The difference between looting and finding...

[Gauss]

...is quite simple really...the melanin content of the persons skin of course! (I stole this from another board...I mean I found it on another board, after all I am white)



Interestingly enough, the original URLs for the images were posted on that "other" board to show people this wasn't a Photo-shopped fake...When I tried to show them to Ban Guzzi this morning, I discovered (I discover things, eeven things that are there and other people know about because I am Italian) that the one with the white folks is now a dead link...hmmmmmmm

[Ames]

I'd heard about this on talk-radio this morning and was appalled even before seeing it. What's even worse is the number of people out there who seem to be oblivious to the fact that the people who stayed behind instead of evacuating were, by and large, the underclass who couldn't afford to leave. Good thing we diverted all the money to shore up the levy's to the war in Iraq.
God I fuckin' hate this regime.

[vespaboy]

I'm so glad to know that even in times of national tragidy, we can count upon the racism and classism that have served us so well....

[Beemer Dan]

that is fucked

[red]

I went to AP's site to post a comment about the picture but I couldn't find it. I think they wised up and pulled it. Good ol' white america...

"those aren't looters, those are just nice white kids trying to survive. but that black kid, he's a menace. just look at him...up to no good."

[Muppet]

It's important to note that the AFP caption was translated from French.

(plz refrain from any snide "damn French" comments).

I was upset as well, until I learned that the caption had been translated.

[Rabbit_Fighter]

The caption was not translated.

I work at Getty Images, and emailed one of our News Editors this morning. She clued me in to the photographer's response to all of this which was posted on a message board for professional photographers.

It goes like so:

->> Jeasus, I don't belive how much crap I'm getting from this. First of all, I hope you excuse me, but I'm completely at the end of my rope. You have no Idea how stressful this whole disaster is, espically since I have not seen my wife in 5 days, and my parents and grand parents HAVE LOST THEIR HOMES. As of right now, we have almost NOTHING.

Please stop emailing me on this one.

I wrote the caption about the two people who 'found' the items. I believed in my opinion, that they did simply find them, and not 'looted' them in the definition of the word. The people were swimming in chest deep water, and there were other people in the water, both white and black. I looked for the best picture. there were a million items floating in the water - we were right near a grocery store that had 5+ feet of water in it. it had no doors. the water was moving, and the stuff was floating away. These people were not ducking into a store and busting down windows to get electronics. They picked up bread and cokes that were floating in the water. They would have floated away anyhow. I wouldn't have taken in, because I wouldn't eat anything that's been in that water. But I'm not homeless. (well, technically I am right now.)


I'm not trying to be politically correct. I'm don't care if you are white or black. I spent 4 hours on a boat in my parent's neighborhood shooting, and rescuing people, both black and white, dog and cat. I am a journalist, and a human being - and I see all as such. If you don't belive me, you can look on Getty today and see the images I shot of real looting today, and you will see white and black people, and they were DEFINATELY looting. And I put that in the caption.

Please, please don't argue symantics over this one. This is EXTREMELY serious, and I can't even begin to convey to those not here what it is like. Please, please, be more concerned on how this affects all of us (watch gas prices) and please, please help out if you can.

This is my home, I will hopefully always be here. I know that my friends in this business across the gulf south are going through the exact same thing - and I am with them, and will do whatever I can to help. But please, please don't email me any more about this caption issue.

And please, don't yell at me about spelling and grammar. Im eating my first real meal (a sandwich) right now in 3 days.

When this calms down, I will be more than willing to answer any questions, just ask.


Thank you all -
-Chris Graythen

[Gauss]

Stop ruining my self righteous fun with facts and stuff....



Damn French.

[Photo]

Damn French.

Salaud! Je te donnerais un coup de poing sur le nez!

[Gauss]

Salaud! Je te donnerais un coup de poing sur le nez!

Désolé, je suis un bon Américain. J'ai mon nez vers le haut d'âne de George Bush.

[Ames]

Salaud! Je te donnerais un coup de poing sur le nez!

Désolé, je suis un bon Américain. J'ai mon nez vers le haut d'âne de George Bush.

Que tout ce moyen ? Je ne parle pas cette langue idiote !

[xtian]

someone please say "i fart in your general direction"

http://www.dawnwangen.com/portfolio/web ... ection.wav

[problemaddict]

lasseiz faire? escargot? peugot? Le Car?

[Ames]

Xtian,
Fart I dans votre direction générale.

[Gauss]

Voulez-vous revenir à mon endroit ? Bouncy bouncy! Je ne suis plus infecté.

Mon aéroglisseur est plein des anguilles.

[Guest]

Xtian,
Fart I dans votre direction générale.

with all your respect, that would be "je vous pète à la gueule"

you never know, might come handy in some airport

[Ames]

Xtian,
Fart I dans votre direction générale.

with all your respect, that would be "je vous pète à la gueule"

you never know, might come handy in some airport

Hey, all my French comes from Babelfish.

[Stick]

Good thing we diverted all the money to shore up the levy's to the war in Iraq.

