Sunday, November 20, 2005
Jonesing
So Wilma was a bitch. I finally have all of my services back as of 10 minutes ago. Yes, I went that long without having a full functioning place. The power was out for a week but the phone lines, land lines, were down for awhile.
But, now I’m back and I have random thoughts to throw out here:
My response to the attention whores who left random comments behind fake email addresses while I was gone:
Remember kids, nothing positive comes from peeing your pants in front of a housefull of guests.
Moving on...no transitions.
***So sometimes I wonder if obsessive compulsive disorder is really nothing more than a part of the brain not maturing. Look at babies and toddlers for instance. You can play a stupid game of peek a boo with them or do some other ridiculous thing around them to get their attention and make them laugh and they will not tire of it for hours. It’s accepted for little kids to become focused on one task, obsess over it, but in adults, suddenly it’s a disorder.
And since some people need a warning label on everything, I will put in my disclaimer that I’m OBVIOUSLY not a scientist nor do I actually believe this holds any merit, it’s just a random thought.
***Have you ever had the discussion about whether you would rather be cremated or buried when you die? I think about this choice often as I’m always thinking about aging and death, (mainly out of curiosity), and I have yet to know which one I would choose. My problem is that I’m not necessarily afraid of dying, it’s that I’m afraid of not actually being dead when I’m buried or cremated. Can you imagine?
If you get buried and you’re not dead, you wake up, you’re in this enclosed tomb under six feet of hard packed earth and you probably won’t ever get out. The agony that follows would be horrifying. On the other hand, if you were set to be cremated and are not actually dead, you might feel yourself burning to death. It’s not a far fetched thought. People have been buried alive on accident before...some on purpose and this lady almost found herself being cremated while still alive. I guess then my choice would be, you damn well better make sure I’m good and fucking dead and then do whatever the hell you want, it’s not like I need the shell of a body anymore.
“Eeewww, Serenity, you’re so morbid!”
Yah, well.
***Hurricanes are exhausting. I’ve lived in earthquake, volcano, tsunami parts of the country, I’ve lived where tornadoes can happen, I’ve lived where it gets extremely cold, well below zero and I am now in a part of the world which gets hurricanes. I would much rather deal with hurricanes because you get a warning and can get your ass ready and/or out of the way if need be but I will say, that of all the situations, and I HAVE lived through earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes and freezing temperatures, hurricanes are the most exhausting.
While I’m talking about hurricanes, I’d like to take a moment to talk about the blindingly stupid people who live in this part of the country and how amazed I am that they can actually function on a daily basis. I wrote the following one week after the hurricane, after I got my power back:
So it’s been a week and I finally have power back on to write. When I have cable to post this, who knows. Nonetheless, I’d like to take a moment to tell you all about the idiots in this area.
Not even 24 hours after hurricane Wilma passed there were desperate people, starving, thirsty, hot, frustrated, standing in lines for water and ice, sitting in line for gas, standing outside in line at grocery stores. It had not even been one full day and millions were in dire need of supplies.
Those fucking idiots! What part of “hurricane season” do they not comprehend? Were they completely oblivious to the non stop coverage from local news stations, national news stations, weather channels, water cooler talk and radio warning them that a hurricane was going to hit their area? It’s not like a hurricane sneaks up on you. They were given ample warning that it was coming, that it would be a cat 2 or cat 3 and they still did nothing or didn’t use their brains.
Let’s see, a hurricane is coming, I’m being warned to have enough water and ice for at least 72 hours, my power will probably go off, I may not have any running water or if I do, it may be unsafe to drink and I’m probably going to have a hard time getting gas for my car.
I have a brilliant idea! Let’s sit on our asses and do nothing! Or! I can go to the store and buy a whole bunch of food Sunday night; food that goes in the fridge. I can live in denial! I can boast that I’ve been through this several times and nothing ever happens, it’s just the media hyping it up for sensationalism. I’m smarter than nature!
The hurricane passes over, millions are without power and what’s the first thing people do? Get into their cars and drive around to look at the damage. Bonafide geniuses! This is stupid because a) there is debris in the road b) there are downed power lines in the road c) hi! No power=can’t get gas! Get in that car, Einstein, and suck down whatever gas you had left.
