"I'm headin to the Cape! TOGA TOGA TOGA!!!
Posted on 10/18/2005 12:08:09 AM PDT by happinesswithoutpeace
BOURNE – Hurricane Katrina evacuees hastily handed $2,000 in federal relief money last month have been living it up on Cape Cod, blowing cash on booze and strippers, a Herald investigation has found.
Herald reporters witnessed blatant public drinking at a Falmouth strip mall by Katrina victims living at taxpayer expense at Camp Edwards on Otis Air Force Base. And strippers at Zachary's nightclub in Mashpee, a few miles from the Bourne base, report giving lap dances to several evacuees.
``They were tipping me $5 a pop,'' said a Zachary's dancer named Angel. ``I told them I felt bad taking their money. But I still took it.''
Another dancer said a large group from the military base was in Zachary's recently and she gave lap dances to several of the victims.
``Some spend good money, but others don't,'' she said.
An assistant club manager, who gave his name only as Michael, acknowledged yesterday that the strip joint is popular with people from Camp Edwards.
``It's no different for someone who lives at Camp Edwards or is stationed at Camp Edwards. As long as they have the proper ID they can go in,'' he said.
On Oct. 5, the Herald observed a virtual parade of evacuees from a bus stop in the Wal-Mart parking lot in Falmouth to nearby liquor stores. Some emerged and openly swilled from brown-bagged containers, while others poured booze into jugs or plastic cups and casually sipped drinks at the Wal-Mart bus stop.
The refugees have access to daily trolley service from Camp Edwards to the Falmouth Mall.
One elderly man poured a bottle of Ruble vodka into a water bottle and spent the afternoon sipping the liquor outside the Wal-Mart. Two other men were seen buying 32-ounce Coors Light cans at George's Liquors and drinking at the bus stop.
Last Tuesday, one 52-year-old evacuee, who told a reporter he was originally from Cuba, stood in the rain outside Wal-Mart for several hours drinking gin and orange juice from a thermos. The same day, a female evacuee bought ice at a supermarket and roughly $30 worth of hard liquor before being driven in a car back to Camp Edwards. Evacuees are banned from bringing booze onto the base.
One Camp Edwards source said evacuees swiped liquor off shelves at the U.S. Coast Guard store on the base and drank it in the aisles.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has issued more than $1.5 billion to 607,000 Katrina victims in the form of individual cash handouts of $2,000. There are no restrictions on how the money can be spent, FEMA officials said.
Gov. Mitt Romney and the Legislature approved a $25 million emergency aid package to feed and house 235 of the evacuees at Camp Edwards. As of mid-September, the Red Cross had doled out another $25,000 in debit cards for victims sent to the Bay State.
The Camp Edwards residents have been treated to Red Sox and New Orleans Saints games, Boston Duck Tours, a chowder fest, concerts, and free cell phone and Internet service, as well as cookouts sponsored by Romney and U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.).
Since the Sept. 8 arrival of the original 235 evacuees, a handful of unruly drunks have been taken into protective custody, according to law enforcement officials.
More than half the evacuees have left Camp Edwards for other housing, and 114 refugees remain at the encampment, which is slated for shutdown Thursday.
Falmouth police Chief David Cusolita said police cracked down on public drinking at the Wal-Mart after complaints last month but he reported no recent incidents.
Barnstable Sheriff Jim Cummings said some of the intoxicated refugees were taken into custody by state police, while others were escorted to their dorms.
Well, they are in Massachusetts. They are just acting like Kennedys.
Maybe you've read the book I'm reading "The Millionaire Next Door" where the authors demonstrate that is exactly what happens when people are given things rather than earning them. The authors had stories of children of rich parents. One set of kids where obliged to earn things when they were young and were not spoiled. Those kids ended up doing very well for themselves and achieved financial independence.
The other set of rich kids of wealthy parents were spoiled and wasted most of what they were given. They relied on their wealthy parents for money even when they achieved middle age. Poor people are poor for a reason, very little to do with what they were born with. At least in this country.
Future Kennedy voters
Most of the poor are poor in part because they don't have good money management skills.
No problem. Once they run out of money, the government will just give them some more. Je$$e and Al and Looie will make sure they do.
Reminds me of the old joke about the deacon who took off with $3000 of the church's money. They caught him and two church members were discusing the circumstances. One asked the other if they got any of the money back. The other replied, "No," but they did find out he had spent $2000 on wine and women, and then wasted the other $3000.
Just kicking their sorry lazy asses out to work or starve would help to.
The Rainmakers...
What a great band!
Mark
"I'm headin to the Cape! TOGA TOGA TOGA!!!
Amen brother.
I'm curious...did they buy strippers at the strip mall?
Just doing what they like to do.
The do-gooders will soon have the evacuees in the same shape as Indians on the reservations...boozing all day with nothing to do and our taxdollars keep coming no matter what.
Ping for later.
Just wait until these displaced New Orleans folks experience a nice, harsh New England winter. I predict that there will be dozens of cases involving people like this freezing to death after drinking heavily and passing out in the cold.
Nobody asked me if my money could go for strippers and booze.....
Evacuees binge on Cape: Spend fed cash on booze, strippers
------Wish I had the money and the time to go out but I work 7 days a week and I have to pay my taxes so that these poor unfortunate people who lost everything in the hurricane can party.
Carolyn
Ah, but the 911 families got more! (You must have missed the Talking Point on this.)
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