Katrina: American shame
NOTE: This post makes my last Katrina post seem mild. I've repeated myself a little because I plan to use this elsewhere as well. I urge you to be upset at this...but not at the person who wrote it.
I’m ashamed.
Katrina was a storm. Not the biggest and not likely to be the biggest even in the near future. Get used to this kind of news because global warming pretty guarantees this to escalate. If you can't wrap your head around that, call it "Intelligent Design".
New Orleans is below sea level. Use it as an example of what you can expect in the reasonably near future. Fifteen or twenty years from now, that could be pretty much every major coastal city in the world (most major cities are coastal cities). I predict that engineers from the Netherlands will be in pretty huge demand over the next few decades.
This isn't really about ecology though. It's about how ashamed I am of the U.S. government'’s emergency management.
I'’m pretty sure that most of you are aware of the adage that prevention is the best medicine. The situation in Louisiana is going to cost us tens of billions of dollars when hundreds of millions would have prevented the worst of it. And it goes without saying that the lives lost can never be replaced.
Know that Halliburton gets the contract for clean-up and restoration. It's already a done deal. Big business is already looking to snatch up the property of the dead and thanks to a recent Surpreme Court decision can pretty much take what they want (with government approval and the newly approved Eminent Domain Laws).
Why does a city FEMA listed as one of the three most likely disaster sites in the U.S. in a 2001 report not have a plan to evacuate tens of thousands of people without cars and/or money for bus tickets and hotel rooms? Why is FEMA turning away tankers of water and shipments of relief aid? Why are they refusing entry to the city of what amounts to thousands of volunteers? Why can people in evacuation centers not even find out where buses are going to take them, let alone when they'll be arriving/departing? Why are the dead being shipped out faster than the living? Why are parish presidents so frustrated that they break down and cry on national television at the helplessness they feel, despite the surpreme efforts they are making to save people and their city?
Why?
Are these unreasonable questions to ask of country that considers itself to be the greatest on earth?
Why are white people finding or getting necessary supplies while non-whites doing the same thing are looting? I’m not really playing the race card here. I’m just calling it the way I see it. The poor (of every ethnic background) are disproportionately dying and suffering in this tragedy. I'm sure looting is occurring, but is it looting if you break into a place to get food and water for your family?
Am I ashamed for no good reason? Enlighten me please!
The island nation of Cuba has had worst storms than this. Ivan destroyed more than 20,00 homes and not one person died. With the billions and billions of dollars spent on Homeland security we can't be safe from a storm?! We can’t handle evacuation and adequate food and water supplies for a storm?! I won’t play the “Where was the National Guard?" card either (we all know they are in Iraq) ...okay, I guess I did.
Am I the only one to see the multiple articles in the news where military commanders refer to this situation as a "combat mission to get the city under control"? Is it necessary to make people wait hours in line so that they can be frisked before entering an evacuation center? Am I the only one to be shocked at the fact that ten year old children are being frisked by military personnel armed with automatic weapons before they are allowed on evacuation buses?
What's up with contractors trying to repair a canal being shot and killed by police for carrying weapons to protect themselves while trying to perform a service in a disaster area? What's up with using this incedent as further reason to call the area a war zone?! Why weren't police informed that armed construction crews (under government contract) were in the area. Why did they shoot before finding out? I find it impossible to believe that those workers opened fire on the police, so I guess the police would have to take the blame on this one.
What happened to the America I grew up in? Do not DARE tell me terrorism! What did the people of New Orleans do to deserve this?! The current administration has morgaged a U.S. city to help fund an illegal war based on lies and can't even manage to come up with the most basic of rescue efforts. The next time you look at how much money is being spent on Homeland security, think of the wonderful job being done right now in New Orleans. If they can't handle a storm, how are they going to do in a major terrorist attack anyway?
I admit that I don’t trust Mainstream media to accurately report the death toll, but even they are hinting that it may be in the tens of thousands. This was a storm! One that was tracked and expected. It happened in a city that was a well-documented safety risk weather-wise.
Being sympathetic is good. Volunteering and/or donating money to aid organizations is better. Disbelief, Shame and Anger are good. The people of New Orleans and surrounding areas are suffering horribly. Much of it could have been prevented. Much of it could have been handled better. Much needs to be done RIGHT NOW!
While not ignoring the current situation, lets work to make this better. Lets work to make sure it doesn’t happen this way again. Lets pay a little more attention. Lets put people in charge that can and do run things the way they need to be run. Ask people in New Orleans if they think that's the case right now.
