ArtLindsey.com

I miss the good old days. The days when I could watch something as benign as a football game, and not have to worry about being indoctrinated with a political message. But alas, my friends, those days are long gone.

I was all ready to go. I had the TV tuned to Fox, I had my beverages, and I had a feast of buffalo wings, onion rings and fried mushrooms all set before me. Everything was just perfect for me to turn into a complete slug, and watch the Chicago Bears pound the ever-loving crap out of the New Orleans Saints.

Needless to say, they did.

However, I wasn’t able to watch the game without first being reminded about Hurricane Katrina.
Let’s get one thing straight right now, okay?

I don’t give a damn about Hurricane Katrina. It’s been a year and a half, and it’s time to get over it.

I’m serious.

As I say this, I am sure there are people out there right now who are saying “Oh really? How come you don’t feel that way about 9/11?”

I can address that easily by saying that Hurricane Katrina and 9/11 are two completely different types of issues. Natural disasters and terrorist attacks are entirely different. Neither the victims of 9/11, nor the American public for that matter had or have any control over the particulars surrounding the attack. Katrina, however, is a different story.

A different story not in the sense that people can control a natural disaster, but different in the respect that people can clean New Orleans up and fix the problems. Showing me weather ravaged homes on TV every chance you get has literally no effect on me. I’m tired of it. All I wanted to do was watch a little football, and what do I get? I get reminded that I “shouldn’t forget Katrina” and how the Saints are a Cinderella story because they were displaced to Texas last year, and only won three games as a result. However, despite this adversity, they had rebounded remarkably this year and were but one game away from appearing in their first Super Bowl.

Don’t make me vomit. I am so sick of New Orleans and the sympathy card they’ve been playing for the last 18 months. This Hurricane had nothing to do with football. But, from the way the media was covering it, you would think that the Bears would have been expected to lay down and let the Saints whip them, because it only seemed fair for the New Orleans to win, after all they’ve been through. It was destiny, in the eyes of the media. The way things were meant to be.

The city of New Orleans needs to get over itself and grow up. I agree that what happened there is beyond unfortunate, but enough is enough. That city has been constrained by the bonds of liberal entitlement mentality for so long, that it seems the majority of those struck by the tragedy are waiting for someone to come along with a magic bean to fix everything.

…Or maybe they’re just waiting for Jimmy Carter to build them a house.

I sat there in awe as I watched a woman stand in the middle of her ruined home as she told Terry Bradshaw, “This house isn’t salvageable. I commute 70 miles to work every day. This is a complete loss. The people of New Orleans need to come back here and rebuild.”

Okay, but here’s the thing:

Not all of them want to. A great number of the residents of New Orleans were poor, and lived in fear due to the rampant crime and corruption. While the largest finger could be pointed at Mayor Ray Nagin’s administration for not handling the civic issues, nor the hurricane itself, it’s the Citizenry of New Orleans who can be blamed for the crime rate. Just ask the city of Houston about their crime rate when they took in the refugees from New Orleans. It increased dramatically. This woman should be happy that people aren’t returning.

Furthermore, I take issue with someone who is standing in a completely devestated, mold-ridden home 18 months after the fact and still lamenting it. It’s a total waste of time, and for lack of a better word, stupid. Stop standing around moping and looking for a handout. This has gome on long enough. I have no problem with someone who wants to rebuild and live in New Orleans. I really don’t. But take responsibility for yourselves. Nothing good comes easy, and these things take time. If you were smart enough to have some kind of insurance, your turn will come eventually. Even if you didn’t, youj could help to expidite the process by tearing your old house down to an extent. Get a Shop Vac and a sledgehammer, and quit crying. Standing in the middle of a mud bog and bitching won’t help you or anybody else.

If everybody in New Orleans handled their own affairs, this “problem” would be long-since solved. I realize that there are some out there who might not be able to, but that is what being good neighbor and having pride in one’s community is supposed to be about. Band together and take care of yourselves. No more debit cards for you.

Maybe there isn’t much pride in New Orleans. I wonder who’s fault *that* is?

I could be wrong, but I think I could be speaking for a great number of Americans when I say that I feel we are out of sympathy for the City of New Orleans. I know I am.

Quite frankly, I think we’re annoyed.

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