Would the Govt response be different in NO.......

Linda7NJ

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If the majority were affluent & white :confused:
 
In my opinion, I have no doubt that this would be a whole different response.
 
What's scary is that I was thinking the exact same thing. And I'm not one to ever play the "race card!" But it certainly crossed my mind. *sighs*
 
I for one was very surprised to see the large amount of Afro Americans involved in this tragedy. It certainly wouldn't affect my decision to help.

I am very sadden by the amount of looting, crime, etc. I think those people commiting these crimes have done that for years not just in the event of the hurricane. Its difficult to comprehend that the warning to evacuate wasn't taken more seriously. A simple two hour drive and they would have faired so much better. Hopefully, the next time a hurricane threatens an area like this, the buses will come in two days before the hurricane hits and take these people to safe places.

The survivors need to be placed with extended family somewhere in the country as soon as possible. Trying to house them in these large numbers is ridiculous. This country has planes, trains and boats. Spread these people out and do it quickly, before they are out of control. Money will be coming their way that we know for sure.

No one wants them harmed, but then again society doesn't need to suffer any harm from riots, etc. New Orleans is just an example of what can happen when people start making demands. The relief should be there, but because its not, is not a reason to loot stores, thats just the mentally shared by alot of these people. God help those who have found themselves among the lowlife of New Orleans.
 
Beyond Belief said:
The relief should be there, but because its not, is not a reason to loot stores, thats just the mentally shared by alot of these people. God help those who have found themselves among the lowlife of New Orleans.
How on EARTH can you say that?!

You're not there - those people do NOT have FOOD or WATER. The stores are closed - there's no electricity for people to purchase the food or the water they need. They have to get it somehow.

It's not like they're just stealing to steal - they're stealing to *survive*. So many people have lost so much...they're taking what they can - food, water, electronics they can use to sell/trade to get more help for themselves.

The fault is with the government taking well over FOUR DAYS to get help to people. I totally believe there's a race issue going on here. They have no major reason to help those people - there's not financial gain for the government. That's why they're taking their sweet ol' time...I have absolutely no doubt that if the majority of the people involved were porcelain white and filthy rich this would NOT be happening.

A portion of our country is practically the equivalent of a Third World nation right now. No one in power has said "Those people need help - let's get whatever aid to them NOW and we'll figure out the paperwork later." It's been controlled by idiotic bureaucracy. It's disgusting that the need for "law & order" has overulled the need to GET THOSE PEOPLE OUT OF THERE.

Yes, that's correct. We're sending people in to guard the buildings and prevent the looting and not sending in FOOD, WATER, or CLOTHES.

It's just disgusting...and it really scares me that such a thing can happen in our country. The way things have been going, though, I really shouldn't be surprised.
 
Hopefully, the next time a hurricane threatens an area like this, the buses will come in two days before the hurricane hits and take these people to safe places.

BINGO - Large cities vulnerable to this type of tragedy need to make up plans of actions BEFORE these disasters hit - not after! Maybe some of them will take heed to this and do so before another major city finds themselves in this type of situation.
 
pardilia said:
How on EARTH can you say that?!

You're not there - those people do NOT have FOOD or WATER. The stores are closed - there's no electricity for people to purchase the food or the water they need. They have to get it somehow.

It's not like they're just stealing to steal - they're stealing to *survive*. So many people have lost so much...they're taking what they can - food, water, electronics they can use to sell/trade to get more help for themselves.

The fault is with the government taking well over FOUR DAYS to get help to people. I totally believe there's a race issue going on here. They have no major reason to help those people - there's not financial gain for the government. That's why they're taking their sweet ol' time...I have absolutely no doubt that if the majority of the people involved were porcelain white and filthy rich this would NOT be happening.

A portion of our country is practically the equivalent of a Third World nation right now. No one in power has said "Those people need help - let's get whatever aid to them NOW and we'll figure out the paperwork later." It's been controlled by idiotic bureaucracy. It's disgusting that the need for "law & order" has overulled the need to GET THOSE PEOPLE OUT OF THERE.

Yes, that's correct. We're sending people in to guard the buildings and prevent the looting and not sending in FOOD, WATER, or CLOTHES.

It's just disgusting...and it really scares me that such a thing can happen in our country. The way things have been going, though, I really shouldn't be surprised.
Yeah, those people who are stealing electronics and more shoes than they need and who are raping women are just trying to survive. :doh:
 
poco said:
Hopefully, the next time a hurricane threatens an area like this, the buses will come in two days before the hurricane hits and take these people to safe places.

BINGO - Large cities vulnerable to this type of tragedy need to make up plans of actions BEFORE these disasters hit - not after! Maybe some of them will take heed to this and do so before another major city finds themselves in this type of situation.