Wake up America! Pay attention. Look at things objectively. Think, read, and think some more. Take the time. The consequences affect each of you. How much are you paying for gas right now and why? Nothing less than five reasons is enough, and four or five explanations for each of those reasons would give you a good start.
Sounds like a lot of work? Think about it next time you fill your tank. Look up one little piece of it each day you fill your tank. (I like that. The people checking the most will be the people that need to check the most).
Okay, ecology was a big part of this. It started with shame though. What’s happened, happening, and should be happening in Louisianna are on my mind a lot recently. I'm American but don't live in the States. If you had any idea how the U.S. is viewed abroad now, you would be that much more ashamed of this debacle.
Don’t beleive me straight out. You may not even know me. Don’t believe the news you watch before you go to bed each night either. You don't know them either. They are more loyal to the commercials they show anyway. Read and think. Try to read between the lines. Disbelief is okay. Always check multiple sources for every bit of news you see or read (preferably sources from multiple countries). Listen to me but don’t believe me. Try to prove me wrong.
The blame game is about to start even as I write this. Make sure it goes where it belongs. What ever happened to that The Buck Stops Here sign that once sat on the president's desk? Someone remind the current president that it wasn't referring to money before he puts it on his desk for the next photo op.
No disrespect is intended to anyone doing their best in a horrific situation. My thoughts are with you. I know that for every shaming story I've referred to here, there are likely hundreds of heroic encounters. I've seen how situations such as this can bring out the best in people. I just can't abide by how the government is handling this. It really is shameful.
posted by Steve @ 9/05/2005 07:51:00 PM
8 Comments:
Hi Friend,
Here's an online article that will make you even happier when thinking about what has happened to those poor people in the big easy...
http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_3004197
The last paragraph will likely make your blood boil...
Hi Buddy,
Me again...
I think I should have given you a bit more info on the article I sent you earlier...
Take a look:
"As New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin pleaded on national television for firefighters-- his own are exhausted after working around the clock for a week-- a battalion of [1,000] highly trained men and women sat idle Sunday in a muggy Sheraton Hotel conference room in Atlanta. Many of the firefighters, assembled from Utah and throughout the United States by the Federal Emergency Management Agency, thought they were going to be deployed as emergency workers. Instead, they have learned they are going to be community-relations officers for FEMA, shuffled throughout the Gulf Coast region to disseminate fliers and a phone number: 1-800-621-FEMA.
"A team of 50 Monday morning quickly was ushered onto a flight headed for Louisiana. The crew's first assignment: to stand beside President Bush as he tours devastated areas."
Well, that was a political emergency, wasn't it?
Full article at "The Salt Lake Tribune"
http://www.sltrib.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?article=3004197
Hey Daniel,
Thanks for the headsup, but you forget what a newsaholic I am and the sites I canvas every day. My blood boils on a regular basis. Sometimes I have to pace myself.
I'm limiting what I write here because I'm already scaring off other people that might ordinarily comment.
Worked with a friend today that says she gave my site a quick look. She said she liked it, and asked me where I got my info. Most of it she hadn't seen before.
That made me very happy. Just a little here and there to get the ball rolling. Hopefully, to get people to check things out for themselves. THAT'S what I want (and to get them to pass it on, of course).
I don't need anyone to agree with me, but if they are checking out things for themselves, then I've done a little something...although the fact that my friend's Canadian kind of dampened things a bit...for the most part they already know more about the U.S. than any two or three Americans I could put together in a room (present company excluded, of course)
The e-mail comments everyone have been pretty gratifying.
A big "Thanks!" to pretty much the only person to actually comments on the blog site!!!!!
Hey Steve, it's your cousin Jim. I'm taking an online class and, from time to time, I'll get away from whatever I'm working on and "surf", a bit. Occasionally I'll check your blog, which I do have bookmarked. Given my work/school/personal schedules, it is difficult to do more than briefly peruse anything.
I did notice your blogs on Katrina and I've got to say that for someone who hasn't lived in the U.S. for a long, long time you seem surprisingly sure of your facts. Let me qualify things a bit by saying that I am no fan of GW Bush or the federal gov't (even though, or especially because, I am a federal employee. I am a criminal investigator with the dept. of Homeland Security).
I will probably be sent to one of the devastated states in the south to assist with whatever law enforcement/rescue functions they need. Two people from my office are already there, in fact. What is important to remember is that the general state of gov't sanctioned lawlessness (police shooting aid workers, etc) you alluded (ranted?) to is not taking place. I don't know where you are getting your facts, but you sound like you're getting them from other bloggers or some gossip sites. In fact, most of what you describe is not and never was happening. No one, not FEMA, not the army, not DHS is turning away volunteers. The staging area in Atlanta you referred to is where those people get assigned a location to work, get issued some equipment, and get inoculated for tetanus, hepatitus, and whatever other booster shots may be needed. N.O. had it's share of shitheads who looted, robbed, and destroyed property, but the problem was not quite as endemic as whatever news outlet you get your news from would like you to believe. Some of the killings were caused by people protecting their property from looters.
