OK... this tops it all, now it's Racial!

[Shuckins]

Siaf...I feel a great deal of sympathy for the poor who are trapped in New Orleans.  The plight of the children is especially heart-rending.

The states around Mississippi and Louisiana (You wouldn't know it from the focus of the media coverage, but Mississippi has been hit harder than Louisiana) have opened their arms wide to receive the refugees from those two states and are pouring supplies into the stricken zone.

But please make sure your sympathies are not misplaced.  As many working class people of color acknowledge, there is a difference between the genuine poor and the "professional underclass."

Believe me, the media are well acquainted and quite chummy with the latter group and their leaders.  And both of these groups attempt to manipulate the genuine poor for their own political ends.

Regards, Shuckins

[Vulcan]

Originally posted by Mukiwa
pfft that's nothing, check this out

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/randall-robinson/new-orleans_b_6643.html

Please do not open if you suffer from high blood pressure, are not sitting down or have a nervous disposition.

The only thing amazing about this is that someone would be dumb enough to believe it.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by Sandman
Well... the most affected are the poor.

The people with some "safety net" are already out of the area unless they were just too foolish to heed the warnings.


Saw a number somewhere... can't remember where but the estimate is that there are (or were) over 100,000 people in New Orleans that did not possess a car.

By and large, the people in New Orleans at the SuperDome or the Convention center, etc. are probably poor.

Which begs to question...why didn't the Mayor release the buses during the mandantory evacuation?

Also, for Nash...The last 3 days I read one news report where in the past the Feds would match the state dollar for dollar on flood control spending(typical on federally-supported projects, sort of a "state Welfare program for infrastructure)...the state took it to the voters, and the voters turned it down.  I know you're just chomping at the bit to blame this on the feds but it won't fly this time homey.

[kevykev56]

We knew that N.O. would be hit like this. It was only a matter of time. There were preparations planned before. Problem is the planning was way underestimating the disaster that actually fell upon the city.

There is logic in saying that we should have built the levee system stronger. Why didn’t they? For the same reason we haven’t built a net to catch or destroy Meteors from hitting the Earth. The all mighty dollar. To pay for it Taxes would have to be increased, everyone would have been screaming about it.

A meteor hitting the earth is just as sure of occurring as N.O. was of being hit from a Hurricane. The question is when, how long, how bad. Let’s spend 200Billion today and another 50billion a year to support the meteor shield. And if it fails....lets blame (Insert current president of the date meteor hits)...Its all his fault. Is this a program your willing to pay an extra few % in taxes? Most Americans would oppose anything close to this....but its the same thing as the levee system.

We were ill prepared but not unprepared. This disaster is on a massive scale and I have faith in our country to get everyone help. But it isn’t going to happen overnight.

If this happened in any other country around the world would we have seen anything happen sooner? I think the answer would be a big NO. The USA is a strong compassionate country that cares about all its people of any race. If it takes a week for the govt to get food to you count yourself as lucky and say thank you for all your efforts.

[Krusher]

I Agree with rip

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by Nash

There is going to be hell to pay.

Maybe we can learn from other politicized disasters like Hurri Andrew, Nash?

"I don't want to insult your community," Thames says carefully. "But I think that, in certain respects, you're going about things wrong down there. This thing is an act of God–there isn't anyone responsible for it. It's done, and you just have to put it behind you and get on with it. There's always a lot of political hype after a disaster. But when it comes down to clearing away the rubble and debris and getting started on the rebuilding, you'd better do it yourself."  Source: http://reason.com/9301/fe.garvin.shtml

[VOR]

Oh brother...incredible the things some people will believe. Maybe I should say incredible the things some people will convince themselves is true.

Nash, you need to get a grip.

[Ripsnort]

Originally posted by VOR
Oh brother...incredible the things some people will believe. Maybe I should say incredible the things some people will convince themselves is true.

Nash, you need to get a grip.

There are millions of this type have been brainwashed into believing that only Government can help you. Personally responsibility has been replaced with finger pointing and the classic victimization mentality.

[lazs2]

sandie... answered you in another thread..states rights should not be tampered with... they should be strengthened...

nash and skyprancer are the most unhappy on this board about how things are going in America..   they have one other thing in common...

They are not American and know nothing about us.  Oh... I can say "us" because... well... I AM and American.

lazs

[Thrawn]

Originally posted by Ripsnort
Which begs to question...why didn't the Mayor release the buses during the mandantory evacuation?

Did the city own the buses?  I heard that the drivers already evacuated.  Do you really want unqualified drivers on your highway?  On bus could block two lanes.

[Maverick]

Originally posted by Sandman
A lot of things went wrong and it may have been avoidable.

First, the Army Corp of Engineers has been asking for additional funds for DECADES. They knew New Orleans was at risk.

Two, the city knew that a hurricane could do this and yet there was no real evacuation plan.


As for the military moving slowly. Yeah... we've been there. Moving a few hundred or a few thousand men and machinary isn't something that happens overnight. I suspect that we're moving on New Orleans no slower than we moved on Thailand. The difference is the 100 choppers and news casters filling the airwaves with scenes of death and destruction. Oh... and the victims all speak english.

BINGO!!! Give tha man a CEGAR!!!

[soda72]

Originally posted by Ripsnort
Which begs to question...why didn't the Mayor release the buses during the mandantory evacuation?

I'm waiting for someone to explain/answer why the city did not use these buses as resources...  

Seeing all thoses buses unused, makes me beleive that there was no sense of urgency with local officals about the seriousness of the situation..

[Jackal1]

Originally posted by MrCoffee
At least the aid is there now.

You think so? Have you seen the mayor or the Nawlins police superintendant?
The PD chief said his men had been working for 5 days with less than nothing.
This morning the evacuations were stopped with no apparent reason.
People on the outskirts who had access to travelinb by foot or any other means are being held there against their will.

[soda72]

Originally posted by Thrawn
Did the city own the buses?  I heard that the drivers already evacuated.  Do you really want unqualified drivers on your highway?  On bus could block two lanes.

There was a story reported here in Dallas that a twenty year old hot wired a school bus and drove it all the way to Huston...  he picked up stranded people along the way.  They all pooled their money for Gas....

A truely amazing story.....

[Jackal1]

Originally posted by Mukiwa

Please do not open if you suffer from high blood pressure, are not sitting down or have a nervous disposition.

 I agree. The raging laughter might be too much when you read yet another mindless moron using this for an opportunity to promote the ridiculous..