Some of the deaths from hurricane Wilma were because of idiots doing just this very thing. A man on a motorcycle decided to go out and look around, hit a tree that was lying in the road and promptly died. A family decided it would be smart to get in their car, drive around and wait for the power line to fall on their car, killing their one year old. Hot damn! Mensa! I have new members for you. The first death was when a man in the Coral Springs area decided to go outside, during the storm to check on the car he bought for his wife as a neighbor told him a tree fell on it. What the fuck are you going to do about the car right then and there? What? Stay the fuck inside. If a tree fell on it, there isn’t a damn thing you can do about that now. You wait till the storm is over; call the insurance company and either get it fixed or get the money to get a new car. But no. Noooo! This fucking rocket scientist went out during the storm to check out the tree that fell on the car and was squished by another tree in the area. There were also deaths from generators because people don’t heed the endless warnings by radio stations NOR do they read the damn instructions that clearly state, “Do not run this generator inside or near any open windows of your house. Do not operate it in your garage either, dipshit. Place it far away from any enclosed spaces or openings to your home. Put it out in your driveway and get a very long extension cord. Also, maybe, for a few more bucks, you could get a carbon monoxide detector to place in your house so that you will know if the levels are rising.” I guess that’s far too difficult for some people. They get overwhelmed, next thing you know, they are dead.
I’m astounded at just how many people did not fill up their gas tanks before the storm. I’m also astounded at how many were fully aware that although Governor Bush brought in many, many gallons of gas beforehand so that there wouldn’t be a shortage, these gas stations do not have generators and did not have power so people could not pump their gas yet they still drove around and around and around looking at everything.
Let’s get back to the starving and thirsty. As I said, not 24 hours after the storm passed there were people standing in lines at distribution centers waiting for water and ice. On the radio we were all told of potential sites and that the trucks might be there around 2pm the following day, possibly later. Enter the new brigade of America’s Brightest Minds. These people got up and started standing in line at 7am. That’s seven in the morning! They waited for hours and hours for water and ice and bitched and moaned when the trucks didn’t show up exactly at 2pm.
The problem was that there were communication problems and gee, if we can’t get gas, (putting two and two together), I’m gonna take a wild fucking guess and say maybe those trucks couldn’t get gas either. Ding, ding, ding! The trucks showed around 6pm or so and started handing out the ice and water to the desperate people, the people who were inches from death from thirst.
But not before they pissed and whined and complained about FEMA. A quote from one man I heard on the radio:
"You would think after Katrina they’d have this down pat."
Yes indeed. You would think after Katrina your idiot ass would have prepared. Jesus, you can’t even take care of yourself for one fucking day?
Another:
"They shouldn’t have to wait 5 hours in line for 1 bag of ice and 1 gallon of water!"
You are correct. Those fucking dipshits should have prepared beforehand. It’s called go to the store and buy some fucking ice and water. And I do not buy that, “but there are people who are very poor and can’t afford to buy” supplies. Bullshit. That is absolute fucking bullshit.
Again, hurricane season comes every single year to Florida. From June to November people are aware that at any time, a hurricane could form and come to do some damage. It’s not a surprise. They have the rest of the year to buy supplies. They are poor? Whip out those food stamps and buy one or two extra cans of food that week and put it in the pantry. Like hell these people can’t spend $1 or $2 a week for 24 weeks and get stocked up. Even during the season, it’s not like it’s every week there is a storm. Water? Go to the dollar store and buy a pitcher or two and fill up from the tap before the storm. I re-used water bottles I had purchased previously. You see, I didn’t throw them away, I kept them and refilled them with water from the tap AS WELL AS filled up Ziploc baggies full of water, placed them all in my freezer on Saturday and by Monday, when the power went out, I had several blocks of ice in my freezer keeping whatever food I did have in there, cold. I had two Ziploc baggies and about 8 bottles of water. It’s not that much. I was able to continue to consume the food from the freezer for two days AFTER the hurricane. In fact, on Monday night, my dinner consisted of pork tenderloin and broccoli and cheese by candlelight. I also had plenty to drink because I had also put about 10 bottles of water in the fridge. The fridge and freezer can stay cold up to four hours after the power goes out but if you have it set on the coldest setting, fill it up with items that will freeze and keep it cold, you can have things in the freezer for up to three days without any power. When I took my hamburger out of the freezer on Wednesday it was still partially frozen.
