And a BIG HAPPY BIRTHDAY to Peg OBrien! Yes, Peg has great hair too.

Okay! 

Anita

Okay, It is 24 hours later now, and we are not getting much information about the Five Ws of this thing. Not even the numbers of the dead and wounded can be established.... The numbers don't add up. I am confused.

--- Hunter S. Thompson on September 12th, 2001

That was from a column Hunter posted after one of the first disasters of the 21st century (after the November 2000 election). What would Hunter be saying today, 5 years after Katrina? What would he say about that Rally held at the very spot where Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his "I Have a Dream" speech 47 years ago? We've all asked ourselves "what would Hunter say" over and over since he died. But again, as I posted yesterday, one thing we do know, he did believe in RECOVERY. Are we even close? I don't feel qualified to answer that question. But here are some clips from the weekend news:

What happened to that national conversation we were all supposed to have about what was exposed by Katrina?” Doug Brinkley says we “got amnesia” and “forget quickly” on "meet the press:" 

 Wendell Peirce’s response:

I think the thing you have to remember is that we have to understand that the disaster lifted the veil of issues of race, of issues of class, not only in this city but in the country. If we are to move past it and truly be a part of this wonderful recovery that we’re feeling, we can’t looked at it through rose colored glasses. there’s not an indictment of one person. it’s an indictment of us all.

by Glynnis MacNicol's analysis of that conversation here.

Aspen Daily News reporter, Andrew Travers, covered the anniversary of Katrina from Mississippi, without rose colored glasses that also hit home:

PEARLINGTON, Miss. — Five years ago this morning a 20-foot storm surge from the Gulf of Mexico swept over this swampy coastal hamlet. The eye of Hurricane Katrina, a storm that would kill 1,800 and cause more property damage than any natural disaster in American history, passed almost directly over it with winds sustaining 140 miles-per-hour.

A few hours later, Pearlington was gone.

...

Unincorporated and nestled on the Pearl River, which serves as the Louisiana-Mississippi border here, Pearlington had been home to about 2,400 people in 800 homes before the storm. Afterward, the population was effectively zero.

 There’s no monument to Katrina in Pearlington, though 30 or so homes still abandoned with yards gone to jungle around them are a stark reminder of the storm. Some houses still bear the spray-painted “X” the National Guard marked on them to signify they’d searched them for dead bodies after the storm. Today there will be no commemorative ceremony, no party.

“My view is that it came and it went and it’s time to move on,” said West Hancock County Deputy Fire Chief Deedra Burton, a lifelong resident, during a tour of the area. “This is the type of community where we always look for an excuse to party, but this is no excuse to party.”

Read Andrew's article here

 

Cspan, (the only channel I have at the moment) aired an interesting Q&A with Allison Plyer about the DATA from New Orleans. I searched the website: The "numbers" are highlighted in a ten minute video here.

But I'll end with Hunter's missive from the last page of Hey Rube :

"Politics is the Art of Controlling Your Environment"
That is one of the key things I learned in these years, and I learned it the hard way. Anybody who thinks that "it doesn't matter who's President" has never been Drafted and sent off to fight and die in a vicious, stupid War on the other side of the World--or been beaten and gassed by police for trespassing on public property--or been hounded by the IRS for purely political reasons--or locked up in the Cook County Jail with a broken nose and no phone access and twelve perverts wanting to stomp your ass in the shower. That is when it matters who is President or Governor or Police Chief. That is when you will wish you had voted.
--Hunter S. Thompson, Hey Rube

Okay. Goodnight and good luck. 

Anita

NBC will broadcast a special edition of “Meet the Press” live from New Orleans. Senator Mary Landrieu, Democrat of Louisiana, will stop by with her brother, Mitch Landrieu, the mayor of New Orleans. The show’s lineup includes several actors and personalities: Brad Pitt, the actor who founded the Make It Right Foundation after the storm to build affordable, sustainable homes in New Orleans’s Lower Ninth Ward; Wendell Pierce, the New Orleans native who stars in HBO’s “Treme” and is a developer in the Pontchartrain Park neighborhood; Garland Robinette, a local talk radio host; and Douglas Brinkley, the author of “The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and the Mississippi Gulf Coast.” Brian Williams will be the guest host.

Five years after Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans isn't the city it used to be. The Census Bureau estimates there are now 100,000 fewer people living there than before the storm.

Although the part of the city visitors see — the French Quarter, Uptown, The Garden District — look the same as before, New Orleans still has many challenges ahead.

Despite that, many in New Orleans say things may actually be better than before Hurricane Katrina.

I remember typing it  into an ESPN column, but a quick scan doesn't catch my eye in HEy Rube. I believe, however, that it originated in Generation of Swine...

Which leads me to thank Maria Khan (Hunter's lovely fiancee at the time) and David McCumber (one of Hunter's greatest editors)-- "Generation" is dedicated to them.  It's been a long time since I've opened this book, but this time,  my heart was captured by some Hunter's best columns. Everything from the nature of heaven and hell, to George Bush senior, Oli North, Paradise Valley along with his dearest friends Ralph Steadman, Russell Chatham, Caligula, Joseph Conrad, Samuel Coleridge, Tex, The Chang Dynasty, "The Lord and Good Lawyers," The Gideons... well, you get the picture. It's all there in beautiful gonzo order.

