OMG! Come on Now!!

[oneness]

Agreed

[StrongWind]

Jesse Jackson and some congressman I don't know the name of have pretty much intimated that govt aid would have been there a lot faster if it had been a primarily white city. And that's what many minorities will believe.

[SouthFLTropics]

I've got a bad feeling that whats developing in NOLA may eventually become a race war.. I hope I'm dead wrong though...

Josephine, I sure hope you are dead wrong about this but I feel that it is something that has been building up for a long time in this country. Now there are a few who are taking advantage of a desperate situation to push their own agenda and possibly incite more civil unrest. I for one am disgusted by this. I am not racist by any means. The fact is that the majority population of NOLA is African American. So of course that is who we are seeing on TV suffering, looting, and God knows what else. I feel we are on slippery slope in this country and this disaster could be leading us down an even darker path. Especially when punks like this Kayne West get on TV and pull that crap. That just adds fire to an already volatile situation. Not just in NOLA but throughout the country. God forbid if we start to see civil unrest in other parts of the country because of crap like this. Did the local, state, and federal govt. drop the ball on this deal? Yes! All parties deserve some blame for this, especially when we are supposed to be much better prepared for something like this after 9/11. Is the problems in NOLA related to race. Absolutely not! They are related to constitutional law, political red tape, and logistics. Bottom line!!! For example: my home took a direct hit from Frances and Jeanne last year. Compared to Katrina they were more like afternoon thunderstorms. Even at that it still took FEMA and the national guard about 3 days to get mobilized to the region and that was with a smaller storm, no civil unrest, and a smaller urban area. As a country right now we are treading on very dangerous ground in a very precarious position. I can just picture terrorist groups all across the globe saying to themselves that now is the time we need to strike. People across the world want to kick us when were down and they want to see us fail. If this whole "race" controversy continues then it is just going to make us look worse and make us more vulnerable. Let's put this crap aside and get to the business at hand and that is saving lives, putting lives back together, and rebuilding a devastated region of our country. Everyone of every color needs to stand in solidarity and work together for the common good here. This is not the time for finger pointing and debate. I saw a story on one of the major news networks about the 18 year old African American male who stole the school bus and loaded it up with almost 75 people and got them out of NOLA and over to the Astrodome. They were interviewing him and it was a great interview. In my opinion we need more people like him, white and black, who are willing to just lend a helping hand. These punks like Kayne West need to remember that the WHOLE WORLD is watching what is going on. I don't always agree with everything that our govt. and our president does but right now is the time to stand together and overcome this. Like the signs after 9/11 said: UNITED WE STAND!!! If we don't we will be facing more tragedies maybe worse than this down the road.

I'll put my soapbox back in the corner for now...
Mods, sorry if I got too political here...

SouthFLTropics

[NFLnut]

Well, with upstanding "leaders" like Jesse and Kayne (or whatever his name is) fueling the hatred, I suppose it may become reality. Unless .. people start wising up that they are being lied to and tell them to shut up!

[GalvestonDuck]

And for the record, NBC issued this shortly after the broadcast:
"Tonight's telecast was a live television event wrought with emotion. Kanye West departed from the scripted comments that were prepared for him and his opinions in no way represent the views of the networks. It would be most unfortunate if the efforts of the artists who participated tonight and the generosity of millions of Americans who are helping those in need are overshadowed by one person's opinion."

[southerngale]

'THE BIG BOO'

CROWD HISSES KANYE WEST

Fri Sep 09 2005 10:30:28 ET

The chart topping hip hop rapper star who used a network hurricane fundraiser to charge "George Bush doesn't care about black people" was loudly and lustily booed during last night's NFL kickoff show.

The appearance of Kanye West, who was beamed into the Boston stadium via remote from Los Angeles, received a strongly negative response from the crowd.

"The boos were thunderous and lasted for much of his number," reports the BOSTON GLOBE.



Good. What a blockhead.

[GalvestonDuck]

He's also appearing in tonight's "Shelter From the Storm" benefit that's airing on...um, let me see...almost every channel! We'll see if he learned his lesson.

