IMHO it seems that it taking way too long for the National Guard or whomever should be on the ground in NOLA and the gulfcoast to get there. I know the Coast Guard is doing 1000s of rescues but as of late last night (1am et) CNN was reporting that they were nowhere to be found.
It looks like the levy and pump system was not up to snuff or maintained over the years and even with several days of warning between the 1st and 2nd landfall that the feds were napping??? :idontno: :idontno:
I know it is hard to get inland (even into the port city) and that there must be some Natl Guardsman there somewhere but it looks like it has taken too long or not well planned. Maybe I am wrong on this and I would appreciate anyone that is in the "know" to set me straight. It seems that people get very desperate after 24-36 hours without help in situations like this. Then the desperation leads to looting, lawlessness, or worse etc. :bang: :bang:
Replies
34
Beach Lover
All of our elected officials need to quit vacationing and watch Tony Zumbado's report on msnbc!!!
Beach Fanatic
Our National Guard couldn't come to the rescue because they are guarding Baghdad while Halliburton lines their pockets rebuilding it. While we're protecting the key assets of the Saudis, our own poorest people are "looting" Walmart for food, water, diapers and other essentials that are the difference between life and death for them. (These are items that would otherwise go on Walmart's inventory insurance claim.) Perhaps our elected officials should think about protecting people who need care and protection the most, that is, poor people who are largely people of color. Tony Lombada's photojournalist report (so dreadful that CNN wouldn't run even a heavily edited version) pretty much says it all. Why was this help so slow in coming, when we watched the horror that was Katrina, sure to make a vicious landing somewhere, for days and days on The Weather Channel?
I have been heartsick all week watching these poor, desperate people. And the truth is that many of them are simply not going to make it, because the help will have arrived too late. I agree with whoever called this a national disgrace. Our friends' daughter, a young doctor at a NO hospital, called in this a.m. to say that the conditions are desperate even in the hospital. Says there is no evidence of humanitarian aid or law enforcement protection whatsoever. She has no idea what will become of the people and staff at the hospital within the next 24 hours and we are extremely concerned about her.
I have been heartsick all week watching these poor, desperate people. And the truth is that many of them are simply not going to make it, because the help will have arrived too late. I agree with whoever called this a national disgrace. Our friends' daughter, a young doctor at a NO hospital, called in this a.m. to say that the conditions are desperate even in the hospital. Says there is no evidence of humanitarian aid or law enforcement protection whatsoever. She has no idea what will become of the people and staff at the hospital within the next 24 hours and we are extremely concerned about her.
Beach Fanatic
I have wetwilly's same question, although I am in stunned horror and have been for days and am scarcely coherent. Sadly, most of the LA guard is over fighting terrorists in Iraq (so they won't have to fight them at home).
We were able to get water to the remotest areas of Indonesia in the tsunami quicker than to New Orleans.
The NOLA police, for whatever reason or motive or cause, essentially allowed people to arm themselves by Monday night, before the rain even stopped. It was no longer a small number of criminals since Tuesday am.
Complicating matters was the complete destruction of communications systems in NOLA. That threw a wrench into the plan.
FEMA has been practicing on NOLA for several years. If this is the best they can come up with, I want my tax dollars back.
This is what happens when the rule of law breaks down. Shocking to see (for me at least), particularly in your backyard. I now own a charming 3 bedroom house (if it is still there) in Bagdhad.
I'm sure the terrorists are taking notes on just how easy it would be....
Lord help us all.
Beach Fanatic
Our National Guard couldn't come to the rescue because they are guarding Baghdad while Halliburton lines their pockets rebuilding it. While we're protecting the key assets of the Saudis, our own poorest people are "looting" Walmart for food, water, diapers and other essentials that are the difference between life and death for them. (These are items that would otherwise go on Walmart's inventory insurance claim.) Perhaps our elected officials should think about protecting people who need care and protection the most, that is, poor people who are largely people of color. Tony Lombada's photojournalist report (so dreadful that CNN wouldn't run even a heavily edited version) pretty much says it all. Why was this help so slow in coming, when we watched the horror that was Katrina, sure to make a vicious landing somewhere, for days and days on The Weather Channel?
