Sinn Fein: Ourselves alone

First, the innocuous, sports related stuff I want to get out of the way before I spew bile.

Apolo Anton Ohno. What is up with that name? I mean, can't people find real names for their children? When I was brought up, the only people that went by all 3 names were child actors and serial killers.

NBC's coverage just sucks, as usual. With 12 networks and 2.3 million cameras, you think it wouldn't, but it does. Just like Disney never quite learned from Pixar that It's the story, stupid, NBC hasn't learned that there's more than one country competing.

I think this is a leftover from the 1984 LA games, when the Warsaw Pact boycotted, and NBC was able to show All USA, All the Time. Remember when ABC covered the olympics? I remember seeing an up close and personal with Vasiliy Alekseyev. They went to this guy's house in the Soviet Union, and covered his family, his meals, how they got special treatment, and so on. It was a profoundly different view of a Russian for a 9 year old kid growing up on the gulf coast. It began to tell me that not everybody that lived in the Comm-U-Niss countries was inherently evil.

Same thing with Franz Klammer. We got to see his little village, how his parents farmed the land, and how anything less than a gold in the downhill would be a letdown for his village, his country, and his family. Wow. No pressure there. So then he goes out and gives the most electrifying olympic performance ever.

And hey, guess what? They weren't Americans.

Oh well.

The Daytona 500 was today, and now that NASCAR is a national sport, a guy from California beat out guys from Indiana, Wisconsin, and Ohio. Sigh.

Also 5 years ago Dale Earnhardt died. Here's what I wrote 5 years ago, and while it's kind of juvenile writing, it's filled with emotion.

In local news, my wife, mother-in-law, 3 kids and I all went to see the parades today. Man, we always called kids bead magnets, but hey, we had to get 20 stuffed toys today, not to mention more beads than we ever got from any single parade. Had to push the Czech wife and in-law to scream out Hey, throw me sumtin, Mista, but they were screaming by the end, when they saw the effectiveness.

Now, on to the meat.

I'm not thrilled with Ron Forman. He talks about what a great businessman he was on his commercials. Kind of like C. Ray did. Schroeder positively hates Forman, and he does have some good points about hating him. I do like the idea of Mitch Landrieu as mayor, as I believe Forman is as much a democrat as Zell Miller, but I think that Landrieu would wield more power as a governor. I think Landrieu can beat Jindal, who I find insipid. I heard Jindal on Garland Robinette's show, and Garland ripped him a new one about Jindal's weakness and defense of the administration, and Jindal's failure to be strongly behind the Baker Bill. Jindal seemed like a great, intelligent candidate, but he's drunk the kook-aid, and he'll blame us New Orleanians for not having a plan, or other shit like that.

Ronnie Virgets had a great chapter in his book Say Cap entitled Sinn Fein, which means ourselves alone. That's probably how we're gonna get outta this mess, by ourselves. I'm not banking on anyone to do anything, because that's part of the White House stragetizeing: wait us out until we're bankrupt from mortgages and rent and no jobs, and then buy us out and create vinyl-sided McMansions. I think that they're forgetting how hard-headed we are, and how we won't bow down. They ain't gettin' nuttin' from us. Especially Mardi Gras.

Da Paper has an outstanding piece by Brian Thevenot on how They view carnival. For example:

a writer for The Daily Telegraph in London described people watching last week's Krewe du Vieux parade as being mostly "New Orleans residents, fueled by Hurricane cocktails and marijuana smoked openly in the presence of tolerant New Orleans policemen."

Yeah, right. We all drink hurricanes and even my mother-in-law flashes her tits for beads, which she wears year round, when we aren't busy being alcoholics and collecting welfare, and generally slacking.

Fuck you, Daily Telegraph. Go drink your gin and tonic with your stiff upper lip, and have a soccer riot killing hundreds and eat your organ meat and avoid the dentist and act hostile toward Pakistanis and Indians.

Oooohhhhh....shoe on dat udder foot, ain't it?

Look, bitches. We know how to do Carnival. Us and Rio. We see what happens when You try to do it. You fail, miserably, because YOU DON'T GET IT.

The bastion of journalistic integrity, the Chicago Tribune stated that the city is starkly segregated.

Pot, kettle; kettle, pot.

Chicago is a fucking demonic cesspool of racism. Da whites live in da north; da blacks live in da south; da Mexicans live in da west.

So let it be written; so let it be done.

