Ruthie, the duck lady

I had intended to post this a while back, when I was writing about characters in the French Quarter but somehow, Ruthie slipped away from me. Ruthie was prowling the streets of the quarter when I was in my teens and I was prowling the same streets - but for a very different reason.

A fixture on the streets since the ‘40s, Ruthie came to epitomize the unregimented, unconventional and permissive side of Vieux Carre culture, the kind of insouciant charm that has seduced thousands over the years and burned, in those who paid attention, a memory of street life unlike anywhere else in America, maybe the world.

With her trademark roller skates and legions of pet ducks – often sitting on bar stools next to her – Ruthie was what the Quarter’s street life was all about. She was brash, with a sailor’s tongue. Colorful. Congenial and snakebite mean, sometimes at the same time. She lived on a diet of Budeweiser and Kools. She wore a wedding dress just for the hell of it and danced and flirted and cussed in French Quarter barrooms until she was eighty-sixed, which was often.

I remember Ruthie skating up to me and nearly demanding a cigarette. I'd seen how she would curse out others who failed to come up with the cigarette and I wanted to avoid that experience.

Those were my formative years.

Candidates and Katrina

Below is a copy and paste job - its about what the Democratic candidates would do about Katrina recovery:

A question about whether the candidates would support a federal law guaranteeing a right to return for New Orleans residents displaced by Hurricane Katrina produced one of the most spirited discussions. The Democrats roundly condemned the Bush administration for its response to the storm and offered a series of pledges to use the power of the White House to help rebuild the ravaged city. Former senator John Edwards of North Carolina said he would appoint a White House counselor with the responsibility to report to him daily on the pace and progress of reconstructing the city.
"What we should do is allow the people of New Orleans to rebuild their own city," he said. "We ought to pay them a decent wage, give them health-care coverage, instead of having big multinational corporations get billion-dollar contracts with the government."
Clinton, touting a 10-point plan for Gulf Coast recovery, said rebuilding must come before repatriation. "This administration has basically neglected, with almost criminal indifference, the rebuilding of the Gulf Coast, in particular New Orleans and the parishes," she said. "So even if we were to give people a right, there is nothing to return to."
Obama said that what may be most critical is having a president who is in touch with the problems of a city such as New Orleans before disasters hit. "Part of the reason that we had such a tragedy," he said, "was the assumption that everybody could jump in their SUVs, load up with some sparkling water and check into the nearest hotel."

loose change and big bucks

The auto entrance of the Ritz Carlton hotel is the ground floor of a building that was originally a dime store. "5 cents, 10 cents and 25 cents" is still visible, carved above the Ritz Carlton sign. Its just a little irony, in a city full of ironic contrasts.

Fiddler on the roof

In the late afternoon yesterday several of us were sitting outside at the coffee shop when we noticed a strange and annoying noise. We finally traced it to the roof of a house across the street. A boy was standing at the very top of the pitched roof playing a guitar. The kid is young - 12, 13 or so. Certainly too young to be climbing up on the roof of his parents' house.

Its why we put up with so much to live in New Orleans.

Leftward Ho!

I've written several times lately that the country is drifting to the left. The following is from today's New York Times:

New Poll Finds That Young Americans Are Leaning Left
By ADAM NAGOURNEY and MEGAN THEE
Young Americans are more likely than the general public to favor a government-run universal health care insurance system, an open-door policy on immigration and the legalization of gay marriage, according to a New York Times/CBS News/MTV poll. The poll also found that they are more likely to say the war in Iraq is heading to a successful conclusion.

With the leftward drift in general and the immigration position of conservatives loosing Hispanic voters; the Republican Party has less and less to look forward to. The Democrats aren't doing a good job of taking advantage of all this but they can't help but inherit some gain.

Summer in the Shire

You may wonder what its like in the Shire during summer. Well, my friends, its wet. It rains every day in a steady downpour. We huddle under the awning and watch the rain bounce off of the street. Every plant and shrub grows like crazy in the rich soil and semi-tropical climate.

Its hot, of course, but mostly its humid. It is possible to break out in a sweat simply sitting still. Only the tourists and criminals move fast. Those of us who live out our lives in this strange place know to pace ourselves to get all the way from dawn to dusk.

Every so often a high energy, hyper person bounces in and we stare in awe. Then we resume our leisurely pace and life drifts on. Life is slow and we have the time to notice one another and to pay attention. Our culture is person centered. We care how others are doing more than what they are doing. We are human beings, not human doings.

