Granted, they are black and poor, except for some tourists that were left behind or patients in hospitals, but that is no reason to treat these people like rodents. Footage from New Orleans is worse than if Port-au-Prince in Haiti had been hit by a tidal wave. The world is following the worsening disaster with amazement. How can the richest country be so inept with helping its own citizens? If America didn’t already lose its face in Iraq, it surely is doing so now. Do we not care about these people, most of whom were too poor to get out on their own? They had little to start with: now they have nothing. Granted, these people are not likely to be supporters of the governing party or even registered voters, but they are as much human beings as you and I. This wouldn’t have happened in West Palm Beach or in Orange County. May I suggest a mandatory 4-day stay in the Superdome for all those members of our government in charge of aid? And don’t clean the toilets beforehand or remove the dead left sitting in the spectator seats.
Ratlantis is truly a lost city under water. It is ironic that we have known for a long time how vulnerable that place would be: two different studies, just seven years ago or so, suggested improvements to protect the city from a disaster like this. Of course, nothing got done as a result. We refused to take part in the Kyoto Agreement and help do our part in curbing the warming climate. We should therefore expect more frequent catastrophic storms and rising seas, both extremely dangerous to low-lying areas, not to mention places below sea level.
What upsets me the most is that people seem to be worried about the Mississippi Delta area for the same reason the war in Iraq bothers them now all of a sudden: sharply higher fuel prices. Is driving to work in a big SUV really more important than human lives? How about improving public transport and getting used to the idea of utilizing its services?
And bring back the National Guard from Iraq! They were never meant to be used to invade a foreign country, but to provide critical help in domestic tragedies such as this. I’m sure they would much rather be saving lives than taking them, or losing their own.
When do you think will be the next time a symphony concert will take place in Ratlantis?