Fuck you Chicago Tribune. We are NEW ORLEANS. SINN FEIN. So just shut the fuck up and put more salt on the roads. And don't you dare write one fucking word about how our politicians are corrupt.

I can tell you this: I don't know a single person in New Orleans, regardless of race, age, or sex, who don't all want the same thing for Mardi Gras: A Zulu Coconut.

Sinn Fein, baby.

My biggest problem with Carnival, now that the excrable Krewe of America is gone, is probably Orpheus, with the Hollywood factor, and all the non-locals riding. And Steven Seagal? WTF are you thinking, Harry?

Sinn Fein, baby.

Without a doubt, the best marching band today was the MAX band, consisting of kids from St. Augustine's, St. Mary's, and Xavier Prep. These kids had 5 weeks to learn their book of 26 songs, and they rocked the llama's ass.

Sinn Fein.

The third battle's got a great dish on the New Orleans Flag, and why you're seeing so many of them lately. I'll tell you why, because we are no longer Americans.

We are New Orleanians.

I've always said that from about Panama City to Lafayette, and about 50 miles inland (not including Tallahassee or Baton Rouge) should be one state. I mean, do the people of New Orleans have diddley in common with the people of Bossier City? Do the people of Mobile have anything in common with the people of Montgomery? Do the people of Port St. Joe have anything in common with the snobs of Boca Raton? Hell no. But the coast, the coast has always been special. We all pretty much get it, although now Pensacola is more a military retiree home, and they're trying to impose their Ohio values on people that just want to drink beer and fish.

Sinn Fein.

Gulf Sails calls for armoring the levees systems of this region with the skulls of these... twits.

Poppy has more rantings against Them, and she nails Them good.

Markus has compiled a list of K blogs, and there are a few that I don't have in the linkeroos off to the left. I have since added the Building Big Easy, as there's a wealth of info there, not just architectural.

As far as architecture goes, well, I'm with the Dutch helping us on that levee thing, but not really on architecture. I don't want zigzag houses. I want them to look like New Orleans. Sinn Fein, bitch.

And I want to see Hastert when he comes to NOLA. He's the fucking fuck that said the US shouldn't rebuild NOLA. I want a shitstorm to attack his district. I want floods, tornadoes, fire and brimstone, locusts, earthquakes, dogs and cats living together, drout, famine, and mormons to attack this mutherfucker's district. Cocksucker. I want to see him looking at people going through their belongings in the 9th ward, and him tell me to my face that the levees should not be rebuilt. I want his family to endure living in shit for 6 months. Better yet, I want him to look Leah Chase or Fats Domino in the face and tell them to move to a place with higher ground.

Finally, let's look at the root of blame. We all know Brownie was a fucking clueless deer in the headlights, in way over his head. Well, here's the etymology, courtesy of Cade Roux.

Joe Allbaugh was named director of FEMA. Allbaugh named Brownie. Who named Allbaugh? Well, evidently, ambassadorships are not the sole prize of political operative scoundrels any more.

The buck stops where, W?

Let's close with a marvelous quote from the aforementioned Brian Thevenot article:

Nineteenth century writer Lafcadio Hearn wrote a letter to a friend in Cincinnati about two years after he arrived in New Orleans in 1877, during a grim period in which thousands died from yellow fever. He summed up his situation this way:

"Times are not good here. The city is crumbling into ashes. It has been buried under a lava flood of taxes and frauds and maladministrations so that it has become only a study for archaeologists. Its condition is so bad that when I write about it, as I intend to do soon, nobody will believe I am telling the truth. But it is better to live here in sackcloth and ashes than to own the whole state of Ohio."

Sinn Fein.

Comments

[bayoustjohndavid]

What's wrong with Forman? The man was positively a visionary to put the aquarium at the foot of canal street! At least that the way his commercial puts it. True, he's been a good businessman(for what that's worth) but he goes beyond campaign hype to giving himself credit for things he didn't do.

[Marco Romano]

They'll never get it. But some will and those are the people that keep coming back, whether to live or visit. Head high and keep on pushing! Walk over them if you have to. Gently, of course.

[Seymour D. Fair]

Amen to all dat, Brother Ashley. Agree--remove BR and Tally.

[saintseester]

Wow, nothing like waking up Monday morning to a nice long reading list - hope no one comes by for office hours!

[Mr. Clio]

Ashley's rolling full force again, which means the cosmos is swinging back towards order again.

[Michael]

Yeah, you're right about Red Stick...and I live here [hang my head in shame]...an hour away geographically, but light years away socially and culturally...to our detriment.

