Where was the Media when...
Admittedly Hurricane Katrina was a big thing due to the sheer numbers of people affected. I can understand 24/7 Katrina coverage for days on end. What I want to know is where are all of those "concerned" reporters every time Guam gets pasted by a typhoon?
As most of my (few) readers are current or former military folks, most of you either know about Guam or have actually been there. For any others out there in Internet land who don't know, Guam is an island in the Western Pacific Ocean. Guam has been a Territory of the United States since the Spanish-American War. Guam also is smack in the middle of "Typhoon Alley." The island seems to attract typhoons like a magnet. They get hit about once a year on average. Since 1962, Guam has been struck by four "super typhoons" (equivalent to a Category 4 or 5 hurricane.) In 2002, Guam experienced three major disasters; a 7.2 earthquake in April, a typhoon in July and super typhoon Pongsona on December 8th. This place has all the fixin's for a Media disaster blitz. 140,000 American citizens, mostly minority people, 25 percent below the poverty level. Each time one of those things hit, it wipes out or damages nearly every building on the island and thousands are left homeless and without power, etc.
What did we hear from the Media about Pongsona? Just about nada. Now why could that be? Is it because Guam is too far away? Is it because they have only one, non-voting member of Congress? Is it because Chamorros and Philippinos don't have as much minority "creds" as blacks and latinos? Maybe there are too many of those fascist, Nazi military people stationed there?
All I can tell you is that I would be much more sympathetic towards those talking heads if they had been in the streets of Agana wailing about how the poor Guamanians were suffering back then as well as in New Orleans this month.
As most of my (few) readers are current or former military folks, most of you either know about Guam or have actually been there. For any others out there in Internet land who don't know, Guam is an island in the Western Pacific Ocean. Guam has been a Territory of the United States since the Spanish-American War. Guam also is smack in the middle of "Typhoon Alley." The island seems to attract typhoons like a magnet. They get hit about once a year on average. Since 1962, Guam has been struck by four "super typhoons" (equivalent to a Category 4 or 5 hurricane.) In 2002, Guam experienced three major disasters; a 7.2 earthquake in April, a typhoon in July and super typhoon Pongsona on December 8th. This place has all the fixin's for a Media disaster blitz. 140,000 American citizens, mostly minority people, 25 percent below the poverty level. Each time one of those things hit, it wipes out or damages nearly every building on the island and thousands are left homeless and without power, etc.
What did we hear from the Media about Pongsona? Just about nada. Now why could that be? Is it because Guam is too far away? Is it because they have only one, non-voting member of Congress? Is it because Chamorros and Philippinos don't have as much minority "creds" as blacks and latinos? Maybe there are too many of those fascist, Nazi military people stationed there?
All I can tell you is that I would be much more sympathetic towards those talking heads if they had been in the streets of Agana wailing about how the poor Guamanians were suffering back then as well as in New Orleans this month.
posted by 74 (William Powell) at
9:25 AM