There was a plan. We are finding out exactly how lacking the plan turned out to be in a lot of areas. People were told to get the hell out of Dodge! BUSSES were sent for people who had no way out on their own! Some people chose not to take advantage of the ride away from low-lying areas.

New Orleans issued a MANDATORY evacuation on Sunday, one day before the hurricane hit and two days before the flooding began.

80% of the people did evacuate. 20% stayed behind. I'm thinking that of that 20% MOST OF THEM KNEW a hurricane was coming and decided to ride it out. Well, it's been a rougher ride than they imagined.

Was it stupid to house people in the Super Dome? Yep. Could the plan have been better? Yep. Will it be better next time? I sure hope so.

AS FOR THE LACK OF HELP BEING RACIAL: New Orleans has a black mayor, a black chief of police, a black man heads the utilities department, the educational system, etc. It is a city run by African Americans. I don't think that race has much to do with the things we see going horribly wrong. The head of Acadian Ambulance cancelled rescue missions to hospitals at one point because the ambulances were being attacked. Now we hear of people dying in the hospitals because they haven't been evacuated. Whose fault is it? Rescuers have been shot at! We are hearing of people who still haven't been rescued, God help them. But whose fault is it? Helicopters, shot at!! Is it the fault of the rescuers, or the damn thugs with guns who are strutting around so stupid that they would shoot the ones who come to save them?
 
pardilia said:
The fault is with the government taking well over FOUR DAYS to get help to people. I totally believe there's a race issue going on here. They have no major reason to help those people - there's not financial gain for the government. That's why they're taking their sweet ol' time...I have absolutely no doubt that if the majority of the people involved were porcelain white and filthy rich this would NOT be happening.
QUOTE]

First of all, New Orleans is surround by incredibly affluent, porcelain white suburbs. It's not all black.

Secondly, there is a BIG flaw in your theory. New Orleans is a MAJOR PORT. It is INCREDIBLY important to the oil and gas industry. The entire country is taking a big, big hit financially because of the destruction of New Orleans. Have you seen gas stations closing down because there is no more gas in the pumps? Heard the stories of the rising prices of gas? (By the way, we aint seen nothing yet, guys.)

The sooner those who are stranded in New Orleans are evacuated, the sooner the cleanup can begin and the sooner that port is back online. Major, major financial reason to get it done as quickly as possible.
 
kgeaux said:
pardilia said:
The fault is with the government taking well over FOUR DAYS to get help to people. I totally believe there's a race issue going on here. They have no major reason to help those people - there's not financial gain for the government. That's why they're taking their sweet ol' time...I have absolutely no doubt that if the majority of the people involved were porcelain white and filthy rich this would NOT be happening.
QUOTE]

First of all, New Orleans is surround by incredibly affluent, porcelain white suburbs. It's not all black.

Secondly, there is a BIG flaw in your theory. New Orleans is a MAJOR PORT. It is INCREDIBLY important to the oil and gas industry. The entire country is taking a big, big hit financially because of the destruction of New Orleans. Have you seen gas stations closing down because there is no more gas in the pumps? Heard the stories of the rising prices of gas? (By the way, we aint seen nothing yet, guys.)

The sooner those who are stranded in New Orleans are evacuated, the sooner the cleanup can begin and the sooner that port is back online. Major, major financial reason to get it done as quickly as possible.
Oh, they'll do everything they can to get their financial port open, but it's obvious from the pictures that the majority of refugees (the PEOPLE) are poor and black. And the black mayor is on record as saying he is, quote, "pissed" about the lack of response from the federal government, among others. He can only do so much. I notice they don't seem to have quite the same issues in the white, casino laden coastal towns in Mississippi that were devastated. Where are THEIR refugees and lawlessness?
 
I am also the last person to drop the race card, but I've been thinking for days that the response would have been different if the demographics of the victims were different as well. Jim Cafferty on CNN called it the elephant in the room yesterday.

I dont think we can assume all those who stayed behind chose to. I know we're being told that buses went to every neighborhood and someone knocked on every door. I just don't know if I believe it. In other threads, posters have shared information about why some people didn't or couldn't leave, and it wasn't just to "ride out the storm." When I saw how many people stayed, I couldn't believe they all justchose to stay. The number just seems too high. I hope we find out the truth later.
 
Dark Knight said:
Oh, they'll do everything they can to get their financial port open, but it's obvious from the pictures that the majority of refugees (the PEOPLE) are poor and black. And the black mayor is on record as saying he is, quote, "pissed" about the lack of response from the federal government, among others. He can only do so much. I notice they don't seem to have quite the same issues in the white, casino laden coastal towns in Mississippi that were devastated. Where are THEIR refugees and lawlessness?


