Yesterday was September 11th. About this time 4 years ago we were truly a united nation. It seemed everyone argued less about trivial issues, everyone smiled a little wider at strangers, and everyone was proud to be American.

Tragedy strikes again and I feel like it's nothing like it was four years ago.

I mean I got yelled at for asking a cop (who was trying to write me up for open container on gameday) where I was allowed to drink with open container since, upon looking around, it appeared that the answer was "everywhere." (Jennifer, don't run with this one. Even YOU drink on game day) His response:

Mean Cop: Does it say UGA on my arm?
Poor Megan: No sir. But...I don't get that.
Mean Cop: I don't care what you do right over there on campus, if the uga cops don't want to write you up then fine, but here...You'll get a ticket.
Poor Megan: Oh, I'm sorry. I truly just did not know the rules...I mean I never even walked in the halls without a hallpass, I really wouldn't have been walking around but my friends said it was okay.
Mean Cop: Well, if you have anymore questions then ask me. Not your friend.
(stupid Mae, I thought)
Poor Megan: Okay...so, did you mean that it's okay to drink on campus or not?
(brace yourself readers)
Mean Cop: MA'AM!!!!! Are you aware there is a war going on in Iraq? I mean, hey people are dying. Hurricane Katrina just hit New Orleans, but let's just concern ourselves with where we can and can not drink in Athens.


My psychology of women professor, having gone to school at Tulane, decided to devote class time to talking about the Hurricane. At first the discussion was somber. Everyone's heart went out to those who were affected and we seemed to be a class united. I thought it might be the first class discussion where everyone agreed. You know, the kind where you look around and everyone is nodding in unison. Well, long story short, half way through the class I was tense and incredibly uneasy with where the conversation was going. By the end of class I couldn't leave fast enough.

At one point a girl raised her hand to say "I know why the relief efforts took so long...Bush doesn't like anybody but white people." Okay, I have a few problems with this statement. First, I don't agree that you have to love Bush, I disagree with a lot he did and does, and I am not even sure that I am a Republican anymore. However, I did vote for him along with many others in that class and I think it's vital, when trying to have a class discussion about an important issue, that one be um, I don't know, a little respectful. Just as much as she knows there are people in this class who love Bush, I know that there are people in that class who love Kerry and therefore would never say anything so harsh about him. And way to make the white people in class feel uncomfortable. I was watching my back the rest of the class, scared I met get my neck stepped on for being white. My second problem is that a comment like that is not only disrespectful, I think it's ignorant. What is she implying? That the President is going to let thousands die because they're not white. C'mon people. My last problem was that she immediately turned the discussion into a race issue, which immediately divides the class, which immediately leads to a less effective discussion.

I wish efforts had been made sooner, my eyes tear up everyday when I hear new stories, but do I know what efforts needed to made? No. Do I believe that mistakes were made? Yes. Do I believe that if they could have been avoided they would have been? YES.

So, Hurricane Katrina: Destroy a classic city? Check. Ruin thousands of lives? Check. Divide the nation? Check.....Piss off Kanye West? Check.

When I heard about his speech I thought three things: First, I agree that they always show the black people looting and never the white people. I know there are white people out there stealing just as much as the blacks are, but we don't really want to see that on T.V. It's not as acceptable and it's not as entertaining. That's a sad but true fact. I felt him on that. My second thought was "i'm just glad he's at least upset over something other than not winning an AMA." Then, he had to go and say Bush doesn't like black people. Cue my last thought: oh...your friend is in my psychology class.