What many people would not take the time to consider is that the area that was destroyed (and I mean that literally. Coworkers of mine who are/were there have described what happened and what continues to take place) is enormous. What further complicates aid distribution is the geology. That part of the country is pretty close to sea-level (not referring to N.O., which is, of course, below sea level). Roads/bridges were destroyed and need to be cleared before anything can pass. The sheer number of people/places that need aid is quite large, as well. Everyone, including the federal gov't is doing their best. While I understand the disappointment and occasional outrage over the handling of the Katrina disaster, I would ask that you become more reliably informed before you start spouting the vitriol that we here have grown so weary of.
Let me say, though, that I agree with your outrage that it took FEMA too long to provide any significant aid to the region, but what should be remembered is that New Orleans and Lousiana have known for more than 100 years that a major hurricane could destroy the city. Why were all those people sent to the Superdome with only the food and water they could bring from home? Why were the N.O. police scheduled to work during the time Katrina hit not posted at the Superdome? Why did the governor of LA not jump at Bush's offer of federalizing N.O. so that the federal gov't would have exclusive jurisdiction over the relief efforts? I could tell from your blog that you don't believe something like that, but the federal gov't is not in charge in N.O., the state of LA is. The feds just provide logistic assistance to people and places affected. The fed gov't cannot "take over" and run a state in the event of a natural disaster. The fed can only provide assistance to the states affected. Only in the case of an invasion or insurrection can the federal gov't take over and run a state.
Ultimately, it is the state's responsiblity to care for its cities and citizens. When the task becomes too much because of some disaster then the federal gov't steps in. We don't live in Soviet Russia where the Federal gov't micromanages everything. The Feds got involved about as quickly as they could and, in fact, things didn't really start happening until Bush showed up in the affected areas and told FEMA to stop dicking around and get some aid to the affected communities.
As for your belief that Halliburton is the sinister "shadow" corporation that gets every gov't contract in this country...Well, I don't know how to address that, really. If you believe something like that then there's probably no convincing you otherwise. I've no doubt Halliburton has a lot of gov't contracts, but Halliburton is an enormous friggin' company with the wherewithal to handle some of those jobs. If Halliburton is the only company hired to clean up the areas devastated by Katrina, a notion that is absurd, by the way, then it's because Halliburton is the only company with the equipment to do the job. That's why the idea that one corporation (even if Cheney did work for it) gets all the exclusive contracts is silly. Everyone will be involved in rebuilding the south. The states, the federal gov't, and the private sector will be involved in this rebuilding project.
Finally, I couldn't help but chuckle at your apparent assertion that the reason N.O. is below sea level is due to global warming. N.O. was built on land that is unstable and subject to the forces of the Mississippi river, lake Pontchartrain, and the occasional hurricane. The city has been sinking since it was founded in the 18th or 19th century. If you sense that I don't really believe in the concept of human-engineered global warming, you're right. But, that's for another day.
Anyway, I'm off to bed. Glad to hear (read) that you're well. Take care!
Jim
A great majority of my info comes from reputable newspapers. It's not always front page stuff, but it's pretty reliable. Not having actually been there to see it for myself, it's the best I can do. I generally have several sources for each piece of anything I refer to as fact in this blog. It's somewhat of a hobby to look at a piece of news as it's reported from papers in several countries and compare.
Aid for N.O. was turned away. Aid was refused on several occasions and from several sources. It'd take some time but I can, for the most part, quote all my sources. You'd likely be surprised at how many of those sources are U.S. mainstream-news. That goes for everything else (other than personal opinions) I've written about as well. If my sources were just chat lines and gossip, I would not treat it as fact.
Construction contractors were shot and killed by the police while attempting to repair (either a levee or canal depending on which paper you read). It's a matter of record. The police say they were taking fire from looters and returned it. The workers were mistakenly considered the ones that opened fire first. Desertions in the police force are a matter of record. Aid being refused women that wouldn't bare their chest has been filmed and reported by multiple papers in many counties. It's a matter of record that white people were reported as "finding" food and supplies while nearly identical photos of blacks doing the same thing were reported as "looting". I don't make this stuff up. It's out there for anyone to check. Did looting occur? Of course! Was there violence? Of course! Do I dwell on it? Not usually. Are armed, trained personnel necessary? YES! Was the handling of this disaster a travesty? YES!