There was absolutely no need for any of these people to have been dying of thirst and starvation in less than 24 hours no matter how much money they make. That whole, “‘m too poor to care for myself” is a fucking cop out, lazy piece of shit excuse. I’ve been poor as hell bitches and I know better than that. Water doesn’t cost shit.
Then we had the idiots who went to the store on Sunday night and stocked up on food that belongs in the fridge. They then got on the radio and complained, bitterly, about how all the food they just bought was now spoiled. Ya think?! The very last thing you buy is something that needs to be cold. How fucking stupid are these people?
The week before, you know, the week that we were all being warned, I started in on all the food in my fridge and freezer. I wanted to consume as much of it before the hurricane as possible because I KNEW there was a possibility that we would lose power. How did I know? Am I psychic? Or did I pay the fuck attention to what the people were telling us and teaching us as far as preparation for the storm. I bought some food to go in the pantry or cupboards but that food was saved for last. Like I said, I ate very well through Wednesday and it was only on Thursday that I had to start eating the food out of the cupboards. Four days after the hurricane.
The next argument thrown out there was delivered by parents of babies. “I can’t feed my child, I have no water, I have no electricity, my baby is hungry and FEMA isn’t here!” Idiot! Have you heard of powdered formula? Trust me, a baby gets hungry enough, the baby will eat so spare me the, “oh but he’s so fussy” spiel. Again, you have plenty of bottled water, powdered formula, you mix them together, wah-la! Baby food! Don’t have electricity and no gas stove? Buy some fucking Sterno! You place a cookie sheet down, put the sterno on it, place a rack from either the oven or a cookie cooling rack over it, put a pot on top of that, BAM! You can boil the water! Whee! You can cook some food! Yay! Many Floridians resorted to their backyard bbq grills. You know, the ones who can think for themselves.
Then there were the reporters who were questioning the mayor of Broward County and just what was she going to do about all these people who were running out of gas while waiting for supplies of ice and water? I loved her answer because it was what I was going to say although she said it FAR more tactfully than I would have. It’s called, “turn off your fucking engine dumb ass!” I’m not kidding, one reporter actually sniveled and told her that these people were waiting in line for hours and hours for ice and water and that caused them to run out of gas and oh what an enormous catastrophe this all was! It’s all the mayor’s fault! Number one, you should have had that shit at home already and two, if you turn off the fucking car when you are sitting in a line that doesn’t move, guess what happens? You don’t suck down all the gas in your car! Phenomenal!
As this was my first hurricane season, I listened. I got my water, I told you how I made ice, I had plenty of food and I filled my tank on Saturday. I still, to this day, have not stood in any line for food, water, ice or gas. It’s been over a week since the hurricane hit. How is that I can do that, a person living on their own yet others cannot? I don’t have anyone here to run to. I don’t have a hundred family members to help me out. I just used common sense, paid attention to what authorities were telling us and I’m perfectly fine. So I didn’t have power for a week and I had some leaking damage in my house but I took care of myself because I heeded the warnings and prepared.
I’m sick and tired of these assholes expecting the government to hand them everything as if they are entitled to it. Yes, I AM blaming the victims here. I lived through it and there is absolutely zero excuse for the way these people acted. They want to complain about standing in line all day for water and ice when they could have stood in line for 10 minutes getting that shit beforehand. They want to complain about sitting in line at gas stations for hours on end only to be allowed $20 of gas. They should have filled up their tanks beforehand and stayed the fuck off the roads in the days following as the authorities requested of them.
But that is not the America of today. America today is full of whining cry babies who can’t or won’t even try to take care of themselves and blame every other person on the planet when they are tad inconvenienced. It is not FEMA’s fault, it is not the governor’s fault, it’s not the mayor’s fault. It’s their own damn fault they didn’t prepare. They have ONLY themselves to blame for the conditions they were living in after the hurricane, for the time they spent standing around waiting for a hand out.