The small scale of the Shire supports human interaction. It is an ancient urban design imported from European villages and it is the model for "the new urbanism". City planners copy the Shire for new developments.

We, however, already have "the new urbanism" in our Shire. Our Shire is known as the Marigny, where the past and the future of urban planning come together.

Planet Chaney

Here's an update on the previous post:

Washington, D.C. House Democratic Caucus Chairman Rahm Emanuel issued the following statement regarding his amendment to cut funding for the Office of the Vice President from the bill that funds the executive branch. The legislation -- the Financial Services and General Government Appropriations bill -- will be considered on the floor of the House of Representatives next week. "The Vice President has a choice to make. If he believes his legal case, his office has no business being funded as part of the executive branch. However, if he demands executive branch funding he cannot ignore executive branch rules. At the very least, the Vice President should be consistent. This amendment will ensure that the Vice President's funding is consistent with his legal arguments. I have worked closely with my colleagues on this amendment and will continue to pursue this measure in the coming days."

I'll be writing more about Planet Chaney in the next few days.

Vice President Voldemort

The amazing Mr Chaney has gone from hiding in a secure, undisclosed location in the capital to hiding in a secure, undisclosed location in the Constitution. He declares himself beyond the law and, in effect, a 4th branch of government.

After four years of refusing to cooperate with the government unit that oversees classified documents (housed in The National Archives) , the vice president tried to shut down the unit rather than comply with the law ensuring that sensitive data is protected. Tricky Dicky Chaney refused to cooperate with an Executive Order signed by Bush on the grounds that he is not a part of the Executive Branch of government (because he also serves as the president of the Senate). The National Archives appealed to the Justice Department, but who knows how much justice there is at Justice, now that the White House has so blatantly politicized it?

After claiming executive privilege to withhold the energy task force names and protect Scooter Libby, Chaney now acts outraged that he should be seen as part of the executive branch.


Cheney was able to bully Colin Powell, Pentagon generals and George Tenet when drumming up his fake case for war, but when he tried to push around the little guys, the National Archive data collectors — wonky types with glasses and pocket protectors — they pushed back.

Congressman Henry Waxman has the job of oversight here and he's hanging onto it like a pit bull. We could be heading into a major conflict if congress cuts off funding for Chaney's office.

Someday there will be a dark and scary movie about Chaney.

Seasons

New Orleans has its own relaxed rhythm anytime, but in the summer, the pace slows to lethargy. The soundtrack behind our rhythm is mellow and sweet. We are not interrupted by the sound of construction or road repair. The faint aroma of decay is mingled with the smells pungent cooking and acrid gunpowder that accompanies the sound of shots that startle and punctuate the easy pace.

We rouse ourselves and pay attention, then slump back into the sloth that is built into The Big Easy. Even those who are disinclined to exertion are alert to a party or a parade or a scandal. We are not unlike the ancient Romans who were distracted by “bread and circuses”. We note and then ignore the crooks at the top because we are busy preparing for the next party or festival.

In the fall, it all changes. The soundtrack of our lives gets faster and louder. We move to an anticipatory beat – knowing what’s to come. The big holidays will come again and we’ll ride the wave all the way onto the beach of next summer.

It’s all in the seasons of our lives.

A tourist at home

The next time you drive on Canal St. in front of the Sanger Theater, look at the façade behind the neon sign in front. The original front of that building is now partially covered by a tacky 1970ish neon sign – but you can still see enough behind it to appreciate how grand that building once was.

The same is true of the Fairmont Hotel. Look about the canopy over the main entrance and you’ll see the original façade. Across the street the same is true of the Orpheum Theater.

While many of the lovely old downtown buildings have been completely covered; you can still appreciate the architecture of these three. There are gems in almost every block of the CBD. Stately old buildings with character and style put to shame the bland towers of glass and steel.

Take a sightseeing trip to the CBD some day. Be a tourist at home.

Dangerous words

I saw in the newspaper that Sears was having a Baby Sale. Now you know its not legal to sell the little buggers.

That's a little bit like the novel in which you read, "He spoke the unspeakable." No, no, no.....its not unspeakable once he spoke it.

Have you ever heard someone say, "I just can't stand it"? Chances are, they are standing it at the moment they are saying they can't.

My favorite is the formulation, "they should".....or one of its many variations. How do you know they should? Who decides what should be? Most likely the speaker means something isn't the way he wants it to be. That should word is dangerous.