Anyway, where is Turbo Must Die???

thanks for your help. I'm a bit giddy after spending some time with good people in beautiful Monterey with an equally beautiful friend.. Thanks for your help with this search. I'd ask Ed Bradley, as Hunter laced this story  in an ESPN column after a night with Ed and his sweetheart Patricia Blanchet. If Turbo is not in the published version, I guess I'll find it on my old hard drive or ESPN archive. Or maybe someone will search ESPN archive for me?? Athena and my meowing Siamese cats would be grateful so that I can unpack groceries (which contains their treats) and get the copy to Jimmy before my macbook turns into a pumpkin...

many thanks in advance... And thank you Shelby Sadler, Liz Yount, Manuel Rico, Nate (from Bishop), Neil (from Mr. Vac), Bob Braudis & Joe Disalvo's force for watching over Owl Farm while I was away.... Thank You.

Anita Thompson

12:29 am update (groceries unpacked and animals happy):

OKAY! while i was still correcting typos on the post, a reader, named Gabriel, emailed the google book link. It's from Songs Of The Doomed:(pg 281 of my hard copy) . (NOT Generation Of Swine) I offered him a job. By the Way, Songs Of The Doomed was Edited by David McCumber...

He also appreciated Christine from gonzo.org and all her work.

You know he was a bedrock patriot, and that he also didn't tolerate fools or drunks.  Invaders of his privacy & property were (AND ARE) promptly punished. But please know that if you were one of the lucky one to meet him at a book signing or received a letter, believe me, his tenderness and gratitude were genuine. Just as your gratitude is for him.

Selah and cheers,

Anita Thompson

After watching Wayne Ewing's "Animals Whores and Dialogue," everybody stayed late, and Ralph Steadman's "Weird and Twisted Nights" playing on the speakers had Julie and the girls dancing in the kitchen. 

As for Septmber, Flying Dog's Jim Caruso has arranged for an evening of Gonzo Foundation Bliss in NYC on Sept 23,24 25th to toast to more American literature, journalism and Political activism. more Details TK.

 In the meantime, hello to Lars Ramberg who lit up the Aspen Art scene via The Aspen Art Museum's commission of "Restless Empathy" exhibit. Where's the link? let me find it. It was a fabulous show and his study of Aspen's history lead him to create a dozen masterpiece benches with Hunter's quotes to ever-so-slightly remind us of our past, present and future.... here's the link http://www.aspenartmuseum.org/restless_empathy_artists_projects.html.

 And welcome famed editor Shelby Sadler who will be arriving tomorrow to whip me into Woody Creeker Spirit.

Good night!

Anita Thompson

p.s. Thank you everyone who kept your vmails brief and courteous. Morgan and I will get back to you within a few days. some of you did not leave phone numbers or contact info, fyi. So if you don't hear back, that's why. It would take us weeks to try to line up caller ID with messages. So, try again.

The writing competition will be announced in Dc in the fall. American Gonzo the new order. Very exciting. If you have a love of truth in your heart and dedication to the craft of writing in your mind, we want you. Book contract for the winner on the horizon. the plan is for the gonzo family to grow literature, journalism and activism long after we're gone. Your kids will take the lead soon. Selah! As Tim Mohr put it, parachutes abound!

That is the problem with this rich and anguished generation. Somewhere a long time ago they fell in love with the idea that politicians -- even the slickest and brightest presidential candidates -- were real heroes and truly exciting people. 

That is wrong on its face. They are mainly dull people with corrupt instincts and criminal children.

-- Hunter S. Thompson

Yes, hello. I am indeed excited to host the first, well the first Official Gonzo Foundation Local's Seminar here at Owl Farm. George Stranahan and Commissioner Michael Owsley will lead the discussion on local politics. Grass Roots TV will be here, along with attendees from all over the valley. it should be interesting and fun. There will be wine, drinks and appetizers. And yes, security at the gate. If you didn't get into this seminar, there will be more. Depending on how this one goes, I'd like to host them often. 

If you'd like to sign up for future seminars, please visit the UNDER CONSTRUCTION (don't mind the Van Halen style gonzo mockup logo) thegonzofoundation.org and simply click in your email and we will get back to you when the next seminar is scheduled. Thank Peter for putting up the site on very short notice. Thanks bro. We have many wonderful speakers lined up, just as I'm know Hunter would love -- because they're his people. 

A liberal is a conservative who has been arrested.

-- Tom Wolfe

You can also click in your email to get the announcement when we launch the Gonzo Foundation writing contest in September. Or call 970-923-4995 for more info. So, I look forward to hearing from you.

Your friend in Woody Creek,

Anita Thompson

So... SEE YOU THERE!