And then of course, there are the liars. One such couple got caught live while being interviewed. Oh the drama! The horror that is their lives now! They had no food for baby! The reporter mentioned powdered formula so they responded by stating they had no water for the formula! Their POOR baby was going to starve to death and it was all FEMA’s fault! Another reporter, sitting in the studio, who had a list of what areas did not have water and what areas did, told the reporter on the scene that these people lived in an area that most certainly should have water flowing from their taps. The on scene reporter asked the couple of the poor, starving baby if they had water from their tap and they said they did. Well then! Whose fault is that their baby is starving then? It certainly isn’t the government’s fault.
Now I understand that some people had extensive damage and their homes were completely destroyed as well as their cars. THESE are the people who would need that water, ice and food within 24 hours of the storm. However, that number was not that high, most certainly not in the millions. The majority of the people here was just too damn lazy, too damn stupid and expected to be bailed out of the misery they put themselves in. Too much time and effort was spent helping those who could have perfectly well helped themselves while the people who really did desperately need it, elderly, disabled, people whose entire homes were gone, had to wait that much longer for assistance. It’s because the people only think of themselves and their wants and needs. They don’t take a second to think how their actions are affecting other people. They don’t care. All they care about is “me, me, me, me, me, me, me” and you damn well better cater to them WHEN they want you to or they will rise up and scream about how they are being held down by the man, the government is racist, they government doesn’t care about the poor, the government this, the government that. Fucking socialist shit heels!
As sick and disgusted as I am with these people, I do have the ability to drive right past their long gas lines, well fed, well hydrated, and laugh. Dolts. Because they wouldn’t take the one hour to prepare beforehand, they now get to spend hours upon hours, sometimes days, sitting in lines, being angry, trying to get the supplies they should already have.
One final thought: Governor Jeb Bush did an outstanding job preparing for the storm. He made sure there was plenty of gas to go around, got it shipped here and the state was very well stocked. It’s not that there is a shortage of gas. It’s that there was no power to pump the gas. We can’t force business owners to buy generators, government should have no say in that matter. He had relief on hand, ready, and when something failed, (communication), he took the blame on himself stating he should have done this or should have done that. HE took the blame even if it wasn’t his fault. That’s a damn far cry from the shit we witnessed in New Orleans where the mayor and governor were too busy finger pointing to actually get anything done. m glad we have a Bush for president and I’m very glad we have a Bush for governor. They did what they were supposed to do. Now if only the people would do their jobs.
Then, after everything started to get back to normal we had all these people who did not need a hand out going to get one. Apparently FEMA was giving people food cards anywhere from $300 up to $900 depending on how many people lived in the place. Look, if your regular grocery bill as a single indvidual is $300 a month? You don’t need any fucking assistance. You obviously make enough money to support yourself and replenish that fridge. Hell I don’t spend $300 a month on food and I didn’t take one of those cards. Why? “But it was free money Serenity!”
Don’t fool yourself. First of all, I would be taking away from someone who really needed the help. Was it a little hard to replenish? Sure but not impossible and I did it a little at a time. I certainly came nowhere near the danger of starving to death and everything from my fridge and freezer was gone. (Eaten over the course of the week of warning...some had to be thrown out but gone nonetheless. I had an empty fridge/freezer just like everyone else.)
Second? That money is not free. If it comes from the government, it’s not a present. Someone pays for that and who do you think that might be? Take a wild guess. The very last thing I want to do is pay for some greedy asshole who makes plenty of money to go get food. I know people had enough money because a LOT of them were my co-workers. That’s how I found out about the cards in the first place. Some of them make more than me and yet they needed to go get a fucking card for $400 worth of food? Bullshit. Greed. It was all greed. “But think of the children!!!!” There were plenty of non kid having co-workers who went and got that card and plenty of them could stand to miss a few meals believe me.
This hurricane showed me the greed that is all around. I’ve seen it on smaller scales, a bit here, a bit there, on a daily basis we see greed but I’ve never seen greed like this before. These people should be ashamed of themselves. They were all yukking it up, “HA HA! I got free money from FEMA to get food...it’s more than I spend! Cool!” Idiots. Laugh it up now jackasses and then don’t come pissing and whining to me when we start paying more in taxes. Oh, and I’m sure the people who truly, honestly needed the help thank you, from the bottom of their hearts for stealing from them today.
Yes, I view it as stealing.
Enough till next time.
