So says our utterly self aware and in-touch Mayor Clarence Ray Nagin in the latest NY Times. The article he says this in is about Karen, Squandered Heritage and we know the rest.
That this story is getting attention on outlets like NPR and the Old Gray Lady is magnificent. It will hopefully let the nation know what they seem to quickly forget when they are engaged – we the people of New Orleans are not represented by our officials. The election of Ray Nagin occurred in a city that neither resembled anything before it nor after. The dynamics and demographics of 2006 New Orleans are nothing to judge a citizenship on.
Rather, judge the city on the 2007 Crime March, the ouster of Eddie Jordan, the numerous organizations and artists who have emerged from the wake of the flood.
The third anniversary of the storm is coming up and just like the second, the problems still facing the city are the fault of men.
The levee-building, we’re finding, with the Corps of Engineers, is not that good.
The transparency, we’re finding, with the Mayor’s Office, is not that good.
The crime prevention, we’re finding, with the Criminal Justice System, is not that good.
The integrity, we’re finding, with the local politicians, is not that good.
The responsibility, we’re finding, with the local gas companies, is not that good.
Huzzah!