I have been heartsick all week watching these poor, desperate people. And the truth is that many of them are simply not going to make it, because the help will have arrived too late. I agree with whoever called this a national disgrace. Our friends' daughter, a young doctor at a NO hospital, called in this a.m. to say that the conditions are desperate even in the hospital. Says there is no evidence of humanitarian aid or law enforcement protection whatsoever. She has no idea what will become of the people and staff at the hospital within the next 24 hours and we are extremely concerned about her.
Amen! In his comments today, W called this catastrophe a "temporary disruption." Please.
Please let us know about your friends' daughter.
Beach Fanatic
News in that helicopters are not flying into NO now because of a report that someone on the ground shot at one. Okay...every time someone fires a gun into the air in Iraq or Afghanistan, we ground all the choppers and tell no one else to go in? We need some perspective here badly.
Beach FanaticAuthor
I will repaste my thoughts on this from my post on the looting thread....
Crazy stuff but a snowball effect. All of sudden now they are say 50,000 National Guard on "in the region" and as many as 100,000 are on "stand by".
I wasn't "getting it" either for a day or two and I fancy myself a pretty quick minded person but then I wondered "where is the US Govt aka the National Guard...?"
A coincidence that they waited 3+ days to bring in personnel in large force to aid and secure the area? You decide for yourself if you can even fathom one of the answers. Think about it....seems like little or no supplies/necessities have been airlifted or dropped in. No a conspiracy theorist by nature but this gross neglect of aid after the strom has me scrathin my chin........my head has been hurting all day not to mention my chin.
I am not drawing any conclusions and am not suggesting anything here....just pondering some inner conflict that has me rattled. Make your own decision on why or how this crisis was allowed to get out of hand. All we individually can do is find a way to help anyone in need and then collectively we will help some get thru this. And in parallel kiss/hug our kids and significant other, appreciate our families and friends more today than yesterday, and thank god that at least we have the future. That is more than alot of the people looting and breaking the law feel that they have to look forward to right now.
Unbelieveable. :pissed: :bang: :idontno:
Crazy stuff but a snowball effect. All of sudden now they are say 50,000 National Guard on "in the region" and as many as 100,000 are on "stand by".
I wasn't "getting it" either for a day or two and I fancy myself a pretty quick minded person but then I wondered "where is the US Govt aka the National Guard...?"
A coincidence that they waited 3+ days to bring in personnel in large force to aid and secure the area? You decide for yourself if you can even fathom one of the answers. Think about it....seems like little or no supplies/necessities have been airlifted or dropped in. No a conspiracy theorist by nature but this gross neglect of aid after the strom has me scrathin my chin........my head has been hurting all day not to mention my chin.
I am not drawing any conclusions and am not suggesting anything here....just pondering some inner conflict that has me rattled. Make your own decision on why or how this crisis was allowed to get out of hand. All we individually can do is find a way to help anyone in need and then collectively we will help some get thru this. And in parallel kiss/hug our kids and significant other, appreciate our families and friends more today than yesterday, and thank god that at least we have the future. That is more than alot of the people looting and breaking the law feel that they have to look forward to right now.
Unbelieveable. :pissed: :bang: :idontno:
Beach Fanatic
There's a guy running a blog from the 10th Floor of an office building on Poydras (downtown business district near Canal St). He has a diesel generator and a handful of people with him but little else. His descriptions are of complete lawlessness, most of the police are looting or deserting. He describes it as something akin to "Planet of the Apes" or "Lord of the Flies".
You can read it at http://mgno.com/ The posts are in reverse chronological order so you have to read from bottom to top and there are multiple pages.
I have just now taken time to read the blog from this website. Everyone should read it--absolutely horrifying. The guy is pleading for active duty military presence immediately as the only hope. I felt like I was reading a Stephen King novel.
got any pics?
News in that helicopters are not flying into NO now because of a report that someone on the ground shot at one. Okay...every time someone fires a gun into the air in Iraq or Afghanistan, we ground all the choppers and tell no one else to go in? We need some perspective here badly.
