Mayor Ray Nagin: "Get off your asses"

[techumseh]

Originally posted by Theben


I don't believe that, or that class distinctions were involved. It's not about class, race, or whatever else someone can come up with. No, it's a lot worse: simple incompetence, from Bush through Congress to FEMA.

Let's face it: a city was being evacuated, fer chrissakes. THAT was when the feds should've thought to themselves, "This is big. We need to prepare." SUNDAY, not ****ing Monday, or Tuesday, or later than that. They should've had Norfolk on alert and a hUGE army of engineers, aid workers, and police/guards called in from around the country and stationed well west of projected landfall, then sent in as the storm passed.

But they didn't. IMO, the entire congress and admin should be impreached. Better yet, drop them off in the middle of NO.

All true. The question is why not? If this was a wealthy, white and Republican city, would it have been different? Search your soul for the answer.

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by techumseh All true. The question is why not? If this was a wealthy, white and Republican city, would it have been different? Search your soul for the answer.

There are no wealthy, white Republican cities. For the most part, wealthy people don't live in cities, they live in exclusive suburban neigborhoods outside the city. This includes black and white rich people. White people aren't as prevelant in these N.O. scenes because most poor whites live in rural areas. The majority of urban poor are non-white, but the majority of poor nationwide are rural whites. I bet that there would have been littlle national response if a similar disaster befell rural Kentucky or rural West Virginia, because no one would give a ****. That's what my soul tells me. After all, at least N.O. is a major city that has added culturally to American society. West Virginia and Kentucky are just full of poor, stupid, ugly white people with nothing to add to the country.

[techumseh]

Racism in news coverage

Yahoo has removed pictures of white people looting with captions indicating that they were "finding food", at the request of AFP, one of the largest journalistic photo agencies. There has been a major controversy over news agencies publishing photos of whites "finding food" vs. those of blacks "looting". This is seen as evidence of a racist bias of the US news media. http://news.yahoo.com/page/photostatement

[Theben]

Originally posted by techumseh


All true. The question is why not? If this was a wealthy, white and Republican city, would it have been different? Search your soul for the answer.

The tourists who stayed behind were obviously wealthy enough to travel, which is why I don't think race or class is an answer.

After all, poor people still can vote.

[Jon Miller]

definitely, I am really pissed off

and I would imagine that blacks are more so..

JM

[techumseh]

Originally posted by Theben


The tourists who stayed behind were obviously wealthy enough to travel, which is why I don't think race or class is an answer.

After all, poor people still can vote.

Pretty librul answer, for a dancing revolutionary!

[notyoueither]

You were expecting the party line?

[Jon Miller]

what I am amazed by is the number of people who seem to not really care..

even if you are selfish, this is going to turn your life upside down...

I wish Ihad gotten off my ass earlier, I could have gone and help..

right now I still want to help, not sure how (I think I will when I find out how..)

Jon Miller

[Jon Miller]

there is always donating..

http://www.networkforgood.org/topics/animal_environ/hurricanes/?source=CNN&cmpgn=CRS

JM

[Colonâ„¢]

To be fair, this post probably won't be contributing much to this discussion, but as far as I'm concerned the US has been left looking like a banana-republic with Bush as monkey in chief.

[notyoueither]

Unfortunately true.

More unfortunately, people have been let down all along the way. From mayors and governors not spending money to evacuate people before hand, to police officers deserting their posts, or worse, joining in the general mayhem, to the FEMA head not knowing what was going on.

I don't often agree with writers from the Star, but disgrace is the only word I can come up with.

[techumseh]

Originally posted by notyoueither
You were expecting the party line?

Is there one?

[MOBIUS]

The big disconnect on New Orleans



I don't think I've seen anyone less in touch with reality than Michael Brown, FEMA chief!!?

Except some of the posters in this thread that are actually defending the authorities' response...

[lightblue]

The loger this takes the worse it gets. This is an obvious thing to say, but with temperatures well over 30C all the bodies will rotting very fast if they don't get recovered soon. It's a disease epidemic waiting to happen. Oh and standing water will no doubt breed mosquitoes, things like malaria, dengue or west nile might make an appearance as well.

[Ted Striker]

Originally posted by DanS
For all we knew on Monday, New Orleans was fine.

You can't be serious?????