I am so Angry

[tybee204]

I bolded something I'm questioning. Why didn't the governor do this herself? Does anyone know?


Thanks for the info on CRAF. I've never heard of it before. I still think it's unlikely to be used for hurricane evacuations but I could be wrong. I think I was once ... but I could be mistaken.

She did:

Several states ready and willing to send National Guard troops to the rescue in New Orleans didn't get the go-ahead until days after the storm struck — a delay nearly certain to be investigated by Congress.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco help from his state's National Guard last Sunday, the day before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Blanco accepted, but paperwork needed to get the troops en route didn't come from Washington until late Thursday.

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Yes those with nice cars were able to evacuate. Of course one must have an income of more then $8,000 a year to have a nice car. Now explain how 2 80+ year old people with physical ailments and no ability to drive were suppose to escape New Orleans? Hire a cab to drive them to Baton Rouge for $1,000? Last evac I spent 14 hours on I-16 trying to go from Savannah to Atlanta. The evac cost me over $2000 from start to finish. People simply do not understand what it takes to evacuate a family along with a million other people to find safe haven.

Sell something from your home to pay to evacuate? To who? Everyone is leaving all of there personal possession behind to evacuate. Who the hell do you think is gonna buy a TV or VCR 24 hours before a hurricane hits?

This is an emergency evacuation. Does the city not have a ride situation for poor people in these cases? That's the city's responsibility.

I was not speaking about EVERY SINGLE PERSON.

There were a lot of people who had family, friends or someone who could've helped them.
In dire times like this, were there really no people who would've helped them to find some place to go?
I find it hard to believe that this is the case for every single person who was still behind.

You said: People simply do not understand what it takes to evacuate a family along with a million other people to find safe haven.

If people do not understand it, then why is it so hard to believe that the rescue for thousands of people isn't so easy??

 

[Ntegrity]

She did:

Several states ready and willing to send National Guard troops to the rescue in New Orleans didn't get the go-ahead until days after the storm struck — a delay nearly certain to be investigated by Congress.

New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson offered Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco help from his state's National Guard last Sunday, the day before Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana. Blanco accepted, but paperwork needed to get the troops en route didn't come from Washington until late Thursday.

I read that, but the part I'm questioning is why she didn't active the Guard in her own state. She had that power. It was only Guardsmen in other states she had to request approval for.

 

[concernedperson]

I read that, but the part I'm questioning is why she didn't active the Guard in her own state. She had that power. It was only Guardsmen in other states she had to request approval for.

A falling down on the job?

 

[PrayersForMaura]

Katrina hit Monday morning and lasted all day (even here in Florida). The levees broke Tuesday and flooded the city. On Wednesday, Bush asked Congress for $10.5 billion in aid. Aside from putting his hip waders on, what more should he have done?

thank you.
It's nice when people can see the facts.

 

[tybee204]

This is an emergency evacuation. Does the city not have a ride situation for poor people in these cases? That's the city's responsibility.

I was not speaking about EVERY SINGLE PERSON.

There were a lot of people who had family, friends or someone who could've helped them.
In dire times like this, were there really no people who would've helped them to find some place to go?
I find it hard to believe that is the case for every single person who was still behind.

You said: People simply do not understand what it takes to evacuate a family along with a million other people to find safe haven.

If people do not understand it, then why is it so hard to believe that the rescue for thousands of people isn't so easy??

New Orleans has a huge population living below poverty level .

I dont imply it should be easy. My expectation was that with the full resources of the United States of America people within the City should have had access to food, water and medical supplies while the evacuation was being expedited. No food, no water and no medical treatement for dying Americans is absolutley not exceptable with the resources available in this Country.

 

[dakini]

I don't like to play the blame game. I find it very draining to continually read such pettiness and negativity, much less participate in it.

Ah. That explains it.

 

[Mabel]

you know what, like a few other nameless posters, you have specifically picked on me and my posts since I have posted in another particular forum. But whatever.

I think you are completely misunderstanding me, as my original post wasn't even directed to you or necessarily to people at websleuths. It was to people who keep b*tching about the gov't.

I DO care about these people. I happen to personally know people who have lost their homes there and my work has lost one of our offices there as well as our employees losing their homes there, so please pipe down on me a little bit, please.

I have donated money and am in the process of adopting a pet from a person who lost their home in NO due to this disaster.

I am very concerned for the elderly. Very concerned.
I am very concerned for those who may still be in their homes, dying.
I know their are military helicopters flying overhead trying to find peopel on rooftops. It's a mess. What's the best way to solve this?? Does anyone really know?

I have compassion, I am concerned for those left behind and I care about them getting out safely, but I will NOT criticize the rescue efforts.
They are doing their best right now.