Ames, I know you're pissed off and upset at the president. I am too. Especially at the lack of preparation for this disaster, and lack of presence in the Whitehouse, where he should have been when this happened, instead of visiting with the elderly in California. Seriously man, I am not flaming you, but please don't make these kind of sarcastic untruthful comments attempting somehow blame this hideous tragedy on the war in Iraq.

[Ames]

What have I said that's untruthful?

First there is the diversion of economic resources that saw New Orleans shortchanged on programs designed to harden the city for the inevitable arrival of super-strong, global-warming-fed hurricanes. The demands of the $200-billion+ war in Iraq caused already-budged funds for levy strengthening and raising to be withdrawn an diverted.


Then too, there is the gutting of the National Guard, which is mostly over in Iraq, leaving Louisiana and Mississippi, the two hardest-hit states, scrambling for first-response personal--a problem that is compounded by the common practice of having police, fire and emergency rescue personnel supplement their salaries by joining the Guard.

http://chapelhill.indymedia.org/news/2005/08/16115.php

The destruction of New Orleans--a catastrophe far worse than anything Osama Bin Laden could hope to wreak, considering the number of deaths, the closing down of a major U.S. port city for months, the destruction of an urban environment that will take years to repair, and the devastating disruption of one-fourth of the nation's oil production, which is likely to initiate a national recession--gives final proof of the stupidity and criminality of the Bush Administration's invasion of Iraq and of the bankruptcy of the Democratic so-called oppositon.

http://www.phillyimc.org/en/2005/08/16477.shtml

The failure stems from a chronic and intentional diversion of resources for which the Bush Administration must accept responsibility. For years, it has been known that a devastating hurricane could hit the Gulf Coast. In 2001, FEMA labeled a hurricane striking New Orleans as one of the three most likely catastrophic disasters facing the United States. The Bush Administration underfunded several critical programs which would have mitigated the scope of this disaster. The Bush Administration has continually proposed budgets which cut funding for the Army Corps of Engineers, disaster mitigation programs, and hurricane protections for Louisiana's coast. In addition, the fact that thousands of National Guard soldiers from Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana are in Iraq has prevented them from being available in sufficient numbers to carry out their primary mission.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rep-jan-s ... _6710.html

I could go on, but right now I'm drunk and too tired to continue refinding all the sources I've based my opinions on. The last thing one should accuse me of is being capricious or half-cocked with the information I base my opinions on.

If anyone would like, I'll pull up the information on what the funding requests for New Orleans National Guard and levy repairs were vs. what the shrub and his fellow terrorists allocated were.

[Flat_Black_Rat]

Well if its posted on the internet it must be true then.

Cops, Firefighters, EMT's and the like have never been known as high paying fields, that is not anything new, and if nothing else a local issue.

Reguardless of the whole war thing, right or wrong, we are all cheap ass americans. I would put down money that even if there had been no war and taxes had gone up even 1% we would have bitched about it. I would also bet that a good chunk of the population would say that is a local problem not one to raise taxes for everyone in the country. Pause. Think about it for a minute.

Now I realise the common thought is that Bush is running this country into the ground all my himself and should be removed from the White House, ect ect. But I'm pretty sure Bush wasn't just sitting at his desk with a big red crayon crossing stuff off the budget. I could be wrong, but we are all due some blame there, or maybe our whole goverment, and when I say that I mean all parties and the very system itself, must be FUBAR, the checks and balences are just unserivceable. If the American system is really that fucked, we should be doing something to fix it.

But lets please look at the big picture, you dont have to agree with my views on the issues, but step back once in a while and trying looking at it from the other side, it starts to sound alittle weak, trust me I do it with my views too.

But most importantly lets think about and do what we can now to help our fellow Americans down south there and not to forget what has happened.

[Ban Guzzi]

I HATE Bush!!!

That said, running a Gov't is a difficult job. You take your chances when you cut/increase taxes regardless of purpose. Yes it was a horrible gamble that more people than JUST Bush took.
Alot like Republican rhetoric running around and pointing fingers after the fact is petty and trite.

I know hold your opinions in the same regard as RocketJohns...

[Ames]

I really dislike being misquoted. If you go back and read what I said I specifically said "we" not "them" or "the shrub". I realise that the govt. is made up of the people and that just one half-wit with a crayon in the Oval Office isn't the all-powerful force behind the decisions. The fact that this has happened is horrible beyond compare, my point is that much of the devistation could have been diverted.

The FEMA analasys of 2001 was completely disreguarded and the result of that is apparent. Right now we need to focus on helping the people in need, then rebuilding the city, but that doesn't abrogate the people who made the decisions that escalated the severity of the devastation from their responsibility.

And Ban Guzzi, at least I understand the stands I take.

[Stick]

It has been a blatantly obvious big pink elephant in the room that a Hurricane would be disasterous for New Orleans, and that the Levies were not adequate. And not just since the study in 2001. This has been known for decades. Literally decades, and nothing was ever done then either. So blame every President, LA Governor, and N.O. Mayor that has ever held office over the past 50 years.

. . . but I am blaming the Russians.

[evolsqrrl]

White people never loot!

wait I am a little bias because I am white!

fuck whitey!

Cheers
Ginger

[Thumper]

The lord loves the workin' man. Don't trust Whitey.

That's the two Rules.....