'A scene from Mad Max': Britons reveal horror of the Superdome

[emad]

'A scene from Mad Max': Britons reveal horror of the Superdome
By Matthew Beard
Published: 03 September 2005

A young Briton trapped with his fiancée in the stadium telephoned his father yesterday and pleaded to be rescued, saying that they were in "dreadful danger".

Mark Graydon, 26, had described to his father John Graydon how the stadium, a makeshift home to about 30,000 evacuees from the hurricane, including a group of about 30 Britons, was being run by local mafia. He said that his American fiancée, Gretchen Heiserman, had been threatened with rape.

"He told me he was very concerned about his life and his girlfriend's" said John Graydon from Stanford-le-Hope in Essex, "He said: 'Dad, you have to get us out of here'. He is desperate. They are being seriously intimidated."

Mr Graydon's father added: "He and Gretchen are surrounded by bullies, the local mafia ­ huge threatening men who seem to have taken over the running of the place. There are rumours a couple of women have been raped and he is scared for Gretchen. It's like a scene from Mad Max in there. One man has been beaten up brutally. There are also reports of bodies inside."

http://news.independent.co.uk/world/americas/article309903.ece

[wli]

1. amazing that not one picture has gotten out n/t

[Erika]

2. W has made us the laughing stock of the world

Damn him.

[mhr]

3. We Have All Known For A Long Time That America Is

A Mad Max world teetering on the edge of collapse.

Those closet to the ledge are the poorest and most vulnerable.

In a winner take all world where anarchy prevails, the bullies will rule just like some of the groups we have seen in Iraq.

We created the vast problems in Iraq and now we have a first person view of what that means when all hell breaks loose here as it must with the crazy fundies in control.

This is why some of us have purchased firearms. Not because we are extremist survivalists but because we know what will happen in an America lead to neglect by the likes of Bush.

Remember we have over three years of this man to deal with.

It will not get better.

[Briar]

4. This isn't Mad Max

this is the real world with real people in real need. We don't need some fictitious template slipped over the world to distort our understanding of it. No wonder so many give credence to every wild rumour they hear when they have persuaded themselves they are living out some nasty, violent dream. Yes, humans need narrative to make sense of the world, especially when things of such staggering enormity happen. But we don't need trash S@M narrative to do that job!

[mr blur]

5. No it isn't, but you're missing the point

This is someone trapped in a hellish situation trying to find a reference point to explain their situation to someone they know. Someone who will recognise the reference. This guy isn't trying to persuade himself of anything, he IS "living out some nasty, violent dream", along with thousands of US citizens that the government doesn't seem to give a fuck about.

If this was Mad Max then Mel Gibson would rush in and save everybody, but he seems to have exhausted his self-righteous indignation trying to save Terri Schiavo.

Your anger is misdirected.