Seriously though -- I looked through the onscreen guide this morning (just after seeing it listed on the main networks) and I saw that SFTS is being simulcast on NBC, CBS, ABC, FOX, the cable news channels, UPN, WB, PAX, TBS, SHOWTIME, SPEED, SOAP, BRAVO, and many, many others.

[stormie_skies]

I doubt Kanye said it to "get his name out there." He won a Grammy last year for his debut album. The first single off of his new album is already a hit. I doubt he needs more publicity, and he didn't look to me like he was putting on a show.

I don't know what factor - if any - race played in the botched rescue effort. There are a lot of theories being tossed around. I certainly think saying that "Bush hates black people" is seriously inappropriate.... but emotions are running high right now, and a lot of people are bound to say things they don't mean.

NBC did the right thing by seperating themselves from Kanye's opinion. I know they censored the fundraiser before it got to the west coast....

What is TRULY priceless, though, is the expression on Mike Myers' face while Kanye is ranting. He clearly doesn't know quite what to do with himself. You would think a guy with a history of improv would be able to play along a little better.....he looks like he just swallowed his tounge!

Oh, and as a side note....I am glad to see all the celebrities pitching in to raise funds in the wake of this tragedy. I know a lot of people who were giving them flak in the hours and days immediately following Katrina's landfall - saying that they will raise money for Africa, but ignore their fellow Americans. I am glad to see Hollywood proving those people wrong.

[Anonymous]

Here is a pic of us not helping black people:

http://us.f3.yahoofs.com/users/41c4ad5e ... DB3UFTRIa2

[caribepr]

I can understand the backlash at this man's statement. However, I think, if as he later said, blacks, whites, the poor people...then there is something to be heard. Many of those in poverty in the South ARE black. And there are plenty of poor whites, browns, yellows, reds (oh sorrow, skin color that doesn't match the grid) as well. But why focus all this on some person most of us don't even know exists, his comments so narrow? Why not focus on the reality of the truth...that the poor, the smelly, the unlovely, are ignored in our (and many other) society? Why pretend this is a race issue when it is a social issue that most feel quite comfortable ignoring because it is too embarrassing to acknowlege?
I had some friends over from Finland to visit when I lived on a sailboat on the west coast of Florida. They were staying in South Fla and I went over, then they followed me back. They were stunned at the shacks of the migrants (I took them on the un-pretty route), the highway filthyness (if you litter, that would be you I'm talking about) and I felt shame, not a shame I was unfamiliar with. America. What a country. In all her facets.
All I believe is - spend your emotional energy where it pays back the most coin. Do something, anything, to help. Down in the trenches, these issues become fairly a moot point...

[GalvestonDuck]

I didn't have a problem with him having his views on the whole issue. But like with the Dixie Chicks speaking out against GWB during a concert where the audience had paid to hear them perform, I didn't think the Red Cross benefit was the proper venue for him to express his personal opinions. For one thing, it probably didn't help the fundraising efforts.

[huricanwatcher]

Lets hope tonight network concert for Katrina victims.. (not sure if name is correct) doesnt have artist that go around slamming people who are trying to help...

(ya the dixie chicks are suppose to be on, but they learned their lesson - but as for Kayne ..... hope he wont show up)

[StrongWind]

I don't know what factor - if any - race played in the botched rescue effort. There are a lot of theories being tossed around. I certainly think saying that "Bush hates black people" is seriously inappropriate.... but emotions are running high right now, and a lot of people are bound to say things they don't mean.

No, these public people generally don't 'say things they don't mean.' (Sorry for the double negative.) What happens is that they end up wishing they hadn't said what they meant and pretending they didn't mean it.

[drudd1]

I don't know what factor - if any - race played in the botched rescue effort. There are a lot of theories being tossed around. I certainly think saying that "Bush hates black people" is seriously inappropriate.... but emotions are running high right now, and a lot of people are bound to say things they don't mean.

No, these public people generally don't 'say things they don't mean.' (Sorry for the double negative.) What happens is that they end up wishing they hadn't said what they meant and pretending they didn't mean it.

[Downdraft]

If Jesse and the group really cared about black people they'd be passing out water instead of shooting off their mouths. I've said it before and will say it again, Jesse Jackson's only concern in life is getting in front of a television camera. Is he directing his comments towards Louisana's white Governor or just America's white President?