Posted on 09/18/2005 10:16:23 AM PDT by wagglebee
"Reasonable" African Americans in New Orleans believe that the Bush administration engineered the levee breaks during Hurricane Katrina in a bid to save the city's white sections by flooding black neighborhoods, Washington Post columnist Eugene Robinson said Sunday.
"I was stunned in New Orleans at how many black New Orleanians would tell me with real conviction that somehow the levee breaks had been engineered in order to save the French Quarter and the Garden District at the expense of the Lower Ninth Ward, which is almost all black," Robinson told NBC's "Meet the Press."
"These are not wild-eyed people," Robinson insisted. "These are reasonable, sober people who really believe that."
The levee break conspiracy theory parallels the plot outlined early last week by Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan.
"I heard from a very reliable source who saw a 25 foot deep crater under the levee breach. It may have been blown up to destroy the black part of town and keep the white part dry," Farrakhan told a North Carolina audience.
The Washington Post columnist's report suggests that Farrakhan's poisonous theory appears to have gained currency.
Robinson said that while he doesn't believe the levee breaks were deliberately engineered, that fact that so many blacks do "tells you something about our racial divide in New Orleans."
Fortunately, I think that has a lot to do with it. At least where it actually may exist in the community. It does little good to remind people that they lived below sea level (I live in So Cal - visited at times by earthquakes, on the coast & in a flood plain, where they've pumped oil for generations and now pump seawater...): (*)
NO one actually believes it will happen while they are there to experience it.
When this stuff hits the fan people will grab at any reason that seems to take the uncertainly away - gods, racists, enemies, big business, whatever.
There are certainly other factors as well:
Urban legends of intentionally blown levees.
The whole OJ thing.
Class and race based expectations of governments' obligations to them.
Giving it all just enough legitimacy, politicians and the special interest blocs that live of off a fragmented society (JJ, Rev Al, Clinton/Carter, etc).
And, finally, yes, there are white racists in society, just enough to give some credence to all of the above; just as there black racists ready to take advantage of it.
Glad you stuck around.
This is crazy, and Robinson should be ashamed of himself for not knocking down this evil rumor!
Conspiracy theories, often, seem to use more pictures than reasoned arguments. Better way to reach the public schools educated 'cereal box' scholar.
I had no idea that's where those stories came from. It's just very very difficult to fight someone's world view. If you grow up thinking that most white people (and all republicans!) hate you because of your color, then it's easy to believe that kind of stuff.
susie
Well I believe little booger green men from outer space control Eugene Robinson's brain......
I'm asking this before reading the entire thread.
I know I should read first but I am so angry.
How on earth would flooding the Black part of town save the white part?
What could blowing up the levee possibly accomplish?
Oh Brother!
I still do not understand how flooding one part of a city would save another part?
Can anyone help my unreasonable, obviously stupid brain?
Double LOL. Yes, he works for that left wing paper in Washington, right?
"I heard from a very reliable source who saw a 25 foot deep crater under the levee breach.
Here is another issue. How does one see a crater in dangerous, murky, flooded conditions?
These are not reasonable people. They are black racists. Simple as that. Their views are no more representative of blacks, than the racist views of whites. They deserve little currency.
Um, no, they are not.
I wish I knew.
If you want a Google GMail account, FReepmail me.
They're going fast!
Here you go.
It's a good thing I didn't say that.
Yes, I have read about the possibility of non-compaction being a potential source, but this of course means that the upgrade allowed a potentially devistating risk for several years following the upgrade. I don't really know if an engineer would do work this way. It sounds like negligence to me. It would be like building a highway overpass and letting cars use it before the cement was cured to full strength. I hope this is just a rumour and not the reality of construction in N.O. But we will all get a chance to see the report, and see what it says.
according to the MSM, the "unreasonable people" are the ones filmed by abc last week who support the president, and are blaming local government for being incompetant.
Serial killers are oft described as "the nice boy next door."
Surely you jest!
Maybe if you didn't trip over your own tongue, you wouldn't have to worry.
If you want a Google GMail account, FReepmail me.
They're going fast!
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