There are lots of ways we abuse reason and language. Sometimes it results in humor. Other times it results in our upsetting ourselves.

Thinking and speaking

I sometimes hear a sentence like this: "I mean, its like, phew.....weird.....ya know what I mean?" Well actually, no. I can't know what you mean unless you say something. That string of words does not qualify as a sentence. First of all, the word "like" is much too over used. Consider the sentence, " I was, like, hungry." That says it is as if you were hungry.......not that you actually were hungry. "like" is a weasel word that slides away from a forthright declaration. Then our sample sentence rests on the word "weird" as the only subject of the sentence. "weird" means unearthly or bizarre. I have heard it applied to many things and none of them were unearthly or bizarre. The sentence in question was applied to traffic conditions that were all too earthly and too usual. The entire subject of the sentence was misused.

One more example and I'll leave it alone. The word "awesome" applies a religious experience primarily. If you find tennis shoes and tacos awesome, how do you think of the nature of God? Do you use the same word? How do you make a distinction?

Its not just schoolmarmish - we think with words and if we lack clarity and vocabulary we will diminish our ability to think. Then we will elect idiots because we can't think critically.

Did you know?

Few coffee shops actually make their own cold brew for their iced coffee. Its a lot of trouble and its time consuming. One shop I know of just saves its (stale) left over coffee at the end of the day to make iced coffee with.

Marigny Perks makes cold brew from scratch, which results in a richer, smoother coffee. We choose our own blend of beans for our cold brew and grind them fresh for each batch. We steep the ground coffee for a minimum of 12 hours and a maximum of 24 hours. Its started on one shift and ready on a later one so we have little notes with the date and time each batch was started.

Our iced coffee is made to be served cold, over ice. You can taste the difference.

Drama on the street

Today we had 5 police cars in front of a house across the street from the shop. It has no running water but it does have two people living there. Or it did. This morning the man stood on the front steps and urinated onto the sidewalk. Uck. As if that weren't enough; the woman there walked outside naked from the waist up and threw glass bottles at passing cars. What a pair! The police called the owner of the house (who did not know it was occupied) and hauled away the squatters.

There was some real drama for a while.

Perkin' at the Perks

Marigny Perks has got it going on. If you've reached this from www.marignyperks.com you know our web site is on the way. I've got great plans for the site and I think you'll want to visit it often. If you're in New Orleans, stop by and say hello in person.

The new team

Here is a little about our new ambassador to Iraq:

"Crocker's experience and his vast knowledge of Middle Eastern cultures, history, and languages make him one of the State Department's leading experts on Middle Eastern affairs. He has received a Presidential Distinguished Service Award and the Department of Defense Medal for Distinguished Civilian Service. In January 2002, he was appointed interim envoy to the new government of Afghanistan, and was confirmed as Ambassador to Pakistan in October 2004."

Now you may wonder why such an ideal candidate for that job has not been sent there already. Maybe, just maybe, its because he publicly opposed the invasion and warned about the dangers of civil war back in the beginning. Crocker is one of the State Department and CIA experts who publicly, and in writing, contradicted the picture painted by Bush and his neocons. They did not get much publicity but I remember at the time thinking how much more likely they were to be right than the hard sell from Bush.

Lieutenant General David Petraeus has taken over the military leadership in Iraq. He's been lavishly praised so you might wonder: since he's so good, why hasn't he been sent to Iraq already. Well, maybe, just maybe it because he contradicted Rumsfield's policy. Petraeus literally wrote the book (an Army manual) on insurgency warfare. To this day Bush has a hard time admitting that we are stuck trying to put down the tar baby of insurgency. Bush prefers to call it terrorism and slyly link it to 9 -11. Petraeus knows that the insurgents are using terrorist tactics but that the people who attacked us on 9-11 were not Iraqis and and that currently Al Queida is only a small part of the Iraq problem.

At last, Bush is using the talent he should have been using all along. Its a stunning retreat for Bush.

The comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought

Forty-five years ago today, JFK, speaking to the graduating class at Yale, said, "The great enemy of the truth is very often not the lie -- deliberate, contrived, and dishonest -- but the myth -- persistent, persuasive, and unrealistic ... Belief in myths allows the comfort of opinion without the discomfort of thought." He urged the students to "move on from the reassuring repetition of stale phrases to a new, difficult, but essential confrontation with reality." Kennedy was urging the students not to let the establishment, which he represented, get away with anything. Submit its rhetoric to the fiercest scrutiny. Think for yourself. It was an invitation that reflected his own education, two years earlier, in the wisdom of doubt.

