[ESPCamaro]

WHY?

You know what I do when I can't afford something. I don't buy it. Not some people if they can't afford it they just find a way to TAKE IT from someone who can.

And ANY excuse to do so is fair game. Even if it involved you neibors being homeless or dead.


I even heard that just now on the news that these morons were steeling guns and firing at national guard and aid choppers.


Sometimes I think it would be just easier to shoot people like this than to bother with the "justice system"


PUKE!

[00 Trans Ram]

BTW, Mathew Patterson (00 Trans AM) lives in New Orleans ....

last post was Aug 26 (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)
hope he is fine.

has anyone heard from Mat ?
he hasn't come online since (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)
Hope he's ok.

Sorry, guys - don't want you to worry. I'm fine, as is the family, cars, and house. I live in Harahan (small suburb of New Orleans, in Jefferson Parish). My neighborhood had no flood water, so we're OK.

But, I'm still not at home, as the hot water heater let go a few days after the storm. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/nutkick.gif) At least it wasn't DIRTY water! Anyway, I'm living about an hour north of New Orleans now, with my parents. I've had to get a new job, since the Ritz-Carlton (old job) is not going to reopen for a year or so. But, I was looking to get out of there, anyway.

As to all the stuff about the looting and what not . . . I agree with the "shoot 'em" people. Not only the civilians, but the cops too. Did you guys hear about the Cadillac cops? Some NOPD officers broke into a downtown Cadillac dealership (Sewell) to "commandeer" cars, since theirs were underwater. Well, it's been 6 weeks since the storm passed, and some of them STILL haven't returned the cars. Some guy is still driving around a C6 Z51!! Let's me get this straight . . . it's a flood, and you decide that a CORVETTE is the best car???? Shoot 'em.

Here's some stuff to think about (sorry if it's a repost - I didn't read the whole thing). I went to clean out my grandmother-in-laws house. She had 6-7 feet of water. The place was about 1 million times worse than what you see on the news. The mold was everywhere. Try this link Flood pictures to see if you can view the album of pictures we took. Basically, the furniture was everywhere (it floated up, shuffled around, then settled). Mud covered everything. And there were about 60 different colors and types of mold on the walls, ceiling, floor, beds, chairs, cups, drawers, etc. Anyway, we left all the stuff in there because we figured there was no reason to remove any of the furniture. The house will have to be leveled. And, there are thousands upon thousands of houses just like this. Then, there are another few ten-thousand homes that were torn to shreds out in New Orleans East. Some people are complaining of marsh grass growing in their bedroom, dead sharks in their bathrooms, and/or radioactive waste in their yard. When the people come back, they are looking at their houses, and turning back around and leaving.

New Orleans may never recover. II know that this isn't a "politically desireable" thing to say, but it is a definite probability. I mean, if there aren't houses for a half million people, who is going to come back. Now, sure, Jefferson Parish (Metairie, Harahan, Kenner, etc.) is fine for the most part. And, we were predominantly residential. So, that's something. But, Jefferson is mostly middle class. The lower classes lived in the areas hardest hit. Speaking from a PURELY ECONOMIC point of view, I really wouldn't mind if a lot of the evacuees never returned. I know it sounds mean, but we had 3 housing projects within 10 blocks of downtown. Everyone knew not to walk around there after dark (except for Bourbon street). If we can get those out of there, then businesses may decide to give us a try.

There are just so many things to think about with all of this. It's impossible to compare this is an event like 9/11. One was an intentional, human action - the other was Mother Nature. One demolished a few buildings (big buildings, but still only a few) - the other rendered half a modern city uninhabitable. One took up headlines for months, and launched 2 wars - the other has already been replaced in headlines. I'm serious when I say that they don't compare. One is not worse than the other. It's like trying to figure out which is more dangerous, a grizzly bear or a shark - are you in the woods or the water?

I guess where I'm going is that no one down here has any clue what's going on - at least in the big picture. We've got St. Bernard Parish going bankrupt. When was the last time in American history that a government has threatened bankruptcy? It's just all too much to grasp. It's like trying to pinpoint your place in space when contemplating the vastness of the universe. You simply can't grasp it all. So, we fix up our own life (get a new job, get the house back together, move back) and hope that if everyone fixes their own little piece, that the whole thing will get fixed.

Oh, one last thing. I may have to sell the car and lay off racing for a while. It fuggin' sucks, and I don't want to. But, the new job requires a nicer car (I'm a Physician Recruiter, and will be showing doctors around town to get them to move here) with better gas mileage. I'm going to try to keep it and get another car, but not sure if the wife will let me (and after all she has done during this ordeal, I owe her a lot).

Anyway, thanks all you guys for thinking of me. It's nice to be missed. (IMG:http://www.frrax.com/rrforum/style_emoticons/default/beerchug.gif) Talk to you later!!