The federal response to the situation in New Orleans is rocking me to the core. I mean, I have zero respect for George Bush as a politician, orator, scholar, etc., but I still had a modicum of respect for him as a basic human being until this week. I have never seen such a blatant display of classism and racism exhibited by Washington in my lifetime, and it's literally making me sick to my stomach. People waiting three days for a bus? FIVE DAYS for food??? DYING on the sidewalk????? Yep, this is the American government in 2005. Bravo. But then again, 51% of the population re-elected the man. My heart truly goes out to the other 49%.

I couldn't agree more Tanisha. My feelings have been a mix of terrible sadness for the innocent victims caught in such a tragic circumstance and anger at the utter failure of the applicable federal US agencies to respond effectively and quickly.

Yay for Ray Nagin (NO mayor) for calling it like it is.

Yay for the relief workers working onsite tirelessly and courageously, who's numbers, through no fault of their own, have been horribly insufficient to the task at hand.

...jim

Did you see Bush and his photo-op yesterday? The hurricane was last Sunday, and he shows up on Friday saying "we'll spend some money to clean this up". Oh gee, how nice of you! I hate, hate, hate to still see race play a role in things like this, but only the naivest of people could actually believe that had this happened along a part of the U.S. coast housing richer, whiter folks that the response would have the same. The National Guard would have been deployed [i:6decfd0117]immediately[/i:6decfd0117].

There's been talk of the disparity in the media between the terminology used to describe whites and blacks doing exactly the same thing in this horrific situation, and i've seen it first hand. Black people are "looting" while white people are "desperately searching for food and clothing". Another thing that's irritating me is the use of the term "refugees" to describe the hurricane survivors. Maybe I'm wrong, but I seriously doubt that that would be the word used if the throngs of people we were seeing were white. They would be called "Americans" and "displaced citizens" at every turn, to highlight the disgrace of what they were experiencing. But African-Americans are "refugees"?

These people are not fresh off the boat from a war-torn nation. They people pay taxes to the U.S. government, they sing the same anthem and salute the same flag. These people are Americans, being treated worse that a kennel of dogs. It's almost too much to believe. These people should file a civil suit against the federal government the likes of which has never been seen. Three cheers to Ray Nagin for his comments, and did anyone see Kanye West last night? "George Bush doesn't care about black people," he said as poor Mike Myers stood beside him like a deer in the headlights. But you know what? I applaud him for having the guts to say live and on-camera what others were thinking but wouldn't say.

And yes, those valiantly trying to provide aid with no reinforcements are the real heroes in this situation. Thank God there are still angels among us.

I have to agree with you both ... It seems that despite all this terrible stuff that's happening, Bush's first concerns were 1) The economy, 2) the amount it would cost (actually making the point of getting house approval of the 10.5 billion) and 3) the oil wells off the coast. His response, as usual, has been to throw money at it in the hopes it will get better.

On the topic of classism -- a number of reports have stated that police and troops were assisting Ritz hotel employees in stealing from drugstores and grocery stores to provide supplies to those staying in the hotel.... while everyone else was often forced at gunpoint to *stop* doing the exact same thing.


As for the title of this post though -- "Disheartened, Dillusioned, Disgusted & Depressed" -- I can't say I'm many of those things. I never had any encouragement/hope for this adminstration, I certainly had no illusions, and well disgusting and depressing parts have always been there for me. I hope that if anything positive comes out of this, that Americans (or at least some of them) lose their undying faith in media and the divine power of their leaders and demand change. For so long (first through the cold-war, and now the war on terror) anything less than kneel-down-and-obey has been deemed un-American and most Americans have accepted that on the understanding that big brother would provide for them when they really needed it. Hopefully this will be the last time the US Government betrays its citizens, but sadly I hold very little hope that that will be the case.

The thing that gets me, is when Asia had the huge tsunami at the end of last year, they didn't fall into such terrible shape as New orleans (in terms of how the survivors acted). Rebel groups within indonesia promised to stop fighting and help supplies get to those who needed it. The countries hit by the tsunami were already dealing with third world conditions, yet the moment the event struck, everyone realized they had to work together.

A hurricane rips into New Orleans, and suddenly it's the apocalypse over there. If you watch the clips of people that are looting, it's not for supplies to survive, they're grabbing televisions and anything worth monetary value. And now there's violent attacks going on, people stealing guns from stores and forming gangs. Martial Law has been declared over there, with shoot-to-kill policy. This, in the most powerful country in the world?
In one newspaper article I was reading, Wal-Mart trucks were lined up ready to deliver supplies to help, but authorities told them they'd just be ripped apart if they drove into New Orleans.

What would cause such a difference in reaction to tragedy, where one group attempts to work together, while another group starts slitting each other's throats? The hurricane isn't even on the radar when compared to the tsunami, yet it has turned into a gong show. It's disgusting to think about.

