Hey Freak!

This is an old story (first reported on September 12), but I hadn't seen it reported on any of the major news outlets... it's an account of two paramedics who were trapped in New Orleans in the days following Hurricane Katrina. And it's pretty fucking amazing:

From a woman with a battery powered radio we learned that the media was talking about us. Up in full view on the freeway, every relief and news organizations saw us on their way into the City. Officials were being asked what they were going to do about all those families living up on the freeway? The officials responded they were going to take care of us. Some of us got a sinking feeling. "Taking care of us" had an ominous tone to it.

Unfortunately, our sinking feeling (along with the sinking City) was correct. Just as dusk set in, a Gretna Sheriff showed up, jumped out of his patrol vehicle, aimed his gun at our faces, screaming, "Get off the fucking freeway". A helicopter arrived and used the wind from its blades to blow away our flimsy structures. As we retreated, the sheriff loaded up his truck with our food and water. [full story]

Gretna, LA is the town on the other end of the bridge. You know, the bridge that the Superdome "refugees" tried to cross so that they could get out. Apparently, some people are none too pleased about Gretna's actions, so they started a website: Gretna Sucks. I can't say that I totally agree with everything that's said there, but it's definitely some interesting reading.

Ya know...it is awful. It will never be known who truly posted this. Chances are, it's some guy who is obviously pissed at Dan Festler of MN. I'll bet a former Audio King employee.

And he is obviously nothing but a coward-- spouting off his racist dribble and, in all likelihood, using another person's name. What an ass.

Good christ there are some unhinged people in the world.

You know this guy probably didn't sit and type out that list. He likely copied it from some redneck hateboard somewhere. That's what freaks me out, that there are racist assholes congregating and encouraging this kind of thing. Not that they have the balls to actually say anything like this to a person's face, they just copy and paste stupid racist crap into normal peoples' website comments.

The Fuckos.

What the fuck was that? That's some evil fucking shit. Hatemonger!

What saddens me more is that there are many people who don't copy paste to normal people's websites. I had a prat (who actually called himself ethnocentrist) on my Human Rights blog who posted his racist thoughts, statistics and "facts". The hateboarders usually stay where they are, in their pathetic little "communities online. What gets to me these days, is that they are trying to poison other peoples sites, especially those who are trying to counter these arguments. Horrible.

OMG. I could not finish reading even 1/4 of that hateful diatribe. To hear that word said over and over...OUCH.

Mikey, I think by leaving that comment up, you're giving "Dan" a total adrenaline rush, because he's getting exactly what he wants: attention, to cause a stir, to shock, anger and degrade. Sick fucks like that GET OFF on those stunned reactions.

Not that I'm necessarily defending EVERYTHING he has said, but I give "Dan" credit for his honesty. Meanwhile, the rest of you are sitting back in your coffee clutch agreeing with each other for fear of not being perceived as being politically correct. God forbid you stand out from your peers or your crowd. How weak.

Tell ya what, Jennifer, while you're so preoccupied with what is going to 'get him off', why don't you take a nice drive down to the ghetto one night (preferably a Fri or Sat night around 12:30-2:30am)? Just kick back, chill, find somewhere to sit (apart from your locked car) and just observe. Hell, maybe you could even "get involved with the community" while you're there. I'm sure they'll welcome you warmly with hugs and praises for their salvation. What do you think? I dare you to do it. Prove to everyone (and, by all means yourself) just how accepting you are!

Have any one of you given any thought that this man, whom you've labeled and judged speaks several rings of truth?! Are you so closed-minded by your flighty, rigid "open-mindedness", and pipe-dream ideals that you cannot see past your own self-righteousness? How pathetic. So much growing up to do...

You can attempt to psychoanalyze "Dan's" comment (albeit poorly), or you can be honest with yourselves and others that the word "nigger" exists, and that many of the behaviours he has outlined are, in fact, real - and believe me, he and I are not the only ones to have noticed them. Perhaps the problem is that he's been TOO honest about his opinion(s) and that what he describes just doesn't exist wherever you may live (i.e., "whitebread America"), but for many of us it is a horrible, pathetic, and undeniable reality.