Today we have a president who experiences no doubt. Without doubt there is no introspection and no self knowledge. Myth replaces analysis. We owe it to ourselves to reject the easy myth and to think independently. Bush and his supporters tirelessly repeat the talking points assigned to them by Mr. Rove. The same stale phrases are repeated relentlessly until some people believe them to be true.

When you hear the same words over and over; beware. You are hearing myths being made.

The streets of New Orleans

The streets of New Orleans flow around statues like water around a rock. They swirl and curve and angle off in dizzying patterns. There is almost no grid here. Its called the Crescent City because it sits in a long crescent of the Mississippi River. The streets parallel to the river follow the crescent in their own gentle arc.

Historically, the river was the primary transportation route and lots facing the river were long and narrow so as many people as possible could have access to the river. The streets that run perpendicular to the river are at angles to each other to accommodate multiple slices of river front property. (It also has something to do with our "shotgun" houses.)

So here we have it: a city with quirky street patterns that are a reflection of the city itself. There is an unpredictability to street patterns and to life here. Both are idiosyncratic and neither are like anywhere else. The streets merge into triangles and little parks are formed. Street names change suddenly, for no apparent reason. Driving in New Orleans is a free form exercise, much like living in New Orleans.

Our history and geography combine to shape our streets and our lives.

full of sound and fury

I've been watching the chest thumping politicians trying to outdo each other in sounding tough. They so badly understand foreign affairs that they wind up sounding dumb.

For instance: Giuliani casually lumps together Iran and Al Qaeda. Mitt Romney goes even further and lumps together Shia, Suni, Hizbullah, Hamas and Al Qaeda. These groups are very different and in some cases are enemies of each other.

How can people get to that level in political life without knowing that Iran is a Shiite power and actually helped the United States topple the al Quieda-backed Taliban in Afghanistan. Or did they know it and ignore the facts? Some members of Congress don't know the difference between Shiite and Suni. Reporters don't know enough about the culture of the mideast to ask good questions.

We can't use our military power to solve political problems and tough talk without understanding the problems is just dumb.

The candidates debate

I just watched the Democratic candidates debate on CNN. First of all, CNN didn't impress me. Wolf Blitzer persisted in asking dumb questions that are not worthy of the candidates or the process.

I thought all of them did better than in the last debate. I was more impressed with Hillary than I was before, even though I have serious reservations about her. Obama's style and experience don't lend themselves well to a debate format. He let one opportunity after another go by without challenging Hillary. She slid away from direct answers without anyone calling her on it.

I'm particularly concerned about Hillary's original vote to allow Bush to go to war against Iraq. She dances around it without directly explaining her vote. A lot of smart people opposed the war. She claims to be misled. Were they smarter than her? My impression is that her vote was the result of a political calculation of the worst sort.

Hillary was more presidential than any candidate in either party. She struck me as the most qualified to hold the job - even though I wish it was someone else.

I've written before that I'm seeing a gradual drift to the left in the country as a whole. The debate last night confirmed that. There was unequivocal and unanimous agreement that gays should be allowed to serve openly in the military. The only disagreements about universal health care were about the details. Those liberal positions are consistent with signs in the popular culture that the mainstream flows to the left now.

Next up, the Republicans debate again. What fun!

Conservative pretzels

I've been reading conservative writers lately and they are twisting themselves into irrational pretzels over Iraq.

Their basic war paradigm is deeply flawed. They look at Iraq and see only us against those who attacked us on 9-11. Their enemy is Al Queida. Neither comports well with reality. The absolutist conservative world view is all black or white, with no shades of grey. They live in an "us vs. them" world. Their victory-or-defeat set of choices leaves no room for diplomacy and their war model is failing them.

Now for the pretzel. There is reason to think we've already lost. There isn't much reason to think we will accomplish much more in that poor country. Conservatives are now blaming the Iraqi people for conditions there. Its close enough to the truth to serve as a moral fig leaf to cover their flaccid policy. They will see a defeat and surrender but they will not call it ours. It will be Iraqi. It'll be just as much a defeat in January '08 as it would be tomorrow. They need more time, however, to confect their puff pastry of shifting responsibility.

I've seen conservatives blame the patient for being sick before. Now they are doing it again.