I wasn't there and neither were the various reporters that wrote about it. That doesn't mean I can't be angry about it. I honestly don't want to disrespect what I am certain is thousands of aid and rescue personnel that went days upon days without sleep and put their lives on the line in order to help as many people as possible. Those people deserve the best that can be given in return. The things that make me angry are the things that should make everyone angry.
I do tend to rant when I feel serious about something. That can be anything from shopping down the street to the travesty of American politics. Sometimes, it's little more than self-amusment. I do find it amusing that when I spout off about little old ladies in a supermarket, no one cares, but when I state my feelings on topics that are well-researched and supported by multiple hard news sources, it's hinted that I'm getting my info from gossip columns and chat lines.
N.O. was/is perhaps not the best site for a city. You can say that about a lot of cities...and a few countries. I was just referring to the fact that many other cities may find themselves at or below sea level if the sea level rises due to global warming. There's a very large body of evidence suggesting that it's happing now. Weather has always caused disasters, recent weather trends and patterns point to the fact that what happened in N.O. is not only going to get worse, but start happening in areas not used to dealing with such things. Imagine NYC or D.C. under six feet of water. Alarmist crap? A nine-foot storm surge in a strong hurricane is nothing. Give a check on how far above sea level parts of NYC and D.C. are.
At the time of the post, KBR (a Halliburton subsidiaray) had just begun tapping into a $500 million dollar no-bid contract through the U.S. Navy for reconstruction. I don't make this stuff up or get it from chat lines. It's all a matter of record. If you do any fact-checking of what I write at all, I've already done exactly what I hoped to achieve. I never hinted that Halliburton is some kind of shadow organization receiving every government contract. They have no reason to hide. They get multi-billion dollar contracts from the government all the time...even for identical jobs where they have been proven of defrauding the government by billions. I am angry that the vast majority of money spent on clean-up and reconstruction isn't being spent locally and through multiple firms in a sealed, low-bid situation. I am angry that now anyone claiming work on reconstruction can pay less than minimum wage by executive order...and most of those companies are huge, conglomerates hired directly through the federal government.
All that said: Thanks for commenting!! Really!
I never expect everyone to agree with me. Life would be less interesting if they did. Please comment again on anything that makes you think, makes you angry, gives you a chance to kill a little time...whatever. It was great to hear from you! It might not seem like it after yet another long rant, but I really enjoyed hearing from you.
Small P.S.
The photo I put up is a little too "good" to be true. Most things that seem that way on the internet, usually are. I suspect heavy post-production editing. I think I even vaguely recognize the font. I just thought it was funny.
As you can guess, I feel pretty strongly about the rest of it though.
Well, at the risk of beating a dead cat...
You mention the reputable newspapers your getting your information from, but you need to cite them. I'm not going to research your claims; it's your responsiblity to provide the factual basis for these viewpoints, not mine.
Aid was not turned away. Was that unequivocal enough? Aid was not turned away. Do you believe Louis Farrakhan's assertion that the Bush administration blew up the levies in order to kill all those black people in N.O.?
You said some construction workers were shot at when they were thought to be looters. I can tell ya, Steve, cause I've spoken with people who were in N.O. within days of the chaos starting, that there were no construction workers in that city until only very recently. There was noone in that city except the military, law enforcement, and about 5,000 (out of the 500,000 who normally reside in the city) N.O. denizens who either couldn't, or wouldn't leave. Again, you cite your reputable sources, cuz we read 'em, too. I've never read anything about that.
Whites finding food supplies while blacks can't? There were maybe 27 whites remaining in N.O. cuz the city is 60% black and almost everyone, blacks included, left. Again, refer to the number referneced above about who stayed behind (5,000 out of 500,000). I'm not sure what you're implying with that comment, but I assume it refered to some type organized racial genocide.
Again, regarding Halliburton, I don't believe you make this stuff up. I just believe what you read is slanted and outright wrong most of the time. The federal gov't is not rebuilding anything. THe fed gov't is providing assistance to the states affected. If you "know" some contracts have already been signed then you should be in D.C. cuz nothing, and I mean nothing, gets done that quickly in the f-ed up city.
I don't mind your rants, but you have begun to sound like a crackpot. If you can point me to these articles in the reputable papers from which you get your facts, I'd be happy to read the articles.
Contrary to what the tone of this post may feel like, I enjoy this playful banter. And, referencing your email, we don't carry our guns around here. Not all the time anyway ;)
I'll send some pix of the kids....