You are all a bunch of fakes and liars. You have a lot to learn about the world.

The saddest part of the entire rant that this scum goes through is that he either has or will reproduce.

People in the "ghetto" aren't looking for salvation, they're looking for respect. And it's attitudes like Dan's that force people to act that way. If you put someone down enough they will start to believe it, which causes anger and resentment perpetuating reverse racism and then those folks end up feeling the same way those awful, racist people feel about them.

I know there are people out there who fit those horrible descriptions and they're not just black either, asshole. But "telling the truth" about it isn't going to make the situation better, it's just going to piss them off more and perpetuate the hate and negativity. Why the fuck should they change for the better if you're gonna think the way your gonna think regardless of how they act because they live in the "ghetto" or because of the color of their skin?

If you show others a little respect, maybe they'll start carrying themselves a little more respectfully. And you can call people on their bullshit without resorting to hurtful, racist propaganda. That doesn't make me "politically correct" It makes me fucking human. If people would put their best foot forward and stop prejudging people for how they look, where they live, what they believe, what the fuck ever, then things might be a little nicer on this fuckfaced planet.

All I'm saying is that I would spellcheck before I posted racist rants. Is it really neccesary to provide me with an extra bonus grammatical reason to loathe him?

Giving this guy credit for his "honesty" might be about the most retarded thing I've ever heard of in my entire life. This isn't "honesty". It's the rambling of a confused, presumptuous idiot.

First, these observations are about a certain, specific subset of people. Not blacks. Not even most blacks. We're talking about some people across many different races. I've known many whites, asians and hispanics who fit that description to a tee. The notion that this describes the "essential American" black says that the author is either willing to ignore it when he sees it elsewhere, or just decided to make up his mind about blacks based on media portrayal.

Second, the fact that he says these things are pretty telling about his own insecurities. I don't care for broccoli, but I don't take time to go around the internet spewing hate-filled rants about it, do I? You almost have to wonder what went wrong in this guy's life that made him feel like he has to do this? Nobody rational spouts this kind of diatribe this often without impetus.

Third, (and this is really what pisses me off the most), is Bulldogboy's comment about going down to a ghetto at 12:30 and seeing what happens. Do you know what happens if you go to a ghetto in the middle of the night on a weekend? Nothing. You see young people hanging out, maybe having a few drinks, etc. Nothing really different than what you'd see outside a frat house at the same time of night. The only difference is your perception of those people because they dress and speak differently than you do. They're not looking to do anything to anyone that's not posing them a threat. Trust me - I've done it hundreds of times.

If you go there with a preconceived notion that you're surrounded by animals, however, you're probably going to offend someone. Nobody likes being treated like an animal, or to have assumptions made about them based on their appearance. If you go and treat them with respect, you just might find yourself having a good time. Not to say that there aren'ta few bad apples, because there always are, but just because somebody lives in a certain neighborhood and dresses and speaks a certain way doesn't make them out to be the "nigger" described above.

I grew up in a shithole in Brooklyn. My family was poor. Hell, my mother even had to go on welfare for a couple of years. And you know what? There's nothing "nigger" about me. That description doesn't fit me or 85% of the people I grew up with. Sure, we spoke a different kind of slang than the average suburbanite and there were some cultural differences, but anyone who isn't too ignorant to look past a language barrier could see that we're not that different, and we're definitely not all "niggers." We're people.

So, next time you feel like making sweeping comments about "a horrible, pathetic, and undeniable reality," try judging those people by something other than appearances first. Some will fit the bill, and some might surprise you.

And again, how stupid is this that this is a comment about race? This behavior is not exclusive to blacks, nor is it done by all blacks. How can it be considered "black" behavior? If anything, it's based more in socio-economics and in urban culture than anything else. Race has almost nothing to do with it.

Well, personally, if the guy had left out "nigger," the comment would hav been perfect. Most of that is true for the black folks in my city (Jacksonville), except for the few educated ones. Those I respect.

I am so sorry that people like Dan can use the internet, which is a remarkable tool, to spread their hate. I dont know what else to say. It's left me rather cold :(

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