Actually much of this is inaccurate, but I don't even blame people for having misinformation due to a lot ot the incomplete reporting coming from certain news outlets.

First of all, every major city has a criminal element. New Orleans had one of the highest crime rates in the country at the best of times, yet no one seems to realize that the majority of the crime being committed now is by the [i:78cf0f438d]same gangs and thugs who committed it pre-hurricane[/i:78cf0f438d]. However with the police now focussed on something else, they're bolder and more brazen. Of course they will try to impede the entrance of those attempting to restore order. As long as there's no order, they can run rampant with their lawnessness. It's a lot easier to sexually assault someone if you can just do it on the sidewalk instead of having to break into their house. It isn't the everyday citizens of New Orleans who are raping and murdering; it's the rapists and murderers of New Orleans.

As for the innocent citizens who have stolen, aid workers and reporters on the ground have said that the overwhelming number of them have been stealing food and clothing for themselves and their children because no one was bringing them any. There were also reporting of certain police officers actually escorting white citizens into stores and allowing them to take a small ration of food, while blocking the doors to blacks who wanted to do the same. With regard to the stealing of TVs and the like, people have been having knee-jerk reactions instead of thinking logically. What does someone who no longer has a home, has no access to electricity and hasn't eaten in days want with a television? What the mainstream North American networks haven't been reporting, but what was reported honestly on the BBC, is that a small number of people have been stealing TVs and stereos and other items with monetary value, but then walking in some cases miles to areas of the city where residences and businesses are still standing, and attempting to [i:78cf0f438d]sell[/i:78cf0f438d] those items for money to purchase food. But it's much more sensational, and it attempts to excuse the government's inaction, to say that the city is being overrun by evacuees who are out of control.

I agree that comparisons to the tsunami are inappropriate, but inevitable. This is the worst that the U.S. has seen and while it may not be on the same scope as what happened in Southeast Asia, I think it's insensitive to make comments about it being unjustifiably treated like an "apocalypse" when it is most definitely catastrophic. These people have suffered tremendously and will continue to suffer for some time. When people are sitting on the street holding their young children, and not being able to give them food for four days unless they walk into a store and take it themselves, that is catastrophic in the United States. When people are stepping over dead bodies covered by sheets and it still takes another two days for help to arrive, that [i:78cf0f438d]is[/i:78cf0f438d] catastrophic. Word now is that the death toll is indeed in the thousands. It's a very sad situation, one that is not being helped by the abundance of dishonesty and denial coming from the government and in some cases the media.

very well said tanisha.

White or black or anything in between, people throughout the world will resort to desperate acts in desperate situations. I'm not referring to the criminals, but rather the regular citizens of New Orleans taking whatever steps they can to get some food, some water, some help for themselves, their neighbours and their families.

I can absolutely guarantee you that I would take the same steps in a second to feed/shelter/protect my kids. Not a seconds hesitation.

Katrina and its aftermath certainly qualifies as one of the worst modern-day natural disasters to hit a western nation. The response by the responsible agencies and leaders is nothing short of one of the most shameful.

...jim

Uh....I think my post might have been taken in the wrong way. I wasn't trying to say that the entire populace of New Orleans had turned into thugs. Obviously, after any major disaster, people will try and find whatever they can to help survive. I was talking in regards to the gangs running rampant.

To expect survivors to just sit there and do nothing is quite cold. So it's to be expected that shops will be broken into and the such. The news channels have been covering the event in a sensational manner, so if you [i:3bab742cd9]were[/i:3bab742cd9] to turn on your tv to CNN, and not know that a hurricane had ripped through there, it would sound pretty much like an apocalypse within the city (in the way that it is being covered).

As for moments of racism (such as your example of police only allowing white citizens to enter the stores), that will explode into a human rights issue in no time.

I don't think its insensitive to compare the two situations of the tsunami and hurricane (referring to the events in the city as the apocalypse, okay, bad taste), but if you look at how the two events have been handled, there is a major difference. To compare the [b:3bab742cd9]suffering[/b:3bab742cd9] would be insensitive. The fact that this is one of the worst natural disasters the US has seen does not dismiss it from how it has acted in handling the situation. It has one of the largest standing armies in the world, yet it took days for troops to be sent. And some of the troops that have arrived, have only just returned from Iraq. You would think that they could have moved in more quickly to help (I'm not blaming the troops, blaming the governent). because of the inaction, many people have died.

