How I Spent My Gustov Evacuation - OR - My one day summer vacation

Just when you thought it was safe to evacuate without all those pesky New Orleans folk following you around, NoLA Rising packed up and headed out. I like to call it a guilt trip, as without those loving phone calls from paranoid loved ones, I would have stayed and quietly enjoyed my city. Moral of the story, when someone like Sugar Ray Nagin makes a comment like "the mother of all storms," don't take his words so seriously. When Bob Breck says, "I don't know if I'd call it the mother of all storms...", then I think we're on to something. It makes Nagin look like the boy who cried wolf and when a serious storm does head our way, a lot of people are going to say..."oh, remember the mother of all storms, we only lost power for six hours..." And they'll stay. So, the real risk comes with over-stating the consequences...

I can empathize with those of you out there in the world who believe that we need unity in this city to be able to get things done. However, I do not believe in giving out free passes to people who manipulate fear for their own political purpose. Yes, New Orleans had a successful evacuation, but did it really need it and NOW, can the people afford another one should it need to be called? I personally cannot afford to evacuate again and if it weren't for a small handful of friends, I wouldn't have been able to for Gustov.

As for unity...YES...we need it, but not at the sake where wrongs go over-looked, corruption goes unpunished, and progress gets impeded by the power-hungry. Thank you, but we've had enough of that in Louisiana AND New Orleans and part of the purpose of the people uniting is to make sure it happens no more...even at the sake of criticizing bad decisions in retrospect.

I would gladly unite behind the mayor had he done something worth supporting, up until that point, I will be a critic at any cost. Until then, I beg the mayor AND City Hall to do something to make me a believer. I want to believe! I have faith in this city! I love the people of this city! Everything good I've seen in this city has come from a handful of dedicated citizens. Put the special awards aside and let's start getting to work on the issues that persist, until then, it's up to the everyday people to make the city a better place and not those charged with doing so. Status quo, I don't think so...

When I left, I brought with my the usual fair of loving tools. Thus, the following pictures are how I spent my one day hurrication, bringing the joy of NoLA Rising to one of our fellow Southern cities.

(((CLEARLY THIS NEEDS AN UPDATE: The pictures of the spray-painted wood was done with the owner of the establishment's paint, while he was there, buying me coffee as NOPD officers and National Guard were observing. And, the signs, for those of you worried about me violating any court-ordered agreement, were put up in another city, in another state. There is no violation in Orleans Parish. :)))