The Observer's nutty columnist, DOUG ROBARCHEK has struck again.
Hey Doug - WE GOT 'EM -
New Orleans doesn't need insecurity
DOUG ROBARCHEK
New Orleans is a nice town. We've always liked it.
We like the fact that it is what it is: a big X-rated Disneyland run for the sole purpose of separating tourists from their bucks. It's very efficient.
We also like the real city there, the old, historic European city of people going about the daily business of living.
That's why we were so surprised at how insecure and defensive some residents are.
Oh, every town has losers with nothing to do but stand guard, ready to overreact to any slight, real or imagined. But, as the Hornets' soap opera progressed, we were surprised at the e-mailed outrage over our gentle jibes.
If we implied that the bars on Bourbon Street used shills to drum up business, the response was swift and intellectual: Charlotte stinks.
If we said New Orleans never was a hotbed of NBA enthusiasm, we were cut down with rapierlike logic: Oh yeah? Well, Charlotte really stinks.
And if we questioned whether New Orleans made a smart deal with its heavy subsidies to the team, our argument was instantly refuted: Charlotte stinks bad.
In fact, we're thinking that, by golly, maybe George and Ray are getting the following they deserve. And vice versa.
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The ideas and opinions expressed in OutFront are not necessarily those of The Observer or Knight Ridder Newspapers Inc. Or the cast of "The Love Boat," or Lyle Bettger, or Mr. Philbrick, our ninth-grade civics teacher. Or anybody, including us. Hell, we just like to stir things up sometimes.