Lessons TV Taught Us About Katrina

1. New Orleans was devastated and no other city or town was affected by the hurricane.

2. The hurricane only hit black families' property.

3. Mississippi is reported to have a tree blown down.

4. New Orleans has no white people.

5. The hurricane blew a limb off a tree in the yard of an Alabama resident.

6. When you are hungry after a hurricane, steal a big screen TV.

7. The hurricane did 23 billion dollars in improvements to New Orleans. Now the city is welfare-, looter-, gang-, and prisoner-free... and they are all now in your city...and you are paying them.

8. White folks don't make good news stories.

9. Don't give thanks to the thousands that came to help rescue you, instead bitch because the government hasn't given you a debit card yet.

10. Only black family members got separated in the hurricane rescue efforts.

11. Ignore warnings to evacuate and the white folks will come get you and give you money for being friggin' stupid.

12. Your governor wouldn't let the feds in for four days, but somehow, it's all George Bush's fault

- Author Unknown

From Chuck Muth's News and Views.

Are We Surprised?

These are the senators who voted against sending Roberts' nomination to the Senate floor:

Feinstein
Kennedy
Biden
Schumer
Durbin

Nope. No surprises here.

Hospital Stay

My Other Half was in the hospital from last Thursday to Tuesday evening. He's diabetic and we've been doctoring a diabetic wound on his left shin for, geez...I've lost track of how long. It's been one wound after another and they are running together in my memory.

Anyway. He went in for a skin graft. It's his fourth. I can't remember if all four have been on this wound, or if some were on the previous. He was on a wound vac while in the hospital. Listen, if you have a wound and your doctor suggests using a wound vac, go for it. It's absolutely amazing! If you don't know, it's a vaccum that vaccums blood and fluids out of the wound and at the same time, stimulates the tissue to grow faster. It is a 24 hour a day procedure that can last for weeks at a time. It can be cumbersome and annoying to lug around, but they work so well! This is his third time using one. The last two times, one was delivered to the house for use after his release (KCI is the vendor and they are great to work with. Fabulous customer service.) He came home without the vac this time. The first time it was so new to home use that some of our suggestions on how to use it and how to affix the vac to the wound were incorporated into the manual.

Sad to say, this graft failed as did the previous one. So we're back to the Regranex (another fabulous product) and saline dressings. I've gotten so good at changing different types of dressings, and doing infusions and that kind of thing that the nurses in the Wound Center say they are gonna have a pinning ceremony for me one day :D Mom always did want me to be a nurse.

That reminds me of a story. When I graduated from high school, I was in a class of 650. As we ascended the stairs to go on the stage, we handed a slip of paper for our names to be announced. Then we proceeded across the stage, got our diploma covers and shook hands with the various dignataries. Well, I crossed the stage, and as I shook hands with the last VIP (I can't remember his name now, but he was the head of the methadone clinic in Miami), I started to turn away to descend the stairs and return to my seat. He literally pulled me back to him, looked me square in the eyes and said, "You're going to be a nurse." It was about the last thing in the world I wanted to do. Work around blood and sick people? eeeewwwww! All I could say was, "I don't think so."

I asked my parents later if they had seen it and they both wanted to know what it was all about. When I told them what he said, Mom said, "I've always told you that you should go into nursing!" They both said that he didn't pull anyone else aside as he did me. And there were several who were planning on nursing careers.

I guess he and Mom knew something I didn't know.

I Said It Before...I like this Guy!

From Radio Blogger:

Tuesday, September 20
Don't get stuck on stupid

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin held a press conference a little bit ago, and started losing control to a media pool assembled that was showing signs of panic, due to the previous incompetence in the region by the local and state government. Lt. Gen. Russel Honore stepped in and literally took over. Here's what he had to say:

"Honore: And Mr. Mayor, let's go back, because I can see right now, we're setting this up as he said, he said, we said. All right? We are not going to go, by order of the mayor and the governor, and open the convention center for people to come in. There are buses there. Is that clear to you? Buses parked. There are 4,000 troops there. People come, they get on a bus, they get on a truck, they move on. Is that clear? Is that clear to the public?

"Female reporter: Where do they move on...

"Honore: That's not your business."

(I can't believe that anyone dares to tell a reporter it's not your business. I love it!-edit.)

"Male reporter: But General, that didn't work the first time...

"Honore: Wait a minute. It didn't work the first time. This ain't the first time. Okay? If...we don't control Rita, you understand? So there are a lot of pieces of it that's going to be worked out. You got good public servants working through it. Let's get a little trust here, because you're starting to act like this is your problem. You are carrying the message, okay? What we're going to do is have the buses staged. The initial place is at the convention center. We're not going to announce other places at this time, until we get a plan set, and we'll let people know where those locations are, through the government, and through public announcements. Right now, to handle the number of people that want to leave, we've got the capacity. You will come to the convention center. There are soldiers there from the 82nd Airborne, and from the Louisiana National Guard. People will be told to get on the bus, and we will take care of them. And where they go will be dependent on the capacity in this state. We've got our communications up. And we'll tell them where to go. And when they get there, they'll be able to get a chance, an opportunity to get registered, and so they can let their families know where they are. But don't start panic here. Okay? We've got a location. It is in the front of the convention center, and that's where we will use to migrate people from it, into the system.

"Male reporter: General Honore, we were told that Berman Stadium on the west bank would be another staging area...

"Honore: Not to my knowledge. Again, the current place, I just told you one time, is the convention center. Once we complete the plan with the mayor, and is approved by the governor, then we'll start that in the next 12-24 hours. And we understand that there's a problem in getting communications out. That's where we need your help. But let's not confuse the questions with the answers. Buses at the convention center will move our citizens, for whom we have sworn that we will support and defend...and we'll move them on. Let's not get stuck on the last storm. You're asking last storm questions for people who are concerned about the future storm. Don't get stuck on stupid, reporters. We are moving forward. And don't confuse the people please. You are part of the public message. So help us get the message straight. And if you don't understand, maybe you'll confuse it to the people. That's why we like follow-up questions. But right now, it's the convention center, and move on.

"Male reporter: General, a little bit more about why that's happening this time, though, and did not have that last time...

"Honore: You are stuck on stupid. I'm not going to answer that question. We are going to deal with Rita. This is public information that people are depending on the government to put out. This is the way we've got to do it. So please. I apologize to you, but let's talk about the future. Rita is happening. And right now, we need to get good, clean information out to the people that they can use. And we can have a conversation on the side about the past, in a couple of months."

I think the General just started a movement, and he may not even realize it. Every time a reporter, in any situation, starts spinning, or completely misses the point, they need to be peppered with, "Don't get stuck on stupid."

I'd pay money to see David Gregory in the White House Press Corps foaming at the mouth over something trivial Scott McClellan said, and have McClellan say, "David, you're stuck on stupid. I'm not going to answer that."

I'd have fallen out of my chair if John Roberts would have listened to Joe Biden ramble on, and said, "Don't get stuck on stupid, Senator."

I can see the bumper stickers now. I can even see those stupid rubber wristbands with DGSOS etched in them.

I love General Honore.

Me again...I do too! My new motto...Don't get stuck on stupid.