Ain't No Fun When The Rabbit Got The Gun

I'm having a little bit of a problem feeling complete sympathy for those who have been victimized by the California Wildfires.

I'm not happy that anyone lost their homes. But I was in L.A., during the wildfires and as the fire raged, as I watched news coverage of the destruction, it was impossible not to compare Cali to Hurricane Katrina.

(In slave voice) Boy, thangs sholl' do run differently when it's the white folks, doesn't it?

The wildfire victims -- wait, how come they aren't being called refugees? -- were given refuge in Qualcomm Stadium, where the Charges play. Here's a description of what it was like inside there:

"In addition to an almost overwhelming supply of food, drink, clothing toys and any personal care item you could think of, insurance company motor homes stand in the parking lot, their generators droning, offering grilled hamburgers and the chance to file a claim all in one sitting," writes reporter Martin Savidge.

"And then there are services I haven't ever seen offered at a disaster evacuation site.You can get a massage or acupuncture, join a prayer circle, eat Kosher, have something custom crocheted, attend a yoga or meditation class and even get a custom air-brushed t-shirt, all at no cost."

Compare that to the conditions inside the Superdome, where Hurricane Katrina victims -- who were repeatedly called refugees even though they are U.S. citizens -- were housed during the storm:

"Conditions in the Superdome had become horrendous: There was no air conditioning, the toilets were backed up, and the stench was so bad that medical workers wore masks as they walked around."

Hurricane Katrina was the worst act of racism since slavery. The difference in how FEMA and the gov't have responsed to the wildfires clarifies that point succintly.

The asshole-pundits, politicians and diplomats, will have you believe the reason wildfire victims were given tents, kept with their familes, given cellphone chargers, endless food and supplies is because they "learned" from Katrina. It took Dubya Dumb Ass a week or more to come see about Katrina. He was in Cali in three days. And let's not forgot how the former FEMA chief, Brownie, was told about the disaster that was going to strike New Orleans and he promptly took a damn nap.

In fact, the gov't is so aware of their fradulency, they staged a press conference because they probably didn't want to answer the criticisms about how much more efficiently they've handled the wildfires.

Surely, they don't want to admit that if you're poor, black and mass destruction strikes, you're effectively screwed. Since the victims in the wildfires are overwhelmingly white and wealthy, the type of people the gov't decision-makers can identify with, they will act quickly and decisively to aid them. Call me a jerk, but my heart strings aren't tugged when I see a white couple crying outside of their $5 million home.

While in Cali, I heard a couple ads from insurance companies, pledging to help the wildfire victims as quickly as possible. Not sure if they did that during Katrina. But those greedy-ass insurance companies robbed many of the working class citizens in New Orleans who had been paying them for years, offering them $1800 for their homes, claiming the damage sustained was done by a flood, not a hurricane. How saintly of them to create a loophole when people's lives had been ruined.

Neighborhoods in New Orleans still haven't recovered from the storm. In the ninth ward, it took them a year to get electricity. But you can bet in Malibu, San Diego and other cities, they'll have everything up and running in a hurry. Probably already do.

Race and class in this country determines everything. Feel sorry for yourself if you fit the wrong combination.