[Teclo]

Bush is more of a jerk than I imagined
Cram 20,000 people into a dome with NO food or water, leave them for 4 days and see what happens.
Of course they are looting - so would I be
All he can say is 'zero tolerance'. I wish he was there with them, what an idiot
This is a rubbish, botched evacuation. The world watches in disbelief
If the US can't look after its own people, what the hell are they doing in Iraq?

[Phil]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', '1'). It has ONLY BEEN 3 DAYS. these people were looting as soon as the opportunity arose! It's not like Lord of the Flies, and 2 months have passed and they've flipped their lids.
2. NECESSITIES ARE BEING LEFT BEHIND. story after story has reported that post-looting, stores are left with canned goods, water, and other usable items. If I were there and needed these items, I'd probably be scared to go into these areas to get them.
3. MANY OF THESE LOOTED STORES ARE AND WILL BE COMPLETELY DRY. the evacuated area doesn't end at the exact line of the water. Have you seen any of the footage where it's a completely dry store? So don't claim that this is all just a good thing as those TVs etc were all destroyed anyway.
4. MANY OF THESE LOOTERS HAVE BEEN TURNING DOWN ANY ASSISTANCE. those in the water have been waving off the support boats that offer help. They want more loot!
5. THEY HAVE RIOTED AND DESTROYED RELIEF EFFORTS. relief efforts set up to distribute food and necessities (one at a Wal-Mart, in fact... were overthrown. People overturned the authority, and LEFT a good portion of the items being passed out. They simply wanted to gain access to their DESIRABLE items... guns, electronics, etc.
Fark Comments Thread

[Petro]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Teclo', 'B')ush is more of a jerk than I imagined
Cram 20,000 people into a dome with NO food or water, leave them for 4 days and see what happens.
Of course they are looting - so would I be
All he can say is 'zero tolerance'. I wish he was there with them, what an idiot
This is a rubbish, botched evacuation. The world watches in disbelief
If the US can't look after its own people, what the hell are they doing in Iraq?

[jmacdaddio]

The talking heads on this morning's reports said that none of the FEMA or state disaster plans considered that there would be large numbers of people still in the city. They modelled for Cat 4 and 5 hurricanes, but all of their plans assumed that NO would be a ghost town.

Once again, the failure of evacuation by personal auto. The tsunami-hit Asian countries had better responses than this. I can't believe the authorities didn't scramble every bus in semi-working order and start moving people on Friday and Saturday. And now with the reports of looting and violence making it to the media, the impression is created that the people who are stuck chose to stay in order to loot, pillage, and kill each other.

I realize we're an invidualistic country but to force people to rely on their personal cars to leave is foolish. If the people without cars were bussed out we don't have to send in helicopters and the National Guard. The politcal fallout from this will ruin many local leaders in the affected areas.

[Eli]

To lay all this at Bush's feat is total BS. This could have happened to any President. Clinton just would have been a thousand times better on TV.

Bush is an ass and idiot but this current problem is not his fault.

Taking cheap shots at the US is the height of callousness right now and insulting GWB and blaming him for this event justs shows that people hate George Bush.

[Petro]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', 'T')o lay all this at Bush's feat is total BS. This could have happened to any President. Clinton just would have been a thousand times better on TV.
Bush is an ass and idiot but this current problem is not his fault.
Taking cheap shots at the US is the height of callousness right now and insulting GWB and blaming him for this event justs shows that people hate George Bush.

[rogerhb]

I think this shows that
(a) There will be a wide range of human responses to major upheavals
(b) Different cultures are going to respond differently
Given that we are continually told how Americans are self motivated individuals who don't like government interference in there lives, it has taken a remarkably short time for the authorities to get blamed for everything under the sun.
Take a good look at your own personal situation and work through a number of different worst-case scenarios, you can bet that:
(a) things won't happen as you expected
(b) things worse than you imagined will happen
(c) things better than you imagined will happen
(d) things will happen faster than you imagined
I think a multi-cultural society will have a wider range of responses and also amplifiy any outstanding social grievances.

