VENT HERE - anger about Katrina Relief

[Mariposa Bella 3]

I will no longer read this post, I just keep getting more and more angry and upset. I feel so darn guilty and useless. I just went to the post office and was bitching about how hot is is outside going from my office to the car and so on, and then I realized, OMG, I am complaining about this heat and about getting sweaty and there are babies and people starving and dying and oh, I am so selfish. Well, good bye on this thread, I can no longer bear to read.

[DeLarla 22]

Bubba, what time is your sister leaving Vegas? I could have given her boxes of donations. Is it too late? It's 2:00 here. Any chance of a late night flight?

[DeLarla 22]

I'd like to see Bush barefoot wading through hip-deep Water, grasping onto a dead body for a floatie. At least I can say I didn't give him my vote.

[Mita 2]

I do believe she is already in the Air her flight was around 3pm -- I did not even think about it..

[Marimaru 7]

If anyone finds a place that we can ship clothes and supplies to, please tell me. I don't have much cash right now, but I have lots of "junk" that I don't need and someone else does. I've been 'planning' on cleaning out my apartment for a good long time now and taking some stuff to good will, but now it may have a good use and some urgency. I'm also giving blood next week.

I don't understand why our country officials are quicker to give (unsolicited)help to people outside the nation, but it's driving me mad.

[HarleyNana 10]

Last night, I sent an email to my congresswoman and asked what our county and state was doing to aid these victims, of course I have not had a response.

It's been compelling to see the numerous reporters that we see day in and day out on television broken down and in tears.

I'm sorry to hear on 20/20 tonight people are starting to say it's a racial thing, that the slow/no response was because most of the victims were/are poor African Americans, I don't agree, I think our government has just done a lousy, sorry, disappointing job. The red tape and paperwork is probably what has held things up, its Bull Chit, that the government has let so many people down and allowed our fellow Americans to starve and live in such disgust.

My heart goes out to each and every person.

Everytime I reach for my toothbrush, I think, OMG, I'm so blessed.

[the best me 6]

I have two friends I have yet to hear from. I am praying they are okay. I looked up their addresses on Yahoo Maps. Alan and his wife Marion live on Pontchartrain Blvd. It's smack dab in the bowl, near a Canal, close to Lake Pontchartrain. He's a Professor at the University. My friend Theresa lives north of Lake Pontchartrain. She works for the Federal Government (FBI) so I'm thinking she's safe but very very busy? I hope so. I have tried to call her home and office and the lines are busy. I have no number for Alan but the phones are out anyway. I even looked up their names on the Red Cross list of people who have posted that they are safe. Nothing. I so hope they got out.

It's awful. The roads are out. Hazards are everywhere making rescue efforts extremely difficult. I'm dissappointed with the Mayor of New Orleans and the Governor of Louisiana. I don't think they have a clue about how to do their jobs and I can't for the life of me figure out why they had nothing, and I mean nothing in place to evacuate the poor, disabled, elderly, sick, anyone who would go if they simply had a ride. I can't understand why they didn't already have the Super Dome stocked with meals, Water, cots, and personnel especially, so they didn't have to wait for the Federal Government and the Red Cross and other agencies to haul butt from all ends of the country across the aftermath of that storm. I can't understand why Friday they parked school buses in a lot and let them flood, rather than putting them to work getting folks out of there over the weekend.

I am extremely dissappointed in the idiots who are looting, not for survival, but for fun? for the hell of it? because they are angry? whatever!!! There is no sense in that at all, and it's more than just a few. It's hundreds of people running amuck, thinking only of themselves, not caring for their neighbors or for the people trying to rescue them. They are making matters worse, and people are suffering for it. This could have been a time to shine, but it's shameful.

And then there's the Michael Moore Socialist Propoganda Machine pumping out the rubbish I have refused to read. His hatred is non-productive, inciteful, and wrong. I know many of you may not agree but let me vent, too. It's difficult enough to see what I have seen on television, and to know that I have friends that, as far as I know, are unaccounted for. So I'll refuse anything with his name on it, and I'll even take the liberty of eschewing any thinking that even smacks of his rhetoric.

Thanks for the vent. I'll let you know if I hear from my friends.

[princess_n_thep 2]

This hurricane was a horrible and terrible tragedy. I feel sorry for the victims who have lost loved ones, their homes, etc. But I have a question... why didn't they leave? They categorized this hurricane about 4 days before it hit. Why not go inland? Even if they are the poor, they could have been the poor in a safer area. It isn't like they didn't know they were below sea level. I am not in any way saying they deserve this but geeshhhhhh, much of this could have been avoided. The cities issued evacuations. And even set up busses to take people inland. Some were too damn stubborn to get on the busses. On the last day, 70% of the busses were cancelled because no one was getting on. Where were they?