The choppers that were grounded were not military. They were rescue. The thugs also fired at civilians in their boats trying to rescue people. It is a shame that the govt has to go in with weapons drawn to rescue people and deliver supplies.
Just my .02
River<---no fan of the govt but don't think its their fault--->Otter
Beach Fanatic
By Lolis Eric Elie
Columnist
Years ago, a young South African scholar told me about his trip to America, to Boston, specifically.
I don't know who was in charge of his trip, but either they failed to give him his script or he failed to memorize his lines.
He was supposed to tell me about how wonderful our country is. He was supposed to have been impressed with the vast wealth of this place and with the quality and quantity of the latest technology here.
He was supposed to envy our First World status.
He didn't.
What he remembered from his trip was not our wealth, but our poverty. He was shocked by the slums of Boston.
He wondered about American aid to poor countries. How can you send aid to these places, he asked, when you need such aid in your own poor communities?
What we are watching in New Orleans now is an indictment of our nation.
I can understand why we see refugees in Liberia walking miles in the hope of finding sustenance or safety; often there is little of either in that country. But why are we seeing these same images here?
Do we lack the trains, planes and automobiles to move our people to safety?
I can understand why it takes so much time to get aid halfway across the world, but why does it take so long to get aid to our own Gulf states?
I can understand why lawlessness rules the streets of many poor countries in crisis, but we have a huge standing army. Do we lack the soldiers to police American streets?
I am used to seeing images of desperate people hindering the very relief efforts aimed at saving them. I have seen news reports of refugees looting food shipments. I've even heard of warlords in some countries looting the shipments and then trying to sell food to those so desperate and poor as to be scarcely able to afford it.
But why are we seeing these images and hearing these reports of wanton looting ? by at least one police officer, no less ?in an American city?
I make no excuses for the looters.
What may have started out as a legitimate attempt to secure the most basic of necessities has quickly turned into a nightmarish free-for-all.
But we shouldn't be surprised that the criminal element that terrorizes New Orleans and just about every other major American city, declined to alter its behavior in the midst of this crisis.
I am surprised, however, that our leaders have failed to provide a more adequate and timely response to all of this.
I am surprised that, in light of the current crisis in New Orleans, that the United States of America can be seen to have so much in common with the poorest and most wretched places on earth.
Columnist
Years ago, a young South African scholar told me about his trip to America, to Boston, specifically.
I don't know who was in charge of his trip, but either they failed to give him his script or he failed to memorize his lines.
He was supposed to tell me about how wonderful our country is. He was supposed to have been impressed with the vast wealth of this place and with the quality and quantity of the latest technology here.
He was supposed to envy our First World status.
He didn't.
What he remembered from his trip was not our wealth, but our poverty. He was shocked by the slums of Boston.
He wondered about American aid to poor countries. How can you send aid to these places, he asked, when you need such aid in your own poor communities?
What we are watching in New Orleans now is an indictment of our nation.
I can understand why we see refugees in Liberia walking miles in the hope of finding sustenance or safety; often there is little of either in that country. But why are we seeing these same images here?
Do we lack the trains, planes and automobiles to move our people to safety?
I can understand why it takes so much time to get aid halfway across the world, but why does it take so long to get aid to our own Gulf states?
I can understand why lawlessness rules the streets of many poor countries in crisis, but we have a huge standing army. Do we lack the soldiers to police American streets?
I am used to seeing images of desperate people hindering the very relief efforts aimed at saving them. I have seen news reports of refugees looting food shipments. I've even heard of warlords in some countries looting the shipments and then trying to sell food to those so desperate and poor as to be scarcely able to afford it.
But why are we seeing these images and hearing these reports of wanton looting ? by at least one police officer, no less ?in an American city?
I make no excuses for the looters.
What may have started out as a legitimate attempt to secure the most basic of necessities has quickly turned into a nightmarish free-for-all.
But we shouldn't be surprised that the criminal element that terrorizes New Orleans and just about every other major American city, declined to alter its behavior in the midst of this crisis.
I am surprised, however, that our leaders have failed to provide a more adequate and timely response to all of this.
I am surprised that, in light of the current crisis in New Orleans, that the United States of America can be seen to have so much in common with the poorest and most wretched places on earth.
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