This is New Orleans. New Orleans is a city that sits on a swamp. Sit on a swamp, New Orleans, sit on a swamp. All of the water has been pumped out of the city and is held back by levees. Be held back by levees, all of the water, be held back by levees.
This is a government report. The report warns that a hurricane of Level Three or higher will destroy the levees, flooding the city. Warn, report, warn. Watch the Bush administration ignore the report. Ignore, Bush administration, ignore. Watch the Bush administration cut funding from emergency services. Cut funding from emergency services, Bush administration, cut funding from emergency services. Watch the Bush administration make the Federal Emergency Management Agency part of the Homeland Security bureaucracy, making lines of responsibility unclear. Bureaucratize FEMA, Bush Administration, bureaucratize FEMA. Watch the Bush administration promote people to top positions at FEMA who have no experience with emergency management (but who, strangely enough, did contribute to President Bush’s reelection). Promote, Bush administration, promote. Watch the Bush administration send National Guards troops to Iraq, making them unavailable to assist during a crisis on American soil. Send National Guard troops to Iraq, Bush administration, send National Guard troops to Iraq.
This is Katrina, a Level Five hurricane. Katrina is approaching New Orleans. Approach New Orleans, Katrina, Approach New Orleans.
This is Joe. See Joe sit. Sit, Joe, sit. Joe is watching Hurricane Katrina approach New Orleans. Watch, Joe, watch. Joe is not moving. Sit on your ass, Joe, sit on your ass. Joe doesn’t have a car to leave the city. Learn how to drive, Joe, learn how to drive. Joe doesn’t have the money for bus fare or even a taxi to get out of the city. Get a job, Joe, get a job. Joe wouldn’t have anywhere to go even if he could get out of the city. Get a life, Joe, get a life.
Watch Joe get buried underneath 10 feet of water. Die, Joe, die.
See George ride a bicycle. Ride, George, ride. See Condoleezza go shopping for shoes. Shop, Condoleezza, shop. See Dick [CENSORED FOR REASONS OF NATIONAL SECURITY]. [CENSORED FOR REASONS OF NATIONAL SECURITY], Dick, [CENSORED FOR REASONS OF NATIONAL SECURITY].
See people starve in the New Orleans Superdome. Starve, people, starve. See people become dehydrated in the Superdome. Dehydrate, people, dehydrate. See people fight in the Superdome. Fight, people, fight. It makes great television. Make great television, people stranded in the New Orleans Superdome, make great television. See FEMA Director Michael Brown go on national television and claim not to know that anybody was in the New Orleans Superdome. Destroy your bureaucratic career, Michael, destroy your bureaucratic career.
See poor black people carrying garbage bags full of goods away from stores that have been broken into. Loot, poor black people, loot. See poor white people carrying garbage bags full of goods away from stores that have been broken into. Provide for the welfare of your families, poor white people, provide for the welfare of your families. See photojournalists get trapped by deeply ingrained prejudices. Get trapped, hapless photojournalists, get trapped.
See George refuse to get involved in the blame game. Refuse to get involved in the blame game, George, refuse to get involved in the blame game. See White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan say he won’t be part of the blame game. Don’t be part of the blame game, Scott, don’t be part of the blame game. See House Majority Leader Tom Delay claim that the blame game isn’t very helpful. Claim that the blame game isn’t very helpful, Tom, claim that the blame game isn’t very helpful. See George blame state and local officials. Blame state and local officials, George, blame state and local officials. See Scott blame state and local officials. Blame state and local officials, Scott, blame state and local officials. See Tom blame state and local officials. Blame state and local officials, Tom, blame state and local officials.
These are boats and cars on top of houses. Boats and cars don’t usually go on tops of houses. Be strange, boats and cars, be strange. See men with a great amount of anger and too much time on their hands rape passing women. Rape, men, rape. See somebody shoot at a helicopter trying to take sick people to a safe place. Shoot, sick bastard, shoot. See the complete breakdown of social order in a city in the richest country in the world.
It’s all there in front of you. See, reader, see.