Government Response

The complaints are already rolling in and gathering momentum. Why was the goverment caught so flat-footed? Why is it taking so long to mobilize?

Will Bush really do anything to ensure that adequate help arrives, and arrives soon? Or will he just make stupid pronouncements and not give a damn because most of the victims are poor blacks?

How will the Republican theory of "too bad for you" affect the level of federal response to this? You know they're sitting there saying that all these people somehow deserved their fate for A. Being poor, B. Being black, C. Not being able to afford to just pick up and drive out of the area ahead of the hurricane and stay in a nice hotel, and likely C. That they shouldn't be living there in the first place.

Sure, Republicans were affected too. But their destroyed beach homes were vacation homes anyway. They just sat at home and watched it on TV. And they're no doubt insured for any losses, both to their homes and their businesses, though they're no doubt more concerned over the insurance companies solvency and ability to pay claims than the fate of their fellow man. They'll do fine. It's just an incovenience and a lot of work.

For the majority of the poor and middle class, they're wiped out. Even if they can survive and return, they have nothing to return to. No place to live. No place to work, no community, nothing. Absolutely nothing at all. Their lives are simply gone.
One simply can't fathom the depth of their loss. There is NOTHING left for them. Nothing at all.

What is your opinion on the response, or lack of it, so far?

One bright spot however; so far, Falwell and Robertson havn't gone on TV to say this is God's punishment for the massive gambling interests on the gulf coast, and punishment for the fun-loving people of New Orleans.

**Addendum - Could someone explain to me why, with thousands of people finally getting to leave the Super Dome, about ready to lose their minds, but now finally getting on the move to a better place, why they would STOP the evacuation because some idiot took a few pot-shots at a military helicopter??!!

I'm sure I'm missing something, but this makes no sense to me for these reasons:

A. It's a military helicopter. They get one random shot fired their way and they decide to let people suffer and potentially die so they can run and hide? Why wasn't there hundreds of troops or cops or whatever sent out to capture whoever was doing the shooting? And even if they couldn't catch them, why the hell should they let desperate and potentially DYING people suffer because some jerk fired off a few random shots???

And they're supposed to be the MILITARY... they're not supposed to run and hide when someone shoots a pistol somewhere in their general area!

This situation is life and death. People are dying all around the city. People's lives hang in the balance on whether they can get out of town and get somewhere to get basic necessities of life. They stop the entire effort because of the risk of some goof with a gun? People are DYING all over, does it make sense to risk thousands of people's well-being because you're afraid someone might get grazed by a bullet? I have no doubt that some people's level of desperations is to the point where they'd gladly take a slug in the leg if they were promised that they'd be taken out of the area and given a place to shower, food, water, and a cot.

B. And wwhy did they stop the BUSES from driving to Houston because a HELICOPTER was shot at?? What does that have to do with the ability to drive buses out of town??