The "Race Card"

Because Pinko Feminist Hellcat says it so well, I'm linking to her. Below is a taste:

But that won't happen. What is happening is that poor people are being punished for the negligence of the wealthy and powerful. With no cars, they could not get out of the city, and were trapped by the hurricane. Instead of facing up to this harsh reality, people are going on about how these naughty survivors chose to be there. Last week I pointed out to someone on the train to work that no, many of the survivors had no way to get out of the city, and there was no evacuation plan. No buses. No vans. No nothing.

and

People all over the country are offering shelter and assistance to the survivors of the hurricane. We're frustrated--we're seeing survivors left in fetid water, sitting on Interstate overpasses, sitting in a cesspool that passes for a shelter. Decent people won't stand for it, but there's little we can do besides offer shelter, give money, and watch how things progress. Or not. We're seeing it on national television, and most of us see what no one dared bring up--racial disparities. The bulk of the survivors and victims are Black and poor. The bulk of the people in Washington who made the cuts to FEMA, who cut the work on the levees short, and who dragged their feet on getting help to our fellow American citizens are White.

Go read the rest. Then, scroll down to read about Jabbor Gibson, a 20-year-old who commandered a school bus to begin his journey out of the city, picking up several evacuees on the way totaling an appx 60-70 people including families. He was stopped and arrested on his way back to the city to pick up more folks. Even after explaining what he was doing, they have still charged him with looting, stealing as well as many other "petty crimes."

Then, after that, read her post on "The burden of being wealthy." It's all just so puur-fect.