I'm not picking on you. I disagree with the things you've been posting. Should I single you out as someone whose posts I should ignore? I've never accused you of lacking compassion. Understanding, perhaps, but not compassion.

If your posts aren't directed to the people who post at Websleuths, to whom are you posting?

 

[tybee204]

I read that, but the part I'm questioning is why she didn't active the Guard in her own state. She had that power. It was only Guardsmen in other states she had to request approval for.

50% ( i think that is the amount) of Louisana National Guard is in Irag. The affected area in Louisana is huge. Not bringing in as many as may have been available to her immediatly is her shortcoming. As I have said, this mess starts at the bottem and works its way up.

 

[nanandjim]

...I've never accused you of lacking compassion. Understanding, perhaps, but not compassion...

Hmmmm...Is this coming from a poster who was defending the looters, insisting that they were human, too, and should also be rescued?? :waitasec:

 

[tybee204]

Lets try to keep the posts on topic and not on the posters please.

 

[Details]

This is an excellent article on triage - I really agree with this: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9178815/site/newsweek/

Where have we gleaned the arrogant belief that if we suffer from a natural disaster, it must always somebody’s fault? We must all face the grim but inescapable fact that there are some times and some places where the need you face is simply greater than the resources you have at that moment or even days after that moment or even weeks after that moment, and thus agonizing decisions must be made. Triage is a way to make those decisions on the allocation of scarce lifesaving resources that does not stop the tears, but at least it stops the feeling that you did not just throw up your hands and give up.

The point now is that any finger-pointing must be mollified by a good dose of trust, humility and patience. Just because we see a helicopter on the news flying over a group of victims here does not mean that the helicopter is not following a triage decision to save a group of more needy victims there. Triage is where morality meets reality. It is precisely at times of chaos that morally informed but tough-minded triage decisions must be made, otherwise morality is simply a dilettante’s luxury and a mere intellectual puzzle for the philosophy classroom, but irrelevant on the street.

When you are the one that triage decides doesn't need to be rescued immediately, it seems heartless, but triage saves the most people possible. First, those whose lives can be saved that are in immediate danger. Second those who are affected, but don't need immediate rescue. Third, those who will most likely die whether or not rescue reaches them. It's cold and hard, and the best way to save the most people possible.

 

[PrayersForMaura]

New Orleans has a huge population living below poverty level .

I dont imply it should be easy. My expectation was that with the full resources of the United States of America people within the City should have had access to food, water and medical supplies while the evacuation was being expedited. No food, no water and mo medical treatement for dying Americans is absolutley not exeptable withe the resources available in this Country.

Supplies were getting to people on Wednesday by LE ...
The city was flooded Tuesday ... many people were getting rescued Wednesday and Thursday ... it's unfortunate how long it took, but there's no plane, train or automobile that holds 20,000+ people plus that could get to where they were...
people are scattered everywhere. There's a lot of things getting in the way of getting to some people and the rescuers are doing the best they can.
People are being airlifted from rooftops. It's a slow process.

I can't imagine being without a toilet, water and food for 24 hours much less 4 to 5 days. I am completely saddened. I have co workers who lost everything and know of people whose family members are unaccounted for ...
it's a disaster. No one expected that this would happen.
People are doing a lot to help and I don't think that those who are rescuing and the military who are there helping should be made to feel that they didn't get there fast enough.

It's unfortunate all the way around. It really is. But how fast would've been fast enough? How should the support have gotten there? Plane? Bus? Helicopter? The damage had to be assessed, the safety, the surveying of the area. Computer programs set up to log people who were found, people who were missing. Maps of the streets. Layouts of neighborhoods. Were houses missed? People still there? Who do we save first?

Even though I write that some peopel could've gotten out of the city, I don't know that I could go to sleep with a good conscience blaming anyone, when we really don't know the real why, and who was saved and everything. We don't know the whole story ... only what the media is telling us.

But my friend's father is a camerman and he is there, and at least I will be able to get some firsthand info.

I don't mean to go off topic here, but there was a story in our local papers about a little girl whose daddy was in iraq and she was writing him letters to come and people were sending her money... this went on for quite a while.
Now, it's been revealed that this story was a hoax. Her dad isn't even in Iraq. The reporters were even duped.

Now I know this isn't the case with the story in NO, but it's just so hard to believe everything, and I'm sorry if I offend anyone but I just get skeptical sometimes ... I see and know a lot by my own accord and being curious, but there is so much much more that I don't see and know about a helluva lot more. So, for example, I read here, learn from others, watch the news, and try to trust the people telling the stories.

The Army man yesterday was trying to correct something and Fox news cut him off. I wanted to hear what he had to say. I learn a lot from the media and we need to be able to trust them

I don't mean to come across like I don't care about these people wthout homes and all that. I don't know how I am coming across. I care more about other people than I do myself. I worry about people to the point that I can't sleep.