The damage is so different, dark knight. Mississippi has the same damage to buildings but they don't have the flooding. They don't have the roadways that have fallen into the water. I don't want to seem like the MS, AL damage aren't devastating because they are....but NO is complicated by the flooding.

I think the lawlessness has complicated the rescue efforts to an incredible degree. I heard on Fox this morning that NO cops are turning in their badges because it's just too dangerous, they are being shot at by the very people they are trying to help. Rumor has it that Kathleen Blanco is considering a "shoot to kill" order, and I'm all for it. If they can remove the thugs from the picture, things will improve dramatically.
 
Beyond Belief said:
I for one was very surprised to see the large amount of Afro Americans involved in this tragedy. It certainly wouldn't affect my decision to help.

I am very sadden by the amount of looting, crime, etc. I think those people commiting these crimes have done that for years not just in the event of the hurricane. Its difficult to comprehend that the warning to evacuate wasn't taken more seriously. A simple two hour drive and they would have faired so much better. Hopefully, the next time a hurricane threatens an area like this, the buses will come in two days before the hurricane hits and take these people to safe places.

The survivors need to be placed with extended family somewhere in the country as soon as possible. Trying to house them in these large numbers is ridiculous. This country has planes, trains and boats. Spread these people out and do it quickly, before they are out of control. Money will be coming their way that we know for sure.

No one wants them harmed, but then again society doesn't need to suffer any harm from riots, etc. New Orleans is just an example of what can happen when people start making demands. The relief should be there, but because its not, is not a reason to loot stores, thats just the mentally shared by alot of these people. God help those who have found themselves among the lowlife of New Orleans.
...............you are truly "Beyond Belief"! :sick:
 
I agree that these poor people should be able to take whatever they need to survive. Looters who are stealing food, shoes and diapers should not be held accountable for their actions. As long as you are taking it because you need it not because you always wanted it. The sad thing is 9 people have been shot and killed for looting. Are the material objects more important than their lives? I think not. I wont even bother to address the racial comment except to say that it is ignorant :rolleyes:. I believe the help did not get there soon enough but to blame race is moronic.
 
Beyond Belief said:
Spread these people out and do it quickly, before they are out of control.
I had to look to see when this was posted. You don't think things are out of control. People, including babies, have died of dehydration. People are being raped, robbed. Rescuers are being fired on.

Money will be coming their way that we know for sure.
Do you mean that they will get assistance? After losing everything, maybe even loved ones? They probably will get money. I hope my donations make it to them.

No one wants them harmed, but then again society doesn't need to suffer any harm from riots, etc. New Orleans is just an example of what can happen when people start making demands.
Yeah, those pesky people demanding food and water, and protection from harm. If people didn't stay behind voluntarily, would you be ok with saving them? Like hospital workers and those who maybe didn't see a bus come by and have no car. Maybe the woman photographed next to her dead husband, who had lung cancer and couldn't be moved, so she stayed behind with him. Can she get a bottle or water or is that too great a demand? I say let's save them all, and the horrors they endured can be their punishment IF they chose to stay.

The relief should be there, but because its not, is not a reason to loot stores, thats just the mentally shared by alot of these people. God help those who have found themselves among the lowlife of New Orleans.
I guess there are a few lowlife there. I don't count among them those who are taking food and water from stores. The rapists and shooters, yep, they're lowlives. But not those who are trying to stay alive. You say "relief should be there." I think at this point to you "relief" is an abstract concept. Your belly isn't empty. Your child isn't near death from lack of water. Your clothes aren't sticking to you, possibly chafing your skin raw from filth and sweat. You aren't trying not to vomit from the stench of dead bodies.

Here's something some might find interesting. Note the different captions, and note the different race of the people in the pictures.
 
kgeaux said:
There was a plan. We are finding out exactly how lacking the plan turned out to be in a lot of areas. People were told to get the hell out of Dodge! BUSSES were sent for people who had no way out on their own! Some people chose not to take advantage of the ride away from low-lying areas.

New Orleans issued a MANDATORY evacuation on Sunday, one day before the hurricane hit and two days before the flooding began.

80% of the people did evacuate. 20% stayed behind. I'm thinking that of that 20% MOST OF THEM KNEW a hurricane was coming and decided to ride it out. Well, it's been a rougher ride than they imagined.

Was it stupid to house people in the Super Dome? Yep. Could the plan have been better? Yep. Will it be better next time? I sure hope so.

