.I met two young guys from the Oregon National Guard.. The lieutenant told me about their temporary barracks in an old neighborhood high school. He told me that he was disgusted that kids ever went to school there, and that in Oregon the place would have been bulldozed and rebuilt so that kids could have a proper place to learn. He seemed troubled that all of this was happening in America. He realized that many of the problems he was seeing in New Orleans existed before the storm, and he wanted to know why people had put up with it and why they hadn't voted out of office the people who had let this happen. I told him I didn't know, but maybe we could change things in New Orleans in the future. He seemed hopeful. I felt less certain. Billy Sothern
About This Quote

Randy Newman sang: "I met two young guys from the Oregon National Guard, I asked them what they did for fun." The song is a sarcastic dig at the un-funny and un-enjoyable work that the military does. He asks them what they do for fun and they tell him that they go to school and play baseball. To which Randy Newman replies: "NO BODY PLAYS BASEBALL IN THE PRESENT TENSE. There is no present tense." This also applies to the lives of most people in this country who get up every morning and go to school or work or whatever before going home and having fun with their family and friends.

Source: Down In New Orleans: Reflections From A Drowned City

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