Peter King: "We... have Katrina fatigue."

[nickgutierrez]

While I was checking up on my sports news this evening, I was blindsided by a great New Orleans rant from Sports Illustrated's Peter King.

I sense that we in this country have Katrina fatigue. The New York Times reported as much recently, saying that people in some of the areas that welcomed Katrina evacuees last September are sick of hearing about the hurricane, the flooding and the aftermath.

Well, my wife and I were in a car last Wednesday that toured the hardest-hit area of New Orleans, the Lower Ninth Ward. We worked a day at a nearby Habitat for Humanity site on Thursday, and we toured the Biloxi/Gulfport/Long Beach/Pass Christian gulf shore area last Friday. And let me just say this: I can absolutely guarantee you that if you'd been in the car with us, no matter how much you'd been hit over the head with the effects of this disaster, you would not have Katrina fatigue.

What I saw was a national disgrace. An inexcusable, irresponsible, borderline criminal national disgrace. I am ashamed of this country for the inaction I saw everywhere.

I mentioned my outrage to the mayor of New Orleans, Ray Nagin, on Thursday. He shook his head and said, "Tell me about it.'' Disgust dripped from his voice.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/writers/peter_king/05/02/mmqbte/index.html

[AX10]

1. .

[11 Bravo]

3. This is not the Peter King (R, NY)

I've been reading SI since the 60's, and I've not encountered a racist piece from Mr. King.

[nickgutierrez]

5. Did you... uh... read the article?

Because if you did... uh...

I don't see where you're coming from.

[w4rma]

9. Wrong Peter King. Headline is opposite of his own position.

I really wish left leaning folks wouldn't do that to get attention. It causes confusion.

Btw, I think the "Katrina Fatigue" is from right-wingers who don't like hearing how their Republican leadership screwed up that mess and they don't want folks talking about it anymore. Especially not right before the elections.

[11 Bravo]

2. I read your thread title and my head damned near exploded.

Glad I read the rest of your post, I've always enjoyed King's stuff.

[Synnical]

4. Great Rant, Indeed

Am I ticked off? Damn right I'm ticked off. If you're breathing, you should be morally outraged. Katrina fatigue? Hah! More Katrina news! Give me more! Give it to me every day on the front page! Every day until Washington realizes there's a disaster here every bit as urgent as anything happening in this world today -- fighting terrorism, combating the nuclear threat in Iran. I'm not in any way a political animal, but all you have to be is an occasionally thinking American to be sickened by the conditions I saw.

Thanks for posting this.

[Skittles]

6. we have Natalee Holloway fatigue

tabloid news fatigue

[nickgutierrez]

7. Nah, we eat that stuff up.

After all, that's sex, murder, and intrigue, complete with shady foreigners and possible corruption in some country that's not ours!

The important stuff gets forgotten.

[0007]

16. Debilitation = Natalee Holloway news updates

[Jigarotta]

8. Shameful!

where is all the money donated to the Red Cross and other charities that millions of people gave to help the people of New Orleans? Who is holding onto OUR money?

[Blue_Tires]

10. first time i'll EVER agree with Peter King on anything!

maybe someone else wrote his column this week....he's still a piece of feces to me

[ComerPerro]

11. I've always like Peter King

[Coastie for Truth]

12. The Katrina Fatigue

is the fatigue of the RW establishment - having to explain away how they screwed up so badly, how they kept the NGO responders out for days (Does 1968's "The whole world is watching" ring a bell?), how tyey relocated the refugees for maximum GOP electoral benefit.

And the kids still have Katrina PTSD.

I have been a volunteer working with one of the non-faith based NGO with Katrina refugees since September 9, 2005. The ones with fatigue are the RWers who screwed up.

I was in the Coast Guard in New Orleans in the 1960's, my taught school in the Lower Ninth Ward when we lived there. - I am still working with the Katrina refugees.

[treestar]

14. Yet they don't have 911 fatigue, almost 5 years later

Though Katrina does have its uses for beefing up "national security"

[VolcanoJen]

13. A Kick for those who missed it.

It's a must-read.

[walldude]

15. Yeah I have Katrina fatigue

I wish Nancy Grace would just stop talking about it already...

[SethInUpstateNY]

17. This is a very good article.

I'm kicking it to get the attention this subject matter deserves.