Eight Feet Deep

A sense of normalcy appeared before me briefly today in the abnormal world that is Beaumont, Texas, A.R. (After Rita). One of my favorite places, Easys Tapas and Martinis, was open for lunch. It was especially gratifying since not many places of any type are open these days. Plus, I wanted to eat something that someone else cooked and that is not a Meal Ready to Eat (MRE).

I slipped in just before noon and a large crush of what appeared to be electric linemen, some of the 4,000 or so in town to get us powered up. My morning had been particularly crappy. I have to say that I realize I am truly fortunate that I made it through the hurricane okay, as did my family and friends, as did my property. That said, I am not nor have I ever been a very patient individual. People always talk about how “hurry up and wait” is the hallmark of the military. But living through the nightmarish waiting due to Rita makes the military look like life in the Toll Tag lane.

It seems at every turn in my world you are waiting in line. Or you are waiting on the phone. And you’re supposed to like it. Sorry, I think it sucks.

That is why Easys provided a brief respite today where I could enjoy a burger and later chat with some acquaintances. For just a little while, Rita was on the outside looking in.

Lynndie England. Poster girl for why the military should not be civil police.

President GW has suddenly got the notion in his head that the military should become our police force. Why the hell not? They already fight our wars, help with disasters, perform aid missions around the world, provide neat backdrops for speeches by Bush and his merry fellows. Bush has been talking about using the military as a more authoritarian force during disasters in the wake of having his ass handed to him in the recent Katrina public relations dustup. Yesterday, he again brought the subject of using the military for police purposes up while talking about Bird flu from Asia:

“If we had an outbreak somewhere in the United States, do we not then quarantine that part of the country, and how do you then enforce a quarantine? When — it’s one thing to shut down airplanes; it’s another thing to prevent people from coming in to get exposed to the avian flu. And who best to be able to effect a quarantine? One option is the use of a military that’s able to plan and move.”

Yes that’s one option Mr. President. Next thing you will hear is the dreaded:

“Ve need to see your pa-pas, old man.”

To be sure, there will be a certain number of nutcases and GI Joes (pretend soldiers) and Secret Squirrels (marginal or pretend special forces) who think this is just a dandy idea. This is despite the Posse Comitatus Act preventing the military from performing ordinary police functions. These same people are the kind of people who like to collect SS memorabilia and name their children Adolf.

Fortunately, most serious professional military people have a deep disdain for such a notion. Who knows better than the soldier, sailor, Marine, airman, Coast Guard, etc., that war is job one. And given the fact that this administration has us ass deep in war don’t you think we should be concentrating on that task before deciding this democracy should be turned into a police state?

Overreacting? I blather, you decide.

A lot of folks in the areas pounded by Rita are asking where is the national news media such as Fox News’ Shepherd Smith now that the real work has begun?

Obviously the media isn’t going to cover every house with a tree on the roof like my brother’s DeRidder, La., home, in the above photo. But quite a number of folks have had their lives really upended by this storm. While the damage is more pronounced here in the Beaumont-Port Arthur, Texas, area just because of proximity to the coast and more people, the rural areas to the north also have real problems. Because so much of those areas are forests, the electric crews have to track down power lines like detectives just to find them. Trees blown down on rural roads also have to be cleared.

Most of the people up in East Texas also have very little media from which to glean real information. The local TV stations here in Beaumont, which evacuated during the storm, are just now getting back into those rural areas. But many in the “pineywoods” don’t have electricity to watch the TV news. The area’s local daily newspaper, The Beaumont Enterprise, has had to scale back on its print issue because of the storm and delivery poses a challenge.

The local Clear Channel radio stations in Beaumont, and there are a ton of them, have provided some information during the Rita aftermath and the ability for listeners to call in about the situation in their areas as well as calling with questions. Those stations have not provided what I call quality news reporting, however, because they seem to be instilled with an ad man’s mind set.

I can understand, in theory, why the national media has moved on from eastern Texas. Yet, here you have hundreds of thousands of lives in still in disarray and massive efforts continue in picking up the pieces by thousands of electrical workers, as well as government and social service emergency personnel. Still, the story has practically vanished from the radar screen in general except for the Texas media.

Something else quite noteworthy is that our esteemed Gov. Goodhair or Pres. GW have not made any recent trips to the area. East and Southeast Texas — Hey, out of sight, out of mind.

Perhaps more exists under the sun that can either piss me off or potentially piss me off than I care to acknowledge. That is why I always try — not always successfully — not to use this forum as a rant-o-rama. But what I saw at Kroger this afternoon …

The one big grocery store in town that is open. More folks are beginning to come back into Beaumont from their hurricane exile, I suppose, because K-Roger was packed. Three U-Scan machines were operable. One was being used by this couple who had a veritable shopping cart full of groceries in what is supposed to be 1-to-15 Item Land. The woman was just taking her sweet time, gingerly running each item over the scanner. I wanted to shake her like she was a can of paint. I ended up having my groceries scanned by the U-Scan attendant, whom I told, pointing at the infuriating couple:

“I don’t know whether to laugh or go postal.”

Obviously, I did neither.

Here it is Tuesday and I feel so much luckier than many. My power came on Sunday night. Cable came in on and off last night, and is now running. Internet appeared today. And after standing in line at the post office for three days running I had home mail delivery just a few minutes ago. It’s just like living a normal life here in post-Rita Beaumont, Texas, except for the fact that every day kind of feels like Sunday. Few restaurants are open. Only two grocery stores, not much for a town of 110,000. But then again, a lot of folks haven’t come back from evacuation.

The photo is one FEMA (who are back in my good graces when they showed me the money)took Sunday of the Elks Club in Beaumont burning after power was restored.

I got back to town Saturday afternoon. I really had expected more damage. Oh, there is plenty of damage. Trees are down just about everywhere. It’s kind of like in East Texas where I rode out the storm, probably worse because there are more structures. Some homes are roofless and some are smashed. Something else that is strange, a couple of the flood-prone overpasses and the heart of downtown Beaumont by the Neches River all smell like the sea. Most assuredly it is from storm surge.

Among the big bummers is the dusk to dawn curfew, not that there is anywhere in particular to go at night. I’m just glad Lucky’s liquor was open.

Those are a few thoughts for now. I pitched a story successfully to the metro paper I work with occasionally, so I have got to go check out a news conference. So far, all’s well in Beaumont.