From the GG’s Closet.
September 23, 2007
Damn Straight!
From the great Bivalve over at Your Right Hand Thief comes this great story.
September 12, 2007
September 1, 2007
HANO is “Assaulted”!
Tonight there was an article in the T-P (my favorite news source…. ), and there were dozens of very vile comments concerning the topic.
Here’s my response lest the T-P wipes me of expunges the article:
“A badly written article and the Racists come out in force with their simplistic, scripted writings learned only by rote.
For me it’s always, “So many Racists, so very little time”.
Get off your lily-white horses that so closely look like you. Understand that most of the people of the Projects worked hard for their low standard of living. Know that many White people in SE LA will not hire a Black person for a higher position, but they will hire them to sweep the stables. Do you read me?
And for those of you that believe that ,”They should work two jobs… I have to”. Well babies, these folk don’t really desire dual Lexus’, a McMansion, and the Golf Club fees and the horses and other “toys” that you can’t live without and that a showplace kitchen or $2,000 toilets aren’t their style.
They live and work for their lives and sensibilities… what they desire and not what you desire. They want their connections, their community back. (The criminals they DO NOT want back.)
As the whitest little Black girl you’re likely to meet, I am greatly upset by the actions of some of my Black relatives, but I am totally appalled by my White “family”s” vitriol towards others.
Since when are the Whites the ne plus ultra? They are a minority in this world (I’ve been half-way around the World twice in my days, living and learning about others.), except to when it comes to the money side of things. (And a minority WILL always find another minority to demonize. It’s a pseudo-superiority type of thing.)
New Orleans is a collection of Cultures, and all should be allowed to survive with their Cultural beliefs intact. Ya’s want white-bread land, go to the suburbs, unless you didn’t run there over the last forty years.
If you want your kids to be educated with their own kind, pay for it because the Founders considered universal education to be to a benefit to the Nation. Ya’s only want White and upscale neighbors, find a private community and pay your fees.
Do you wish to live in the Real World, join the whole of Humanity? Then the best of that possibility lies here in New Orleans, and we need all the good souls that we can find to create an equitable Society, grounded in fairness and understanding.
Racists please, leave those of us here trying to rebuild alone. Stop spewing your venom that you believe is thought. You are already gone from our city, or you will be soon. (Your hatreds will see to that.) Have a good life, and good riddance.
For those of us who love and cherish this city and our fellow citizens, leave us alone. Just because our city was bought and sold two centuries ago, we ARE citizens of the Nation, and as such are a part of the Social Contract, and said Contract is sacrosanct under the Constitution. “All of Life is as a chain, and when one link is harmed, we all feel the pain”.
Let us just be ourselves in our City, the city so many of you abandoned because of your basic thought-patterns. We will get things worked out, rebuild, put a halt on most of the crime… find a way to keep things going and just be New Orleanians. (The surrounding Parishes we have nothing to do with… that’s your job folks.)
There are many different kinds of folk that are back in the city, some oldies, others newbies, but we are here to rebuild. Those of us that lived here before want the other folks back. They are also an integral part of the City.
Most of my various ancestors were here at the founding of this city or soon thereafter. Their tombs are in the cemeteries. None were famous… they just worked and lived. Their lives are all mine, and what they all helped to build here is a part of what I must defend and improve upon. This city and the Spirit of it’s Cultures must not be lost.
So please, stop the Racist poop on these forums. Ya’s never know who you might be related to. Might even be considered under the 1/32 Rule. (If so, “Hi there! Welcome to the family!”)”
August 29, 2007
August 27, 2007
Shattered, (part 1)
Many years ago my mother helped me when I awoke screaming from a nightmare (which was every night for 13 years). I was crying and scared… feeling like I didn’t matter in the scheme of Life. Mom said, “All people are important. None are worthless.” I calmed down with that knowledge that there was a reason for being alive and went back to a blissful sleep. I felt that there was some form of order, reason, to every day.
I can’t sleep now.