[Mark Folse]

Sinn Fien. Being married to an incorrigibly Irish-American and an Eirephile myself, I can't believe I missed this one.

That's what the hell I've been saying with increasing frequency.

Ourselves alone. Sinn Fien. Yeah, you right.

[Tim]

You make me laugh until I have tears in my eyes. Thanks for brightening my day... again.

Peace,
Tim

[Cade Roux]

Unfortunately, Sinn Fein only has connotations of terrorism for me. But then, they always say one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter.

[Jonah]

Wait, are you sure Sinn Fein didn't blow up the levees?? Just kidding.

Also, I'm in the extreme minority in that I want innovative Dutch-like approaches to water management as well as urban planning and architecture. The cool thing about the Europeans and especially the Dutch in regards to architecture is that they aren't afraid to preserve the past while still looking forward. You'lll never be able to recreate my turn of the century shotgun double that got flooded in Midcity because the materials and craftsmenship that were employed to create it are no longer available. Instead I'd love to see homes and structures built in an aesthetic and with materials that are of our time & place and within a masterplan that works to our specific needs as an urban environment. Being too preservationist with new construction just ends up looking like a Disney simulacra in my opinion.

[ashley]

True, Jonah, but I'd prefer 100 year old cypress over PVC.

If you go to the Champs Elysses, you see the Arc de Triomphe, and the new Arc down the road (way down the road). I don't mind looking at the new Arc, but I'm glad it's way down the road.

Don't know if we'll physically be able to recreate it, though. Fortunately, many have been salvaging the wood and stuff, and it will be great to rebuild with some of that.

[dillyberto]

You, sir, are on the money.

You're as on the mark as the Confectioners' sugar that falls on my shoe while standing and eating beignets. One can relish the sweetness without even a taste.

How long will people who no longer live in town be able to vote in town?

This puzzle combined with Oliver Thomas' blunt remarks leaves us picking up the pieces.

I think this post makes me laugh today as I chortled with FYFF.

Bless you, sir

Oh, where do you and your grandmother stand Carnival Day?

Some Brit was asking.

[ashley]

The plan right now is to stand on St. Chuck, around 2nd St. Had to leave my old spot by felicity because my friend moved. Saw Sparta, Carrollton, et. al. on St. Chuck by Penis Town, and parked in front of Martin's.

If some Brit waits on mother-in-law to bare her boobs, they may be waiting a long, long time.

[Aaron]

You rant beautifully - when invective is mixed with metaphor and prose and the victim's just not quite sure if you're insulting him or asking the time...gorgeous. I'm long overdue myself, but I have a new boss and I KNOW he reads the blog occasionally, so I'll read into what his sense of humor is before I make an ass of myself...or at least more so than normal.

[Steve]

"don't you dare write one fucking word about how our politicians are corrupt."

No kidding!! Does the name
"Al Capone" ring any bells??

I'm sure I could find something a little more recent than that, but under the watchful eye of my boss, brevity is best. Love the blog BTW

[dillyberto]

For the 35 to 45 mintues prior to the cannon fire that began the Crescent City Classic, Monsieur Si Elle Dix - that's french, for Monsieur Chirac - kept pronoucing over and over that his costume, the race, the rebuilding, ALL of IT - Sinn Fein!

Sinn Fein, alright!

[Donal]

Actually, Sinn Fein means "We, Ourselves."

[Colin Murphy]

Wanted to let you know. I'm mentioning Sinn Fein in my next column for the Driftwood, UNO's weekly drag. If you can, pick one up. Or hell, I live right by the Calhoun Superette. I can drop one by you next week. Let me know...
-Colin

[Professor Zero]

Great post - although I'm a little late finding it, I'm linkin'.

[Idetrorce]

very interesting, but I don't agree with you
Idetrorce

[Robin]

Morris for Mayor, you fucking fucks! Sinn Fein!

[Son of Molly]

Conas ata tu? Ta me fuor i Chicago. Sinn Fein agus Oglaigh Na hEireann saorse!

Tiocfaidh ar la! We can use support anywhere... even non-yankee New Orleans! I mean you are Catholic Braithers right?

http://www.32csm.info/

[Online pharmacy]

Great post - although I'm a little late finding it, I'm linkin'.

[hot celebrities]

We are always alone. Starting lives alone, dying alone.

[Levitra Online]

Ok, I can see you are right, but tell me just why all we are gotta trust it?!!

Jimmy