Katrina Live Thread XII

Various ^ | 31 August 2005 | Various

[Spktyr]

Well, ****.

Not surprised, just saddened.

[L,TOWM]

Oh dear God...

[lugsoul]

At this point, I don't care...

Meaning, I don't care if yahoo puts captions on photos some some view as racially unfair.

I don't care if idiot morning show hosts ask questions that put a political slant on this disaster, or if talk radio hosts make statements that slant the issue in the other direction.

I don't care if the governor of the state who may have just lost her largest city, economic engine, and hundreds, maybe thousands, of her citizens looks shaken in some TV interviews, or isn't appropriately resolute.

I don't care if a Mayor who 98% of Americans could not have named last week doesn't come off as Rudy II in the wake of this disaster - especially when Rudy I still had 98% of his city remaining to use in responding to his crisis, while Nagin has very little of his own city that isn't a part of his own 'ground zero.'

I don't care if people think Haley Barbour interviews better than Blanco.

I don't care if people who have been saying for years that our failure to accept or address global warming increases the strength of hurricances raise that issue again in the wake of a monumentally destructive hurricane.

I don't care if those who have been lamenting the strain on the NG from its role in Iraq now crow that this overtaxed NG would ordinarily be a primary part of the disaster relief effort, and that this effort is adversely impacted by the strain already existing on that branch of the service.

And I don't care what questions get asked at WH press briefings about this disaster.

Because none of these things have anything to do with the priority at hand, which is to rescue, feed, shelter, and provide medical care to a vast number of refugees from this disaster. That is not going to happen in the press, it is not going to happen on Larry King Live or the Today show, it is not going to happen in the WH briefing room. It is going to happen on the ground, if it happens. And every moment that is spent jacking around over the political spin or the proper behavior of the press or the pointing of fingers is a moment not spent on the immediate and dire mission of responding to a catastrophe.

[NautiNurse]

saw repeated clip of water burning this morning that appeared to be a gas leak. Don't know if it was an old clip.

[Carolinamom]

We can't wake up from this nightmare.

[Peach]

I've never seen a blaze like that. It's purple.

[Admin Moderator]

Yes, that's bad taste,

Yes it was

Please All, tone it down some

[conservativebabe]

Can you imagine being that close, watching it and being unable to help?

Lord Have Mercy, PLEASE, on these poor people!

[over3Owithabrain]

This may be the worst big-city catastarophe in our nation's history. Yes, 9/11 was awful but confined to one area, albeit a big one and a horrific event. We are watching live an ENTIRE major US city meltdown in every sense.

[steveegg]

Are there still gas leak problems? Or are the criminal looters burning the buildings where people are holed up with supplies?

Third possibility; accident with makeshift cooking appliances.

There are gas leak problems. There was video earlier this morning of a flaming gas leak.

[Spktyr]

Same here - minus the Charlie Daniels.

[madison10]

...Or are the criminal looters burning the buildings where people are holed up with supplies?

That'd be my guess. Is this a building surrounded by water, or is it on dry land, I cannot tell from photo. If water, couldn't they grab a door or something & float.

[buickmackane]

---

I AM ABSOLUTELY STUNNED

---

KALB Newschannel 5 is devoting its noon program to DENYING the increase in crime in the Alexandria/Pineville area, stating that it's nothing but rumors. The Chief of Police in Pineville and the Rapides Parish Sheriff are spinning like crazy to keep the word from getting out.

There's a Sergeant from the Alexandria Police Department being interviewed right now trying to quash rumors about gang presence in the area (I can't confirm or deny anything about gangs myself). "Unless you SEE the action occur, do not believe it or report it," he just said, "You're causing a lot of anxiety and stress over nothing!"

Chief Darren Coutee of the Alexandria Police Department has announced that no more refugees will be accepted here, apparently in response to inquiries about people coming from the SuperDome. Pineville police have now decided to consolidated their refugees all at one spot, the old Wal-Mart building, in order to get them out of the smaller shelters scattered around the city.

Hey, KALB, tell that crock of crap to the gaping hole in my dashboard, OK?

[floriduh voter]

It is a slow response. People are dying. Now there are fires in a housing project. Hope nobody's inside. I'm just an American with a tv but as an American, I'm asking everybody in charge of this operation to STEP ON IT. Thank you, FV

[Spktyr]

Of course, the next question is - why is the gas even still on?

[advance_copy]

Has anybody even seen the so-called mayor of this city?

[Peach]

I understand what you're saying lugsoul, but you don't honestly believe that the people on the ground and in the planning process right now are actually worried about the politics of the situation do you?

Maybe Karl Rove is worried, but he's not in charge of relief operations.

[maryz]

Are there still gas leak problems? Or are the criminal looters burning the buildings where people are holed up with supplies?

Someone trying to cook with some makeshift arrangement? What do they build their public housing with? Around Boston, the old ones anyway are concrete, steel and brick. Usually, one apartment might burn, but I never heard of it spreading beyond that.

[mystery-ak]

Hubby said last night that he'd rather go to Iraq than NO...at least in Iraq you know what the ROE are..

[Smogger]

Because none of these things have anything to do with the priority at hand, which is to rescue, feed, shelter, and provide medical care to a vast number of refugees from this disaster. That is not going to happen in the press, it is not going to happen on Larry King Live or the Today show, it is not going to happen in the WH briefing room. It is going to happen on the ground, if it happens. And every moment that is spent jacking around over the political spin or the proper behavior of the press or the pointing of fingers is a moment not spent on the immediate and dire mission of responding to a catastrophe.

Well said. Screw the recriminations and blame game. Totally complete utter waste of time and energy.