The BBC’s Matt Frei, in New Orleans, says conditions in the convention centre, where up to 20,000 people are stranded, are the most wretched he has seen anywhere, including crises in the Third World.
Can anyone believe what is happening??
When nature strikes, there is no denying that human beings can’t do much about it. But the the relief efforts seem so.. miserable. And this is the US! What is really sad is that the affluent whites managed to escape while the poor blacks were left behind. This is what’s so screwed up about America. This unbelievable divide. No doubt this will have political implications on Bush. And it will totally re-open the global warming discussion.
Deepest sympathies to those in the areas affected..
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Comments
4 responses to “New Orleans. Shameful.”
the bush administration is under criticism for their lacking relief efforts. many blame it on the money and personnel deployed in Iraq. others on the fact that a significant portion of the affected are blacks. in any case, it took the dumbass three days to cut his vacation…
There were many poor whites who were impacted as well, but yes the majority were blacks. The “haves” and the “have nots” really shows in the images shown on TV. Especially those refugees waiting to be evacuated to other cities via government provided buses. N.O., is a very poor city with many citizens living in poverty and I am sure many cities in the South have similar poverty.
I don’t think it is fair to say this is an “unbelievable divide”. It unfortunately exsists in many countrys in many communities across the world. Just because this America doesn’t mean that these issues magically disappear.
What is really sad about the aid, is that the US is quick to help other nations when disaster strikes them…but are so slow to help her own. To be fair, I think they didn’t expect the damage reach this magnitude. And Bush finally made it on the ground today. He got a lot of heat from the NAACP, DMC, and Congressional Black Caucus for not doing more and being so out of touch. I think it will effect him quite a bit and will take a hit in his already low approval rates.
FEMA aid has finally started rolling in, 4 days too late. The director of that body had no clue what to do. But the much hated pharmaceutical companies are pitching to help out in any way they can. My company has officially pledged $2M so far and many of us are collecting money independent of that from our co-workers to give the Red Cross. I am sure the request to provide free medications will be forthcoming and I am sure the whole industry will glady provide anything they can to combat the diseases that will be forthcoming.
But what is really fantastic is that people from all walks of life and from all reaches the US are offering any type of aid they can offer. Kids are collecting loose change in their neighborhoods, others kids selling lemonaid to raise money to send down, canned foods are pouring in to organizations, hotels are offering free stays to displaced people, universities offering instant admissions for students so that their studies are not disrupted, strangers offering their homes to the displaced. The heartwarming list goes on and on. These are certainly the qualities that make this country so great.
From the Jordanian Blogosphere
The Jordanian blogosphere reacts to the current disasters around the globe. Ahmad Humeid offers his condolences for Hurricane Katrina, criticizes the relief effort as being “miserable”, and notes that “what is really sad is that the …
I don’t think it’s fair to blame Bush or the federal gov’t for that matter. Plainly put, the practical problems raised by massive flooding are something nobody forsaw. The airborne aid elements were the first with the ability to move in, but until security or dry land could be established, nothing could get in.
Unfortunately, on the other hand, African Americans do have a disproportionate distrust of the Government. The warning surely fell on deaf ears, even if they are closer to the poverty line. I agree that those below the poverty line had little to help them, but I remain convinced that many of them did not leave because they didn’t want to.
Then again, there is also a factor of numbness. Hurricanes hit the Eastern Coast on a regular basis. Perhaps everybody was waiting for it to become a tropical storm.