It’s been over 40 years since that night. I have learned much through those years by traveling the World, meeting and talking with folks… learning about myself and what makes all of us tick. I have witnessed horrible things and beautiful ones too. I’ve seen the worst and the most touching of things in my time. I know what Death is (having been a party to it), and I understand Life. Often I laid awake and wondered why I’m still alive, and the only comfort was the Goddess, whispering into my ear (much like my mom), that it’s all a part of this insane game we call Living.
Two years ago I was a happy little spirit. Had my best friend with me, had a nice house, had friends… was correcting the harms done to me after birth that totally fucked up most of my 48 years living on this planet, and then a demon came into the picture. She was named Katrina. As normal for a Gulf Coaster, I tracked the Miserable Bitch from day one to almost landfall.
Little did I know that She would shatter my life in so many ways. (Both good and bad…)
At this moment in time it’s late August, 2005. I’m tracking a hurricane, looking at where it will go. I’m prepping the house to hold several friends who need a safe harbor. Tomorrow I will clean the entire place. I’m trying to catch up on all my work for the Transsexual community. I’m beginning to get afraid that I’m going to call this storm wrongly, and Betty (who trusts my instincts) could be put into danger. A part of my persona has been activated… every breeze and sound catches my attention. I watch the birds and squirrels. Nothing seems to be out of place. I dig deep in the soil of my vegetable garden, and nothing seems wrong… there’s just a storm coming.
I’m in my little office on the East side of the house. Betts is across the room working yet another computer deal. The Siamese is sleeping in the little chair that I keep for customers. I’m working on doing a third album of music… trying to figure out how to do all the video from two months previous in Houston for Gay Pride. My good old IBM has a constant link for storm tracking. I’m thinking of Betty’s upcoming vacation, the legal stuffs that we need to do and her upcoming B’Day. I keep scanning the computer models concerning the storm.
I am thinking that I should rebuild the waterfall and ponds in the courtyard. (wait ’til the storm passes) I need to fix the window that Cindy cracked weeks before. Maybe we should buy shutters so that we don’t get hit by storm-driven debris. (No fucking time for that now) We have all we need. There’s water and food and I can cover almost anyone’s needs. I do more laundry. Clean the bathrooms and call folks in order to have them come here for the storm. (Yeppers, I have lots of beer and whiskey)
Should I send Betts and the cat away? I don’t run from things. Did Betsy, Camille, Loma Prieta…. tons of typhoons, a blizzard in the Teton Wilderness, Cape Rollers, was in St. Helen’s caldera days before the eruption… I have seen almost every kind of shit one can find… survived them too, something’s way freakin’ wrong. I’m sensing something. Am I finally coming down with AIDS Dementia?
Little did I know that a disaster was going to occur and it would be from the hands of men and a freakin’ money grubbing culture. That I would wind up seeing such fucking horror, racial hatred and outright non-caringness (and some wonderful acts of selflessness and love). That I would have to fight battles that I never saw the reason for happening. Things that would show me what it means to be Human.
The insanity of the Natural Disaster to the Gulf Coast and the man-made one in New Orleans two years ago must never be forgotten. Heroes and heroines must be praised, and the damned demons that screwed so many must be brought to justice. Never fucking again should this kind of shit happen!
************************************************************************************************
Over the next few days I’m going to be writing about those few days two years ago. What it means to me, how it’s changed my life and of those I cherish. How much those events challenged and strengthened my belief about all things and how I came to discard an entire world-view of Reality.
August 26, 2007
“Hurricane George” is Coming This Week…
Or “How to FUCK an entire region in one easy lesson”.
FUCK YOU GEORGE! GET THE HELL OUT OF MY CITY, ASSHOLE!
Curtsey to Suspect Device.
August 24, 2007
August 8, 2007
Night Out Against Crime…
Tonight was the Night Out Against Crime in the Mid-City, and b.rox had this to say about the event.
I was writing a comment to his Blog, and then realized that my comment was really a post about the problem of unbridled crime and how I see it in New Orleans. I decided that here is where it belongs.
Here’s what I wrote:
We ARE on our own in this aspect of the City’s rebuilding.
