Innisfail is no New Orleans

There have been lots of posts going up here in the last 24 hours. Maybe my “stranger than fiction” post caused people to get the finger out —to use a famous Royal expression. But maybe there is a lot of interesting news out at the moment too. I certainly have found heaps today. The latest bit:

The North Queensland town of Innisfail got a bigger blow than New Orleans did but there were no deaths and the place is mostly back to normal after only a week. The difference between how a black underclass behaves and how Australian country people behave might have something to do with it. From the press:

“Blue-collar muscle is the bedrock of Innisfail’s rapid recovery as local farmers, tradesmen and labourers provide the grunt to get the district back on track. Yesterday morning, just a week after Cyclone Larry left the main street a mass of twisted wreckage and fallen trees, Innisfail was beginning to resemble a normal country town. Cafes were open, banks were trading, the famous Oliveri’s Continental Deli was serving its cheeses, stuffed olives and prosciuttos the same way it has for more than 80 years.

Mayor Neil Clarke has warned there is a long road ahead as thousands struggle to overcome a billion-dollar damage bill. But even he was amazed at the spirit and energy of a community that refused to blink when confronted with a category-five cyclone. He said many had waded straight outside into the wreckage with chainsaws. “Just hours after it hit, many were literally cutting their way out of their own properties and going to help a neighbour,” he said.

Banana farmer Colin Rostedt surveyed the ruins of his plantation for only minutes on Monday morning before firing up his 22-kilowatt generator, grabbing a chainsaw and going to work. He and his wife and two children didn’t wait for help to arrive. They’re still cleaning up, but with an eye to the future. “We’re looking at replanting,” he said. “It’s the way that people respond to tragedy that really makes the difference. “Around Innisfail, people know each other. They’re related to each other, they went to school with each other, and they help each other,” he said.

Cairns TAFE facilities manager Eddie McKeown, who arrived just hours after Larry hit, was amazed to see the Bruce Highway north of Innisfail crowded with men cutting back fallen trees to carve a path into town. “They just appeared out of nowhere with chainsaws,” he said. “It was extraordinary.”

Len and Anita Oliveri, owners of the deli in Edith St, are the embodiment of the town’s can-do spirit. They kept their stock fresh in a cold room powered by their own generator. By Tuesday, they had established a soup kitchen using their own food, as well as stocks donated by scores of other businesses, and provided free meals for thousands. Yesterday Len had put his brief career as a welfare worker behind him and was back behind the counter, as a businessman. “We’re getting back to normal as quickly as possible.”

Source

Perhaps I should declare an interest: I was born and bred in Innisfail

Posted by jonjayray on Wednesday, March 29, 2006 at 12:26 PM in Race realism
Comments (12) | Tell a friend

Comments:

Posted by starimomak on March 29, 2006, 03:01 PM | #

Similar to the way the ‘Cajuns’ of Louisiana—whom you didn’t hear much about—responded.

I hate to sound like a neocon or a neolibertarian here, but I do think the welfare dependency created by the US did cause some of the problems for blacks in New Orleans.

And of course in the days of segregation, the 14% of blacks that have IQ’s 100 and up would have been living among their kin, and so would have probably provided some capability to organize self-help.

Posted by Søren Renner on March 29, 2006, 03:38 PM | #

Chainsaws! Generators! With enough IQ and petroleum distillates, no disaster is too big! Nothing can hurt us. As long as race-replacement isn’t happening. Or dysgenesis. If we believed the nonsensical hype about “peak oil”, we might worry, though. Thank goodness JJR has soothed the possum with his gentle panpipes, rocking it to sleep in a cozy cradle of Antipodean denial.

Posted by James Bowery on March 29, 2006, 04:21 PM | #

JJR, on the front page only 10 of the 25 posts are attributable to authors other than yourself. I don’t see how you can claim credit for instigating activity here. If anything “bad money drives out good” is more likely. It’s really too bad this site is going to die this kind of death. It had such potential.

Posted by Mark Richardson on March 29, 2006, 04:34 PM | #

JJR, I saw a report on TV which said that locals are even calling for government aid to be stopped as they want local businesses to get back to normal.

There seems to a a proactive, can do attitude to dealing with the situation, which does reflect well on the people of Innisfail.

Posted by Howard Nelson on March 30, 2006, 12:59 AM | #

“Don’t bother to ask whether it is possible, rather ask whether it is necessary. If it is necessary, do it.”

I apologize for not recollecting the source for this principle of living; consider yourself the source.

