Recruiting in the ‘Dome: It Has Been Allowed to Happen

4 Comments

1. 

   Planet B on September 9, 2005 at 3:16 pm

   Did everyone see this horrific first-hand account of the evacuee “detention camps”? (also found at Crooks and Liars)

   We arrived at our cabin and started toting the clothes in. We finally found a group of men upstairs in the dorms trying to do something alien to them – make beds. They had almost completed the room of bunk beds and told us we could go over to the ladies’ dorm room and start on it. We lugged our sacks of clothes back down the stairs. Then we got the first negative message. “You can’t bring any clothes in. FEMA has stated they will accept no more clothes. They’ve had 30 people sorting clothes for days. They don’t want anymore.” My mind couldn’t help but go back over the news articles that have accused FEMA of refusing water in to Jefferson Parrish, or turning fuel away.

   We lugged the bags of clothes back to the car. We then turned to bringing in our personal hygiene products. That’s when we learned our cabin had been designated a “male only” cabin. Approximately 40 men, ranging from age 13 on up would be housed there. We started resacking the female products and sorted out everything that would be useful for men.

   We lugged the bags of female products back to the car. We asked if they knew of a cabin that had been designated for women. The “host” (the hosts are Oklahoma civilians who have been employeed??? by FEMA to reside at each cabin and have already gone through at least one “orientation” meeting conducted by FEMA at “BASE” which is some unknown but repetitively referred location within the camp) told us he believed McAlester cabin was dedicated to females. He then explained there were male, female and family cabins designated.

   We then started lugging in our food products. The foods I had purchased were mainly snacks, but my mother – God bless her soul – had gone all out with fresh vegetables, fruits, canned goods, breakfast cereals, rice, and pancake fixings. That’s when we got the next message: They will not be able to use the kitchen.

   Excuse me? I asked incredulously.

   FEMA will not allow any of the kitchen facilities in any of the cabins to be used by the occupants due to fire hazards. FEMA will deliver meals to the cabins. The refugees will be given two meals per day by FEMA. They will not be able to cook. In fact, the “host” goes on to explain, some churches had already enquired about whether they could come in on weekends and fix meals for the people staying in their cabin. FEMA won’t allow it because there could be a situation where one cabin gets steaks and another gets hot dogs – and… it could cause a riot.

   It gets worse.

   He then precedes to tell us that some churches had already enquired into whether they could send a van or bus on Sundays to pick up any occupants of their cabins who might be interested in attending church. FEMA will not allow this. The occupants of the camp cannot leave the camp for any reason. If they leave the camp they may never return. They will be issued FEMA identification cards and “a sum of money” and they will remain within the camp for the next 5 months.

   […]

   We then lug all food products requiring cooking back to the car. We start unloading our snacks. Mom appeared to have cornered the market in five counties on pop-tarts and apparently that was an acceptable snack so the guy started shoving them under the counter. He said these would be good to tied people over in between their two meals a day. But he tells my mother she must take all the breakfast cereal back. My mother protests that cereal requires no cooking. “There will be no milk, ma’am.” My mother points to the huge industrial double-wide refrigerator the church had just purchased in the past year. “Ma’am, you don’t understand… It could cause a riot.”

   He then points to the vegetables and fruit. “You’ll have to take that back as well. It looks like you’ve got about 10 apples there. I’m about to bring in 40 men. What would we do then?”

   My mother, in her sweet, soft voice says, “Quarter them?”

   “No ma’am. FEMA said no…

   It could cause a riot. You don’t understand the type of people that are about to come here….“

2. 

   brinnainne on September 9, 2005 at 3:27 pm

   Thank you, Planet B for this follow-up!

   • 

     chocolate ink on September 9, 2005 at 3:52 pm

     I was so hoping(foolishly I  know)that the whole recruiting thing was wrong…having it confirmed however is no surprise.  All these ratbastard motherfuckers are so low a snake could piss on them.

     Taking shell shocked kids and recruiting them should be criminal and it’s really sick.

3. 

   lyvwyr101 on September 9, 2005 at 5:59 pm

         It is very troubling that the  military is talking confused, traumatized people into “signing on.” This is so like bush. bush’s war on poverty becomes a bigger metaphor every minute.