So it's easy for me to judge your posts and you to judge mine, but we're probably all here for the same reason. We all care about these people.
It's a tragedy.

So I am sorry if I offended you.

 

[dakini]

Hmmmm...Is this coming from a poster who was defending the looters, insisting that they were human, too, and should also be rescued?? :waitasec:

Even the looters are human beings.

 

[Mabel]

Hmmmm...Is this coming from a poster who was defending the looters, insisting that they were human, too, and should also be rescued?? :waitasec:

At that time the reports of looters involved taking food and supplies. Not guns, rapes, and murderers. Yes, I still believe that everyone should be rescued if possible, even if it is to toss them in jail.

 

[PrayersForMaura]

I'm not picking on you. I disagree with the things you've been posting. Should I single you out as someone whose posts I should ignore? I've never accused you of lacking compassion. Understanding, perhaps, but not compassion.

If your posts aren't directed to the people who post at Websleuths, to whom are you posting?

I sometimes post about the world in general or about what people are talking about in the media. Just a general "opinion". Maybe Kayne West's tirade. I should maybe clarify myself sometimes. I just keep hearing stuff on the news and reading little bits here and there about government and slow response and stuff. I just wanted to respond in general.

Sorry if I offended anyone.
You can ignore me if you want.

 

[tybee204]

I am not offended by your posts. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Those immediatly on the scene were working their tails off and were preforming heroic rescues.

 

[Beyond Belief]

Supplies were getting to people on Wednesday by LE ...
The city was flooded Tuesday ... many people were getting rescued Wednesday and Thursday ... it's unfortunate how long it took, but there's no plane, train or automobile that holds 20,000+ people plus that could get to where they were...
people are scattered everywhere. There's a lot of things getting in the way of getting to some people and the rescuers are doing the best they can.
People are being airlifted from rooftops. It's a slow process.

I can't imagine being without a toilet, water and food for 24 hours much less 4 to 5 days. I am completely saddened. I have co workers who lost everything and know of people whose family members are unaccounted for ...
it's a disaster. No one expected that this would happen.
People are doing a lot to help and I don't think that those who are rescuing and the military who are there helping should be made to feel that they didn't get there fast enough.

It's unfortunate all the way around. It really is. But how fast would've been fast enough? How should the support have gotten there? Plane? Bus? Helicopter? The damage had to be assessed, the safety, the surveying of the area. Computer programs set up to log people who were found, people who were missing. Maps of the streets. Layouts of neighborhoods. Were houses missed? People still there? Who do we save first?

I don't know that I could go to sleep with a good conscience blaming anyone, when we really don't know the real why, and who was saved and everything. We don't know the whole story ... only what the media is telling us.

But my friend's father is a camerman and he is there, and at least I will be able to get some firsthand info.

I don't mean to go off topic here, but there was a story in our local papers about a little girl whose daddy was in iraq and she was writing him letters and people were sending him money... this went on for quite a while.
Now, it's been revealed that this story was a hoax. The reporters were even duped.

Now I know this isn't the case with the story in NO, but it's jsut so hard to believe everything, and I'm sorry if I offend anyone but I just get skeptical sometimes ... I see and know a lot but there is so much much more that I don't see and know about a helluva lot more.

The Army man yesterday was trying to correct something and Fox news cut him off. I wanted to hear what he had to say.

I don't mean to come across like I don't care about these people wthout homes and all that. I don't know how I am coming across. I care more about other people than I do myself. I worry about people to the point that I can't sleep.

So it's easy for me to judge your posts and you to judge mine, but we're probably all here for the same reason. We all care about these people.
It's a tragedy.

So I am sorry if I offended you.

WOW! That was from the heart. I have tears in my eyes. :clap:

 

[nanandjim]

At that time the reports of looters involved taking food and supplies. Not guns, rapes, and murderers. Yes, I still believe that everyone should be rescued if possible, even if it is to toss them in jail.

I believe that most of the posters made it clear that we were referring to the looters who were robbing the stores of items clearly not needed to live, participating in violence, etc...

I understand and I am compassionate...just not to the point of thinking that criminals who take advantage of the situation deserve to be rescued.

 

[dakini]

I believe that most of the posters made it clear that we were referring to the looters who were robbing the stores of items clearly not needed to live, participating in violence, etc...

I understand and I am compassionate...just not to the point of thinking that criminals who take advantage of the situation deserve to be rescued.

You are not addressing me. This is my own personal two cents worth. They deserve to be rescued as well.

We do not have a universe where only "nice" people who behave themselves live.

Lack of patience goes across all race and class boundaries.