AS FOR THE LACK OF HELP BEING RACIAL: New Orleans has a black mayor, a black chief of police, a black man heads the utilities department, the educational system, etc. It is a city run by African Americans. I don't think that race has much to do with the things we see going horribly wrong. The head of Acadian Ambulance cancelled rescue missions to hospitals at one point because the ambulances were being attacked. Now we hear of people dying in the hospitals because they haven't been evacuated. Whose fault is it? Rescuers have been shot at! We are hearing of people who still haven't been rescued, God help them. But whose fault is it? Helicopters, shot at!! Is it the fault of the rescuers, or the damn thugs with guns who are strutting around so stupid that they would shoot the ones who come to save them?

I agree. If you really think about it, A LOT has been done in just 4 days! Not enough, clearly, but let's realize we are talking thousands and thousands of people. As someone at work said yesterday (and I posted it, but I think it's worth repeating, IMO) - "This is the first time we've tried to relocate an ENTIRE municipality."

People interviewed that said a lot of people didn't have the means to leave, but a lot didn't leave because they're "sentimental." Not my word, but from a guy from down there. Heck, I'm sentimental, but won't lose my life or my family's life due to being sentimental. It's disheartening to me that people who have never been through an emergency/disaster can talk about what all needs to be done. I hate to see the finger-pointing now - get the people taken care of (in flocks of 25,000! at a time) and we can all have the next 5-10 years to analyze what went wrong and where. It'll be analyzed and debated for years to come. I also can't blame Bush or even Clinton if ya wanna go back further. This has been years of mismanagement, I guess.

And no, I do not think race has much of anything to do with it. Maybe the enormity of the poverty, and lack of means to evacuate, may have been underestimated; but other than that, no, I don't think there was a layer of government (local, state or federal) that sat back and decided we won't plan accordingly because of race. JMHO.

There was an African American male on Fox this morning, being interviewed after he and his family had been transported to the AstroDome, but turned away because it's full. He sounded disgusted with what "my own people" are doing. His words, not mine. He said now was the time to step up and be a real man. God bless him and his wife and I think it was 2 small kids with him. I hope he's one that is being sent to Reliant Stadium.
 
kgeaux said:
There was a plan. We are finding out exactly how lacking the plan turned out to be in a lot of areas. People were told to get the hell out of Dodge! BUSSES were sent for people who had no way out on their own! Some people chose not to take advantage of the ride away from low-lying areas.

New Orleans issued a MANDATORY evacuation on Sunday, one day before the hurricane hit and two days before the flooding began.

80% of the people did evacuate. 20% stayed behind. I'm thinking that of that 20% MOST OF THEM KNEW a hurricane was coming and decided to ride it out. Well, it's been a rougher ride than they imagined.

Was it stupid to house people in the Super Dome? Yep. Could the plan have been better? Yep. Will it be better next time? I sure hope so.

AS FOR THE LACK OF HELP BEING RACIAL: New Orleans has a black mayor, a black chief of police, a black man heads the utilities department, the educational system, etc. It is a city run by African Americans. I don't think that race has much to do with the things we see going horribly wrong. The head of Acadian Ambulance cancelled rescue missions to hospitals at one point because the ambulances were being attacked. Now we hear of people dying in the hospitals because they haven't been evacuated. Whose fault is it? Rescuers have been shot at! We are hearing of people who still haven't been rescued, God help them. But whose fault is it? Helicopters, shot at!! Is it the fault of the rescuers, or the damn thugs with guns who are strutting around so stupid that they would shoot the ones who come to save them?

Excellent post. Playing the "race card" makes me SICK! This is NOT racial, this is NOT political. It's crap like that that keeps the pot stirred all the time.
 
DEPUTYDAWG said:
I hate to see the finger-pointing now - get the people taken care of (in flocks of 25,000! at a time) and we can all have the next 5-10 years to analyze what went wrong and where.
Yesterday morning, I saw the White House spokesperson telling us all things weren't that bad. He was spinning like a top. Little was being done, and more absolutely could have. Let's leave aside the question of if people should or shouldn't have left and think for a minute if this were the result of an unanticipated disaster. We'd expect, and we should expect, that we'd have gotten troops there, we'd have moved faster and done more. We get there when it's halfway around the world, but not in our own country.

Back to the sugarcoating--the White House spokesperson did it, and while he was doing it, children were dying. Then CNN (and maybe others) started showing bodies and reporting on the true conditions. The head of FEMA said he didn't know of any "unrest" yesterday afternoon, but most of the rest of us did. And we became outraged and desperate for those in LA. And imo that's finally what got the ball rolling. If not for media attention and public outcry, I'm not sure the response would be even the inadequate one we're getting today.

So you wait to talk about it and you call our concerns "fingerpointing" but without it, I wonder if we'd be seeing a more feeble response today.

BTW, people always stay behind. They always do. This isn't a surprise. We should have done more.
 

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