[Petro]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rogerhb', 'I') think a multi-cultural society will have a wider range of responses and also amplifiy any outstanding social grievances.

[Eli]

Petro Ok Point taken.
I did not watch the Rose Garden speech because I can't stand to watch the fucker talk. And I agree that the fly over thing was horse shit hell he didn't even leave Crawford until yesterday and then he flew over the whole thing. He is should be held responsible for his actions about this but you can't blame him for the weather.
the not getting people out and the Superdome not having stores of water for the people that were ordered to go there should be laid squarely on the City of New Orleans. I mean they are the ones who are responsible for a majority of this and this disaster planning. The City should have had an emergency that included that included offering every school bus there to let the po people get a free ride out of town.

[Tyler_JC]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Petro', '')$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('rogerhb', 'I') think a multi-cultural society will have a wider range of responses and also amplifiy any outstanding social grievances.

[Leanan]

The main thing I blame Dubya for is starting that bleepin' War on Iraq. And doing it on the cheap. Instead of increasing the size of the active-duty military, he has something like 55,000 National Guard troops over there. The National Guard is supposed to protect the homefront, and deploy for emergencies like Katrina. 55,000 troops would make a big difference in restoring order in New Orleans.

[Petro]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Eli', 'O')k Point taken. ... the not getting people out and the Superdome not having stores of water for the people that were ordered to go there should be laid squarely on the City of New Orleans. I mean they are the ones who are responsible for a majority of this and this disaster planning.The City should have had an emergency that included that included offering every school bus there to let the po people get a free ride out of town.

[advancedatheist]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Jack', 'N')ew Orleans has descended into a Mad Max scenario - in 72 hours.

[Petro]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Tyler_JC', 'G')ood point. This situation would not be happening in Denmark or Norway.
For those people who are stuck at the convention center, I am shocked at how pathetic their efforts to survive are. If you are unwilling to make any effort to secure yourself some basic survival supplies, you must make one lousy human being. Imagine these people attempting to survive in a post peak environment. Forget it.
They claim to have no food or water and yet they are high and dry.
Would it be that difficult to go looking for supplies in nearby buildings?
Or do they prefer to just sit there and die?
As for the people looting TVs, shoot them. We have no room in civilized society for such people. They don't even deserve to be rescued. The police can tell the difference between the people looting food and the people looting electronics.
And why the f*ck are people stealing TVs in the first place???
Where are you going to plug it in?

[Leanan]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('', 'W')ould it be that difficult to go looking for supplies in nearby buildings?

[strider3700]

Has a call for international aid gone out yet? It's obvious that the US has stretched itself far too thin with it's war in iraq and now can't take care of things at home.

Perhaps A call to the UN for some peace keepers to be sent in? Most of canada's army is still cleaning up in afganistan and I think our disaster team is still in south asia somewhere, but between the entire UN they should be able to scrape up a few thousand peace keepers for the week or two it would take to bring the city under control and empty it.

[Petro]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('strider3700', 'H')as a call for international aid gone out yet? It's obvious that the US has stretched itself far too thin with it's war in iraq and now can't take care of things at home.
Perhaps A call to the UN for some peace keepers to be sent in? Most of canada's army is still cleaning up in afganistan and I think our disaster team is still in south asia somewhere, but between the entire UN they should be able to scrape up a few thousand peace keepers for the week or two it would take to bring the city under control and empty it.

[Grimnir]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('Leanan', 'I')n some cases, the police are the ones looting electronics.

[Daculling]

$this->bbcode_second_pass_quote('strider3700', 'b')ut between the entire UN they should be able to scrape up a few thousand peace keepers for the week or two it would take to bring the city under control and empty it.

[Tyler_JC]

Please ignore that post, I was just feeling extremely frustated and started venting.

I need to take a chill pill.

Actually, I'll delete that and the other venting post.