More loose ends

The Wire just wrapped. The greatest show in the history of television went out not with a bloodbath, but with corruption all the way around. The institutions won over the individuals, and life goes on.

A real lesson for New Orleans.

I don't know for sure, but it appears that Ronnie Virgets' mom passed away. Send sympathies to Ronnie, a real NOLA character, and the inventor of Sinn Fein, as it applies to New Orleans.

JoeJoeJoe sends us an interview with the Saints' Scott Fujita, as conducted by Rising Tide keynote speaker Dave Zirin. Joe puts it best: "He talks about politics post-9/11 and the fact that his grandmother was in an Japanese internment camp in the US during WWII. It's not the kind of thing you hear very often from pro athletes."

Oh, and donate to Jill Sobule's next record by clicking this link, and maybe I'll get a t-shirt for my wife outta the deal. Donate anyway, just 'cause I wanna hear her next record.

Now, to make my 157 inbox messages turn into 30.

Comments

[Peris]

Mr. Morris, you should have perspective on the public corruption cultures of both LA and IL. Which is worse? How do they differ? Potential transplants want to know.

[Aaron]

I would argue the corruption in Chicago actually recognizes that to stay in power they also have to benefit the voters. The Daley's might have been (are is) corrupt, but if you look at Chicago today, they've definitely improved the city.

Our corruption does not tend to have any positive impact on the city.

[alli]

Aaron, I grew up in Chicago and moved here. Chicago's corruption is similar to any city's in the sense that it short-shifts minority communities at the expense of business development. Chicago, however, has the good sense (or at least they used to) to plow a lot of money into public works, so the city looks good while they're screwing the south side.

New Orleans' corrupt people just skim everything off the top and kinda screw everyone indiscriminately. Chicago has a lot more resources to employ people - and New Orleans doesn't - so the institutional poverty is a lot worse down here.

There's been a lot of research done on this sort of sociological history of Chicago, and since the storm, there has been a lot published about New Orleans as well - I would do some compare/contrast reading, visit both places, and decide for yourself what you think.

Because if there's anything that The Wire has taught us (or just me, maybe), it's that we will probably never know the full truth of what's going on unless we find it out ourselves.

[alli]

Sorry, I meant to direct that comment to Peris.

[ashley]

FIrst, the corruption in Illinois is fairly limited to the Chicago metro area. I don't think that Champaign and such get the permeation of corruption that Louisiana has.

Second, the corruption in Chicago is somewhat limited to the political machine. Those that run the machine run the corruption. Still, shit gets done. In Louisiana, the corruption is probably more rampant, but it is more tied into a personality (e.g., Edwin Edwards) or a PAC (e.g., BOLD). The PACs don't necessarily get along, and when the personality goes away, the cult of personality goes away with it.

Finally, my Krewe du Vieux subkrewe was in favor of bringing back Edwin Edwards, to return to an era of "competent corruption". We were only half joking. With Edwin Edwards and say Huey P, yeah, people were on the take, palms got greased, but at least the bridge and the school and the hospital got built. Now, we're in the era of total utter greed and corruption. It's like Proposition Joe's hospitals offshore: money keeps pouring in, but nothin will ever be completed. With competent corruption, at least we could function.

Ray Nagin is the poster boy for incompetent corruption.

Other than that, I think Alli nailed it.

[LIsaPal]

Wow! You can get your in-box from 137 to 30? I'm happy if I can just get mine to any number under 100. (And that doesn't count the NOLA bloggers list-serve stuff that gets delivered to its own folder.) Tell me your secret, please!

It was good seeing you and the family this weekend. Sorry I didn't give y'all a proper farewell. I was hosting the first secret meeting of Disgruntled Middle School Parents Club.

[liprap]

Woohoo! Go, Lisa, go! Get that support system, woman!

[alli]

speaking of the wire, and new orleans, i just found this q+a with wendell "bunk" pierce, published in the balmer city paper right after the storm (sorry if i am way, way late on this):

http://www.citypaper.com/film/story.asp?id=11048

i didn't know he was from here, since when i watched spike lee's movie, i didn't know who he was.

maybe he'll be in the new orleans project, too. we can hope, right? buuuuunk!!

[Ray]

Wendell grew up in Pontchartrain Park, and is featured in Spike Lee's "When the Levees Broke".

He also went to Franklin:

http://newpackage.wordpress.com/2008/01/08/bunks-old-case-files/

[gun accessories]

I support you all the way! Goodluck.