Posted by jonjayray on March 30, 2006, 01:10 AM | #

“JJR, on the front page only 10 of the 25 posts are attributable to authors other than yourself. I don’t see how you can claim credit for instigating activity here. If anything “bad money drives out good” is more likely. It’s really too bad this site is going to die this kind of death. It had such potential. “

So post more yourself!

Without my posts there would be some days with no posts at all—which is bad for readership

Posted by Fred Scrooby on March 30, 2006, 02:12 AM | #

“Chainsaws! Generators! With enough IQ and petroleum distillates, no disaster is too big! Nothing can hurt us. As long as race-replacement isn’t happening. Or dysgenesis. If we believed the nonsensical hype about ‘peak oil,’ we might worry, though. Thank goodness JJR has soothed the possum with his gentle panpipes, rocking it to sleep in a cozy cradle of Antipodean denial.” (—Søren)

Soren, if you’re taking a little dig there at those who feel more concerned about race-replacement than peak oil, I for one admit to being like that, yes. But it’s not that I disbelieve peak oil or don’t view it as an epoch-making disaster if true. It’s that I think race-replacement is an even worse disaster, the way a person’s death is an even worse disaster than other difficulties he faces. Peak oil puts us in grave difficulty, where race-replacement puts us in the grave (so to speak). That’s my view of the difference. Also, I almost never comment in the peak oil threads because of my really profound ignorance of the subject. I’m totally ignorant of it. I am very much interested in it now that I’ve seen it broached here, and I read all threads and comments on it with keen attention though I lack the knowledge and ideas needed to join in those particular discussions.

On the subject of global warming, on the other hand, I do have quite strong opinions: if global warming is taking place—and no one knows yet if it is—it’s because of natural cycles, not because of CO2 emissions from human activity. (I’m also not saying it’s not because of CO2—only that if it is, it’s not from CO2 generated through human activity.) Just the other day someone here expressed exactly the same view in passing, in another thread—I forget who. I agreed with him completely.

“Without my posts there would be some days with no posts at all—which is bad for readership” (—John Ray responding to James Bowery)

As I’ve said in other threads, I find John Ray’s entries an extremely valuable part of this site. (I just wanted to repeat that, having found James’ comment a bit on the harsh side.) (Not that I haven’t made my share of harsh comments here—I’m probably one of the harsher commenters when I get wound up—but I did find it a bit harsh and undeserved ...)

Posted by Nick Tamiroff on March 30, 2006, 06:05 AM | #

JJR-To those that denigrate your number of posts-FUCKEM!! I peruse this site daily[and somtimes post],but always find your missives worth reading-even if I don’t agree.I usually find that you only bring up subjects that are open to discussion;and not pedantic.[sic] I live in Florida-was hit by two hurricanes in a row last year-those of us who had generators ,ran cable to those that didn’t,shared ice from our freezers,lent gas grills to those who had electric stoves,shared gasoline supplies,etc. But then,I live in a White community,where most familys own guns,and respect individual property rights.Aftermath-no looting,no rapes,assults,or car-jackings,etc. We just got out the chain-saws and bull,patched our roofs,cleared our property,and went to work.White people do that sort of thing-Niggers wait for White people to do it for them.

Posted by Carbon on April 02, 2006, 12:30 AM | #

That reminds me of what my brother said after he got back from boot camp. “I don’t mind black people, it’s just niggers I can’t stand.” I wonder what the average IQ of US immigrants from Ghana is? (certainly not in “nigger” terratory)

Posted by Jim Kale on May 27, 2006, 10:04 AM | #

The population of Innisfail is about 8000. It is not comparable to New Orleans in any way.

True, things wouldn’t have been so bad in New Orleans if the majority of the population wasn’t so poor, and had access to adaquet transportation to evacuate (though still not everyone would have).

That aside, what occured in New Orleans was a catastrophic failure of government on all levels.

And I do mean all levels. What an embarrassing disgrace.

Posted by Fred Scrooby on May 27, 2006, 02:34 PM | #

Jim Kale is working as hard as he can to avoid the topic of race, to keep it buried, not mentioned in any way. I can almost see the smoke coming out of his ears and hear the gears gnashing inside his head, his brain is laboring so hard at it. Jim, you call what happened “an embarrassing disgrace.” You and people like you are the embarrassing disgrace because, frankly, you and people like you are the cause of it all. (I’m assuming you’re white.) Or, leave off the embarrassing part: you’re a disgrace. You don’t embarrass me. What I view with contempt doesn’t embarrass me.

Posted by natalie on October 25, 2006, 01:10 AM | #

excuse me jim. innisfial has alot more then 8000 people living in it.. i am from innisfail. new figures show 25,000 people populate our town. thank you