the hosptial and reported that there were still patients there. Then he said that they couldn't evacuate immediately since the helicopters used to take the remaining patients out were being diverted to private Tulane Hosptial. It wasn't until the next morning that the remaining patients were taken out.

I'm pretty sure the CNN site may have this story...if not there were a ton of threads on DU about it.

[bertha katzenengel]

17. thanks, KharmaTrain, I'll check it out n/t

[Zhade]

12. "they didn't want to leave their drug connections, their hood"

And people say racism isn't around anymore.

[bloom]

13. I recommend that people listen to this:

"After the Flood"

http://www.thislife.org/

[Dyedinthewoolliberal]

15. She's similar to someone

I work with. We were discussing the evacuation and her thoughts were 'if I couldn't get out, I'd call my family. They should have called their families for help'.
After I pointed out that maybe these folks didn't have fmailies in a position to help, that maybe the families were right there, all together, she thought for a moment and said "ohhhhhh, I get it". A complete inability to understand that other people might not have the same advantages she does.........

[DanCa]

16. Before I was let go because of my disability I sent out a memo.

When I am at work NO POLITICS NO RELIGION NO PROBLEM, people left me only pretty much after that.

[bertha katzenengel]

18. That's a good plan. Wouldn't work for me -

I work at the place recently named the #1 lobbying firm in DC (or was it #1 in the country?). I don't care about that shit; I'm just a peon. I don't care how great or awesome or famous or powerful is the place where I work.

The place is lousy with politics and politicians.

I like it, though, when Ben Ginsberg's guests, who have to walk right by my desk on the way to his office, do a double-take when they see my lie-brul propaganda. ;)

[DanCa]

19. Oh I know the feelling

I used to work in MCC county mail room then the manager's kid came to work for us he was a very vocal repug. Drove everyone crazy never did a lick of work and made life miserable for everyone.
Wish I could still work than I would tell him that at least Bill Clinton never lost in entire city. :)

[bertha katzenengel]

20. here was my last reply. and we're having lunch tomorrow --

Wanna come and watch the fried rice fly? ;)

"I can't answer you. All I can say is that 1. I must have a different bucket of information that I'm drawing from, and 2. no matter why they stayed, they are human beings, and the government - whatever government, all of them, as far as i'm concerned - fucked up royally, and people paid with their lives, their pets' lives, and for those who lived, with days of misery.

"Oh, 3. when GWB declared the state of emergency, although the states & locals still could act, the responsibility for the safety, evacuation, relocation, rescue, etc., of these American citizens belonged to the federal government."