Jim
I'm afraid I have to disagree with you if you feel the obligation is on me to cite my sources. Nevertheless, I will cite a few in this comment just to establish that I'm not just pulling this stuff out of thin air. I'm quite certain that anything I write as fact is checked more fully then would generally be expected from someone just commenting on a personal blog. It's in the nature of a self-described newsaholic.
Here is a partial list of headlines and the places I got them with regards to aid being turned away:
EXCLUSIVE: UP IN FLAMES
Tons of British aid donated to help Hurricane Katrina victims to be BURNED by Americans
From Ryan Parry, US Correspondent in New York Mirror.co.uk
FEMA turns back Wal-Mart supply trucks
New York times
FEMA prevents Coast Guard from delivering diesel fuel
New York Times
FEMA won't let Red Cross deliver food
Post Gazette
Airboaters stalled by FEMA
Sun-Sentinal
Doctor says FEMA ordered him to stop treating hurricane victims
The Advocate, WBRZ News Louisiana
First Responders Urged Not To Respond To Hurricane Impact Areas Unless Dispatched By State, Local Authorities
FEMA's web site
On the levee "explosion": There were some early news reports of an explosion at a levee. They were televised and reported in papers. ABC News did an "eyewitness" account of someone claiming to have heard the explosion. Of course some idiot with an agenda is going to run with it. Seems as though it was an out of control barge striking a very unfortunate location. Idiots with agendas make constructive conversation very difficult (I'm including more than a few politicians on that list).
On the construction workers: I wrote that the police said they opened fire on them after they had received fire. It was never established who opened fire on the police. The assumption is that it was armed looters. According to some of what I've read, five of fourteen workers were shot, and four died. Most of the stories seem to say it was on a bridge rather than a levee or canal...the reports differ...even as to how many people there were on that bridge/levee/canal and how many died. I guess even major media outlets can't get their stories straight. That's one reason I wade through so many different sources for my news.
A couple of citations on the accidental shooting:
Five dead 'were army workers'
The Australian
Violence mars rescue
News 24
New Orleans Cops Shoot Eight Gunmen
Fox News
I could go on, but looking for citations for things I read more than a week ago is really eating up my time. You should get the point though. I don't just invent this stuff, I read it...much of it from mainstream, respected news sources.
I never once mentioned or even implied racial genocide, but since you mentioned it twice, I'll respond. I was simply commenting on the the way many news outlets were referring to similar situations in very different ways depending on the color of the person being referred to.
It's hard to stay on point when writing about things you feel strongly about, but funny math, unsupported by hard facts is too much of an easy out after I've spent so much time looking up citations for things I read more than a week ago. I've cited a few of my sources at your request. I don't expect the same from anyone that comments on this site...but I have been known to call them on some of what they write. ;-) You may need to check your numbers a little more closely. FEMA told one mortician to be prepared with 40,000 body bags. I very much doubt it'll be anything close to that high (and figures are being reduced downward with each day that passes), but the toll of dead and missing is way higher than entire number of people you claimed were left in the city. I admit that I mix and match a few figures depending on what I'm referring to. Some are of total affected and some are for N.O. depending on what I'm talking about. Still, even if there were only 5,000 left in N.O. and 40% were non-black, that would be 2,000 people (not the 27 you mentioned).
It was a side-issue in my rant anyway, I'm much more angry that little or no thought was given to thousands that had no means of voluntarily evacuating...until after the fact, of course.
There is no doubt at all that the news I read is slanted. All of it is, not just what I read or watch. Really! If more people would keep that in mind, it'd be a much better-informed world. It's just a matter of sorting through the various slants and coming up with something that most closely resembles the truth.
Coming off as a crackpot is one of the mildest things I've been accused of in some of my e-mail! :-) Hell, my wife thinks that! While I actually do believe and believe in what I write about here, I also tend to play the Devil's advocate (at least in the tone of my writing) on occasion.
Do a Google search on KBR and/or Halliburton and Katrina. There's some crap to wade through, but the info is there. With the PR fiasco that has surrounded Bush on this thing, you'd better believe contracts for repair and re-building have already be awarded. I agree with that...just not the who's and how's of the process.
I'm enjoying our comment exchanges! It's one of the main reasons I started this blog. I'm still thinking about separating out the news stuff from the day-to-day and food stuff, but I already spend way too much time with this as it is!
Good to know about the gun thing! You'd be surprised at how many Japanese fully believe that every American carries one with them wherever they go. I've been asked where I keep mine while I'm in Japan. Gotta love Hollywood!
Looking forward to the photos!
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