Replies

Odd. The TV coverage that I've seen shows able-bodied adult men who refuse to walk or swim (it's the Deep South in Summer, that water won't freeze you) or boat out...but are either whining for government to come save them or are shooting at government agents and volunteers coming to save them.

THANK YOU FOR SAYING THIS.

One of my most strong memories from 9/11 is going through the pictures of the Brooklyn Bridge, the Hudson River Drive, and other major roadways out of the city. They were covered in people, residents and workers alike, who were walking out of the disaster area. The rescues were being saved for those stranded in the rubble, who needed evac to hospitals. Everyone else got the hell out of there. You can't compare Katrina and 9/11; they're totally different in scope and magnitude, but you can compare attitude. People walked 10 or 15 miles that day to get out of the city. Their fellow citizens helped them along the way.

In the Sudan, there was a horrific massacre that left several thousand children homeless and parentless. They marched themselves across a wilderness to Ethiopian refugee camps for hundreds of miles. Thousands died from disease, from attacks by wild animals, from starvation, but another few thousands made it out alive. Why are able-bodied adults in the most well-off nation in the world unable to do what New Yorkers and African orphans can do? What the hell have we done down there?

"Why are able-bodied adults in the most well-off nation in the world unable to do what New Yorkers and African orphans can do? What the hell have we done down there?"

Unable is the wrong word. Unwilling comes to mind. There was a MANDATORY evacuation ordered days before Katrina hit. Yet many able-bodied chose to stay. Now they're living in squalor, in a post-disaster, lawless area, and they are still choosing to stay (shooting at their own rescuers coming to offer aid via boats and helicopters).

Sure, we should save those who want to be saved, but we've also got to accept that some people WANT to be there.

"Odd. The TV coverage that I've seen shows able-bodied adult men who refuse to walk or swim (it's the Deep South in Summer, that water won't freeze you)"

I could see someone taking a pair of Nikes if they had no shoes, or some food or water, but that's about it. Also, have they said anything about gators or mocasins being in the City??? I've heard newscaster twits saying there are critters in the water, but are there any sigtings??? If there are "dead people" and "pets" floating in the water I suspect gators won't pass up an easy meal, and once they know they've found a place with an ample food source to loot... Well, they're oportunists too.

I'm certainly not condoning the greedy looting or lawlessness that's going on down there. No excuse for that. On the other hand, I could understand people being disoriented and confused and scared, given the drastic way their city has been impacted. Many of the people don't want to leave family behind either. That place is a real mess. Having gone through the 94 quake in a place where 25% of the population had to move out I can understand some of what's happening. The first thing I heard when I went outside at just after 4:31 a.m. after being woken out of a sound sleep was a loud rushing noise that sounded like water. Probably a water heater fell over I thought, but was wrong. A block wall had fallen over and ruptured a medium pressure gas line going to an apartment bldg. A few minutes earlier, just after the shaking stopped, the first thought that popped into my head was "Some people just died." Yeah, and more were soon to follow, the closest about three blocks. The first thing I saw when the sun came up was the smoke from the fires on Ventura Blvd. The gas was still gushing, and contunued to gush for 7 1/2 hours.

I talked with a guy from the gas company the next day about how to fix such a gas leak, and asked him for some DC plugs. He got kind of snotty and told me I shouldn't be messing with gas company property. I informed him in no uncertain terms that the next time his company so irresponsibly let their gas escape for "hours" they should come fully prepared to take a bench vise off their line that would be used to pinch it shut. I still have the DC (tapered damage control) plugs, but hope I never need them.