The Humbling of a Superpower
I’ve been watching the news of the damage of Hurricane Katrina this week and I’ve been amazed at how quickly civilisation can be turned into anarchy.
From My Way News
“We have individuals who are getting raped, we have individuals who are getting beaten,” Compass said. “Tourists are walking in that direction and they are getting preyed upon.”
Col. Henry Whitehorn, chief of the Louisiana State Police, said he heard of numerous instances of New Orleans police officers – many of whom from flooded areas – turning in their badges.
“They indicated that they had lost everything and didn’t feel that it was worth them going back to take fire from looters and losing their lives,” Whitehorn said.
Here are some of the better articles:
The slow response is so incredible to me. The people on the streets is one major hurdle, but there are people in hospitals as well that are dying because even they don’t have food or water, not to mention electricity. They are trying to airlift people on respirators out to Houston, but all transportation routes are either under water, or sustained such heavy damage that they can’t be used. Now, even the helicopters being flown in trying to help people are “being shot at”, and having to abandon their relief efforts. No cars, no trains, no planes, no phones (land lines or cell), no electricity, no water, no food, N.O.T.H.I.N.G People are being bussed out of New Orleans into Houston, but then what happens once they are there? People that survived the hurricane are actually dying on the streets. It’s sickening and the pictures of the people on the streets sitting with their children, or elderly parents is heart breaking. The media is branding the “looters” as “thugs”, but they are only trying to survive in unimaginable conditions. Crazy world, and it seems to get crazier.
Hi Lori. Yes its mad isn’t it. And unfortunatly the government was told this could happen and it could have been prevented.
http://english.ohmynews.com/articleview/article_view.asp?no=246092&rel_no=1
Even the British TV reporter said that conditions were worse than he had seen in Afghanistan and Iraq.
Bush’s policies of ignoring and damaging the environment, the fact that most of the home guard are in Iraq fighting some kind of misinformed war and the fact that nothing is actually being done will hopefully decrease Bush’s support in the Southern red states and may mean he could leave before his term. Lets hope so.
Man, I’d hate to be in Louisiana now.
For ten years the Senators and Governors of Louisiana were fighting for money to repair their levy system and each year their state budget was reduced instead of increased. They were told the money was going to “homeland security”. Whole lot of good that’s done! The thing is, it’s not just Louisiana either. It’s Mississippi, Gulfport and Biloxi are demolished. People are focusing on New Orleans because it’s a major city, it’s under water, and granted, the situation there is dire, but we are talking hundreds of thousands of people across the south who are homeless now.
Bush is a lame duck. He can’t run for another term, so he doesn’t care what he does, which makes for a very dangerous man. Don’t get me started on his environmental policies or even the war in Iraq, which my son’s dad got sent to fight last Saturday. He is a reservist…hasn’t been active duty in at least 15 years. Either way, there is a petition to impeach Bush on the web, and it has (at last check) over 535,000 signatures. http://www.impeachbush.org
You should have heard the response from the FEMA guy this morning on the news. The interviewer was asking him why supplies weren’t getting through when on Monday he said they were adequately supplied. The guy’s response…..”supplies are getting through”. Really?? Then why are people dying? Then he just danced around until the interviewer cut him off.
I don’t like Bush, but I have to wonder whether the blame can fairly be left at his door. The ‘piss up in a brewery’ proverb seems inappropriate, and I just watch the news and shake my head in shame.
Okay, I’ve just heard some of Bush’s quotes about the levee failure likelihood etc. and I retract my previous comment.
Here is a link to the newspaper where I work. There is extensive coverage on the hurricane and relief efforts.
http://www.csindy.com