Just a few weeks ago, Bill Whittle of Eject! Eject! Eject! posted a fine essay on “tribes”, that was very relevant due to the news reports of the chaos in New Orleans.

Update 9/27/2005: Here’s a link to an article I didn’t take the time to look for yesterday, that supports this post.

Back to the regular post

Today, I found it disturbing to hear at least two talk radio shows discuss the reality of the post-Hurricane Katrina social “unrest”…it seems there was some, but hardly any major crime committed. It seems, like the “body count” assessment being grossly inflated, the other stories of general lawlessness were grossly inflated. It’s not to say crime didn’t happen, but taking one “metric” of homocide, in a city where the going rate is about 200 murders a year, there are only 4 detected in the few weeks after the Hurricane. Remarkable.

As I heard more on this this afternoon, I recalled the “Tribes” essay of Bill’s. It’s cogent, and communicates a clear message, yet, come to find out, the degree of emotion used isn’t justified by the reality. Thos who commit crimes still need their full measure of justice, but “we” may have gone overborad in our assessment and therefore, have developed some further feelings about how to look upon those who remained in town during the storm.

Now, I believe, Bill could re-write “Tribes” presenting us with 3 tribes of people, the compassionate, the criminal, and the new third member, the Media. Alternatively, he could eliminate the second group and then just replace them with the Media as those juxtaposed from the compassionate.

The HBM (Has Been Media) is purposely positioning itself where the truth is irrelevant in their eyes, and therefore we should accept that their “yellow jouralism” tactics to make money are acceptable, as they are losing their audience.

I’m sorry, I’m not buying in….And, note to HBM types: Try the truth, it might hurt today, but in the long run, it’s a better strategy….

Update 9/28/05: The retired SEAL adds some fuel to the fire with this info….

Oxbow asks the hard question that I merely alluded to above….

Thanks to Mudville Gazette and Little Green Footballs Open Postings!