[quote:81c21e97ea]Yay for Ray Nagin (NO mayor) for calling it like it is.[/quote:81c21e97ea]

I'm sorry, but I cannot have any respect for this man after what happened pre-hurricane. Experts knew the hurricane was coming New Orleans' way, and even though it became a Class 5 fairly quickly, everyone knew after Florida that it was headed for NOLA and that if it hit directly it would be DEVASTATING. Yet he waited until ridiculously close to the hurricane hitting land (less than 24 hours prior) to order a mandatory evacuation! And he only issued one then because someone at National Hurricane Director Max Mayfield called him at his HOME to PLEAD with him to evacuate everyone, followed by the President personally appealing for one. Had the evacuation began as soon as it was known the hurricane would likely hit the New Orleans area, many more people who had no means to get out likely would have found a way out.

Apparently the New Orleans evacuation policy also requires a 72-hour notice to evacuees. Also, there were TONS of city and school buses available to get people out (instead of sending them to the Superdome, which was clearly not going to be good enough even beforehand), and the use of them is also in the city's evacuation plans.

Yeah, FEMA's been ridiculously incompitent over the last week. But most of this crap wouldn't have even happened if everyone had gotten out.

actually, it WASN'T known that the hurricane was headed to New Orleans until less than a day before it hit. there [i:48096d6fe1]was[/i:48096d6fe1] a 72- hour notice voluntary evacuation already underway when meteorology reports illustrated that Katrina had veered off her projected path and was following a wider arc than first anticipated, sending it in the direction of New Orleans. after it was reported to Ray Nagin that NO was facing the possibility of a direct hit, as opposed to just the effects of a hit on Mississippi, he did order a mandatory evacuation. those with the means of leaving left, but those without were unable to get out in time. with the storm so close, it would have been irresponsible to get thousands of people on city buses and start driving with a hurricane at your back. the Superdome had survived numerous hurricanes in the past and it was reasonable to assume that the citizens would be safer there than on buses that could face the possibility of being met with flash floods while on the road.

[quote:3f82138afd="New Orleans Times-Picayune"]On Saturday at 7 p.m., the Hurricane Center placed the storm 360 miles southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River, with winds of 115 mph. The forecast projected the storm sweeping directly over the city.

Nagin said late Saturday that he's having his legal staff look into whether he can order a mandatory evacuation of the city, a step he's been hesitant to do because of potential liability on the part of the city for closing hotels and other businesses.[/quote:3f82138afd]

Yes, he didn't know 72 hours before the storm hit, but he did know about 15-18 hours before he issued the evacuation that it was coming straight for New Orleans. Unfortunately � just like it's awful that Bush is caring more about the oil reserves and the economy in the wake of the storm than getting the people out � Nagin seemed to have cared more about possible legal ramifications (which is why, in the end 15 hours later he didn't make the evacuation mandatory for hotel owners and a few others) than getting people to safety.

"The federal response to the situation in New Orleans is rocking me to the core."

heh, well, im afraid it doesnt get any better.

When you realize what it actually means, that the United States Government not only had PRIOR KNOWLEDGE of Pearl Harbour(thats the History Channel and all other mainstream sources), they actually used two Atomic Bombs on the Japanese as retaliation killing so many people all at once, the fact the God herself didnt come down here and Smote those f#%k faces instantly, just, well, i wont say it disappoints me cuz im just starting to grasp things, but ill say, heavy way to make a point, all the way around!


the bottom line, is that we arent taking care of ourselves anymore. could any amount of preparedness by the government have saved more people? maybe. could more people have saved themselves by simply making sure they were prepared for such a thing?

its just unfortunate that we live in a world where we're actually that close to such a catastrophic level of tragedy - a world where people are placing themselves in harms way because it makes the flow of money, more fluidlike


if that doesnt sit well, i dont think yer gonna like the "money isnt real" pill much, either

I think this about says it all;

Here's What Gets Me


:x


...jim

uhhh this is Bush's second run in office - to say its a sudden surprise that the guy is a physical representation of some dudes evil Magick, that he has no heart, and that 'his eyes are gonna glow red in the very near future' is uhhhh - well, extremely tardy to say the least

uhhhh do we remember who his ahemCarlylecoughhack Father is? George Bush Prince of Darkness over Iraq Sr?

but, whatever - some ladys 10,000 word diatribe on how Bush failed New Orleans is a distraction to me(i got about half way through) - i do not wish to prostitute my time or magickal energy, to activities that do not medicate the ailment, so to speak


why didnt thousands of people get in cars and go down there and help out? who knows?

its what Bill Hicks, bless his soul, may Cosmic Mom have him tended to for eternity, would call a 'fevered debate' about, 's#@t'

the Americans voted Bush in the second time too - they gotta sleep in their bed now.....hopefully(tho sadly i know this is not so at this time) the next dirt bag corporate/bank/luciferian whack job they elect "Most Powerful Man on Earth", will have a tendency to like flowers n stuff


i like flowers n stuff.....