I've heard many people - at Elmwood Avenue cafes, suburban refugees and recently some Buffalo ex-pats now gainfully employed and loving life in Charlotte - describe Buffalo's East Side in terms reminiscent of bombed out Beirut, a world away in Lebanon. I've heard Postal Service employees refer to everything East of the Linwood Avenue line as "Beirut"...
So, here's a suggestion - thinking out loud now - why not contract with Hezbollah to rebuild the hollowed out portions of Buffalo's East Side? You know the urban prairie and 1000's of burned out, abandoned and vacant places that make the City's East Side a no-go zone for most of Buffalo. Infact the New York Times, yesterday, had a piece about the efficacy of Hezbollah's capacity to meet the needs of the Lebanese population. I also heard a real pundit, on talk radio today, suggest that Hezbollah should replace FEMA as the first responder to places like Katrina ravaged New Orleans...
So, here's a suggestion - thinking out loud now - why not contract with Hezbollah to rebuild the hollowed out portions of Buffalo's East Side? You know the urban prairie and 1000's of burned out, abandoned and vacant places that make the City's East Side a no-go zone for most of Buffalo. Infact the New York Times, yesterday, had a piece about the efficacy of Hezbollah's capacity to meet the needs of the Lebanese population. I also heard a real pundit, on talk radio today, suggest that Hezbollah should replace FEMA as the first responder to places like Katrina ravaged New Orleans...
If Hezbollah can rebuild Beirut, think of what they might do for Buffalo...
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Artspace Archive • Annals of Neglect • BAVPA • Where is Perrysburg? • Broken Promises...
Writing the City • Woodlawn Row Houses • Tour dé Neglect - 2006 • faq
Artspace Archive • Annals of Neglect • BAVPA • Where is Perrysburg? • Broken Promises...
Writing the City • Woodlawn Row Houses • Tour dé Neglect - 2006 • faq
That "war zone" Beirut comparison really bugs me. Parts of the East Side are less than idyllic but they're also hardly a war zone. I am inspired by the Vietnamese refugee who settled near Broadway, someone of age to have survived the Vietnam War (or, the American War, as they called it there). He lived througha real war. His description of Buffalo? "Most peaceful big city." The article can be found in the Buffalo News archive.
Come see the not-so-desolate east side for Bloggercon V
anon...
My commentary is also (not) inspired by the recent writing of Bernard Henri Levy here - Woe is Moi - that I linked to in January.
Love the French. I still do.
btw...are the French still involved in Lebanon or did they already pull out?
Derek...
I've lived on the City's East Side for 10 years - it's becoming more desolate, actually hollowed out is more accurate, everyday.
Not drinking the cool-aid from BP are you?