Cheers,

Anita Thompson

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anita-thompson/bps-tony-hayward-gets-mon_b_660260.html

Anita Thompson

Meanwhile, The Goldman Sachs scandal is dominating news sites. Although I'm irked at Matt Taibbi for his sophomoric trashing of Lara Logan, Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzalez aired an good interview with  Taibbi outlining some of the history of how this happened  -- $550 mil settlement.

you can watch it here: http://www.democracynow.org/2010/7/16/goldman_sachs_settles_civil_fraud_case. 

I'm no economist, and am just learning to balance my own checkbook. But i can say it is indeed stunning that the firm actually laughed all the way to the bank? Of course new reports claim the opposite. Lord knows.

Hunter wrote in  Kingdom of Fear:

The real power in America is held by a fast emerging new Oligarchy of pimps and preachers who see no need for Democracy or fairness or even trees, except maybe the ones in their own yards, and they don't mind admitting it. They worship money and power and death. Their ideal solution to all the nation's problems would be another 100 year war.

-- Hunter S. Thompson

but why be so negative, Anita... Hunter also wrote a great piece in  same Kingdom Of Fear about his time spent with his father when he taught him about Fear and Paranoia:

i understand that fear is my friend, but not always. Never turn your back on Fear. It should always be in front of you, like a thing that might have to be killed. My father taught me that, along with a few other things that have kept my life interesting. ... There is no such thing as Paranoia," he said once. "Even your Worst fears will come true if you chase them long enough...."

--HST Kingdom of Fear

So, Hunter, isn't the opposite also true? If you chase ANYTHiNG long enough, you'll get it...

why not?

Anita Thompson

So, as I hike up the back of Owl Farm, i thank Hunter every day for his document that  makes the land where Elk and Deer roam free, protected for me to NOT to have to sell, no matter the sugar-coated pressure. even if money isn't flowing all the time, Hunter's spirit is -- and that's what is most important to me now. And i know the best birthday present Hunter would want.

Hope to have better vibes for you tomorrow.

Your friend,

Anita Thompson

I've seen it once before with Wayne and Jennifer Erskine during production at Wayne's Polo Ranch, sharing a box of tissues. But watching it now, here in the kitchen, where the heart of Hunter lives and the story takes place -- with Hunter's typewriter that has our handwritten label across his typewriter: "Animals, Whores and Dialogue" sitting in front of me under a protective cover,  brings it home in a way I can't quite explain right now.

So I called Wayne to thank him for sticking with Hunter for those decades on behalf of all of us and you, who learn from and cherish his work, and being on that same strange wavelength. More on that later. if you watch the film you'll understand more of what it was to BE IN THE KITCHEN, not for the ride, but for the work. You will also understand what Hunter meant by "Politics is the art of controlling your environment..... and especially why "We is the most important word in politics..." 

Friends.

Selah! Thank you Wayne. and thank you our sweet Hunter.

lots of love from Owl Farm,

Anita Thompson

I should have just followed the lead of Christiane Amanpour who deferred to David Brooks on the topic: Journalism is the last buttress against lies and propaganda, or it can quickly into tabloidism and distractions. But, you already knew that.

Walter Chronkite and Hunter were interviewed by Mick O'Regan on the media report about complaints about lack of access to troops in the first wave of the Bush War. Walter Chronkite responded in one section about the days when a journalist could write anything for the record, without hurting the stategy of war:

Walter Chronkite: This is contrary to every other war we’ve fought in this country, where in World War II for instance, we war correspondents were given credentials, we went out with the troops. All we had to do was bum a ride in a jeep and we could go anywhere we wanted. Our copy was censored, but that’s the way it should be. I believe that the copy of military reporters must be censored, we can’t give away secrets of the disposition of our forces, our losses in combat and that sort of thing, to the enemy. But the censorship has worked very well in World War II. Our copy was held by the censors until those stories could be told, so that they were written at the time and they were living history of the war, so that the American people had a history of how their troops performed in action, whether they got it the next day or the next week or the next year, it was preserved and it was there.

           -- The late Walter Chronkite, on the Media Report.

But let's go to happier thoughts. Jim Caruso of Flying Dog Beer who is more focused than ever on the Gonzo Foundation's need to make a contributuion to excellence in journalism and literature posted a Kipling Poem on his site, which I love, and will post as well. Takes the sting out of all of this: Thank You Jimmy...

IF

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

Rolling Stone's Hastings article provided us with no news. REPEAT: This blown up piece that ended the career of a decorated general contained NO NEWS. It simply went viral and gave the President no way to retain McChrystal. If you read the article, there is no news about the war  -- only drunken conflated slurs by dumb underlings. Rolling Stone is not what it used to be. But at least they have now hired Ozzy Osborne to be the health columnist. 

Anita Thompson

That is the reason for my friends calling me so early. At any hour, I wish Christopher, his partner and family, and famous brother all the strength and good humor necessary to get them through the treatment. This is NOT an obituary!  I can say the Gonzo Family wishes you all the best, Hitch. 

Sincerely,

Anita Thompson