I’m looking forward to getting back into our place in Gentilly, but I do know the neighborhood will be less than 10% re-populated by then. This is not a welcome scenario as our neighborhood pre-Flood was probably the safest area outside of the Isle of Denial, (in truth, it was…), but no longer does that hold true. I see the incursions of those who hold nothing decent or Sacred. To those whom Life means nothing outside of their warrior games.
We are putting in security cameras and automatic gates. We have now opted to go with shatter-proof glass in the windows for both storms and thugs. Our fences, both property and security, will be very hard to deal with if bad creatures decide to break into one of the few lit houses around.
There will be an arsenal at the house: shotguns, rifles, and two pistols. Both of us, and some of our upcoming tenants, are crack shots trained by the military. Most of us have been hurt by these thugs before.
When the sensors are tripped, the lights will blaze, and whilst the aggressors are blinded, the hailstorm begins.
When the NOPD shows up days later (’cause it will take them that longer to find our neighborhood), they’d better be carrying body-bags, because we will have done their J.O.B..
I have seen the swarms as they roam the Marigny and Bywater… seen the same in the 7th Ward. Watched them set up their traps on the edges of the Quarter and the Treme. (I’m not seen as I can walk the shadows.) These conditions cannot be allowed to stand as it is nothing more than preying upon innocents that probably have nothing to do with the cause of the horror.
Social failures and situations cannot excuse these kinds of actions. Many of us who are trying to rebuild in my roaming areas are poor, or at best, Middle-Class. We do not avail ourselves of the barbaric solutions they have chosen in order to correct their or our problems. We are not responsible for the lack of teachings about Human Dignity and Decency… how we function as a group in order to survive the task of living in this World. Those who’s job it was to instill these lessons have totally failed in their task as concerns their folk.
Part of this was the failure of Society, partly the bullshit that came from Racist attitudes (on both sides) and the indifference to our Constitutional mandate to provide for all in Equality. Much came from the indifference of family groups to teach the basic lessons of Humanity when living in a polyglot Culture.
Many of the possible/probable victims in the Future/Past had nothing to do with these failures. Many of us have tried to help eliminate these problems, but all too often we are destroyed, not those who created the situation. (And here in NOLA, we are being left to our own devices when it comes to this scenario.)
I will stand on this issue and the performance of my duties to neighborhood and friends. Same goes for many folk here. Our city’s rebuilding is up to us who ARE rebuilding our homes and lives. Those who would stop or hinder our efforts to save New Orleans must be stopped, one way or another.
The corporations, the rich, the privileged…. they can afford Blackwater to protect their worthless moneyed asses. We common folk must defend ourselves against the horde, and in doing so we save our homeplace and the legacy of place.
New Orleans exists to train the Faithful… and the faithful believe in the importance and Sacredness of this most unique city and Her people. It’s our job to protect Her.
Like I’ve stated before, I believe in St. Joan, and we are her city and people.
July 21, 2007
This Time the Idiot Comes From Nebraska…
Well, two weeks of not having to hammer the Moronic Inferno of “don’t spend MY tax money on New Orleans” has helped since Betts and I have been way too busy getting the final details on getting the house and cottages running. I would like to state that my mind, my four-letter vocabulary and my soul has NOT rested during this period however.
From the bustling hot-spot of mental giants (?) called Fremont, NE comes this little gem from the Sports Section of the Fremont Tribune. (No, one can’t leave comments there, but go figure… how many up that way could make an intelligent response (or want to) for this kind of tripe?
As it is past 5 AM and as the witchy Night Owl my existence has bequeathed , I must repair to my bed in order to escape the deadly rays of the Sun. I’ll “get on my diatribe” later in the day.
Check out this view of the area, and though they may be 1,023 feet above sea-level, the dump is still on the flood-plain, and therefore the river is right at their feet. Flat-landers = “Flat-liners”.) You know I’m going to whack them very hard… the Corps and the Bureau of Reclamation had much to do with river control up that way so it may be informative for the folks of the Mid-Lands to have an understanding about what they may have to face in time.