[Barb 0]

It has been a long day here today. We just found out early this afternoon that we are getting 1500 of the New Orleans evacuees. food, Water and supplies are arriving in the devasted areas and the buses are now getting them out.

One of the buses overtuned, don't know what happened, but there is at least one dead. Just keep them all in your thoughts and prayers.

Most (if not all) of the state and federal agencies here in Texas are staying open throughout this holiday weekend. We are ready when they arrive, we have beds set up, food, Water, clothes, hygeine supplies, baby formula, diapers, toys, child care and medicine and medical care ready and waiting. I know it seems like to little to late but I can say that people here have been working long hard hours. 1500 isn't many considering how many need assistance but as they arrive this weekend we will be taking good care of them.

We are working around the clock, it is 3:50AM here and nothing has slowed down.

[the best me 6]

On the last day, 70% of the busses were cancelled because no one was getting on. Where were they?

Interesting. Refuse help, end up in dire straits, then blame the government for not taking care of you. Yep, it must be all Bush's fault. He's such a racist, you know. He hates poor black people, you know. This would never happen in Florida where his brother is the Governer. It's such a conspiracy. THIS is the thinking that gets my blood boiling. People are suffering and dying and it's all the government's fault. Let's all just whine and blame the governnment. That will make it better, yeah.

The people of Texas have been just awesome. I keep remebering one man who got out and ended up in at the Astrodome. He told the reporter, very excitedly, "Houston is ON the MAP!" He was happy and relieved.

Here in NC we are preparing for several thousand at least. The schools are preparing for the extra students. Businesses, including Wal-Mart, are donating and collecting book bags filled with school supplies. Churches are purchasing groceries and supplies for homes that are taking in families. Rental properties are being quickly refurbished to house families who are beginning to arrive. Private bus companies are gassing up at $4 a gallon and are headed back with hundreds of displaced families. The opportunities to volunteer, donate, and help out are right at our door and I'm proud of tireless Americans who share so much of our blessings with others. Sure beats the finger-pointing in my book.

[vinesqueen 2]

Let me start this post by saying that I'm not trying to pick any fights with anyone on this board. Y'all know me better than that, or at least that is my hope. I always try to speak the truth as I see it. And so, I speak my truth, as I know it, have seen it, or have deduced it.

People didn't leave for a whole vast number of reasons. Some didn't leave because they didn't/couldn't beleive it could possibly be that bad. Some of the elderly didn't leave because they figured that the evacuation alone would kill them. How do you argue with that? Some were too sick, but not sick enough to be in hospital. I know I've been that sick, on many occasions. But so many of the people didnt leave because they had no money and no where to go, and no way to get there.

Some didn't leave because the hyways were already packed and to that wasn't a real aveneu of excape. Some people didn't because they heard that over packed cars were being stopped and drivers arrested. Some didnt leave because the nearby hotels inland were already packed.

This storm hit days before the end of the month. When you are on welfare or other puplic assistance, you get your money at the first of the month. By the end of the month that small check is completely done. There is no extra money to buy anything let alone money for a hotel. If you have enough for diapers for your baby or gas for the car you *might* have, what are you going to choose, especially if you've been riding out hurricanes your entire life? I know that in their postitions, I would probably have chosen to stay. Why? because I've been without resouces, and I've been without a place to go. I'm sure even sure what you mean by "go be poor someplace somewhere else." There was no other place. No other safe place.

Do not blame the victims. Please please please. For so many of these poeple had a very hard life before the storm and flood, now they have even a harder life. If you have never been is such ddier straights, you cannot truely understand the pain of poverty. It is soul crushing. Like I said, there were so many reasons why people stayed, many thought for valid reasons.

I can only speak to what I've seen on the news or read in the news. From what I have read: People did not have a clear evacuation route.

You are right Jenna, this could have been mostly avoided. But not completely avoided. We know that by studing human nature, that some people will never leave the relative safety of their homes for hardship and deprivation.

The magnitude of the problem could have been reduced if there had been a clear evacuation route and a clear plan. We know that this was not the case. The officials on TV have said this was one of the problems.

The dykes were only rated for a lesser storm. We know this, we have to live and die with this. But funds to maintain the dyke system had been cut an cut and cut. The project to upgrade the sea and lake walls was cancled outright.

Who is responsible? Bush is responsible. The Congress is responsible. State and local governments are responsible. Finally, the peopel who live there are responsible for not fighting harder to protect their homes. But we know that not everyone is a fighter. We have elected officials that we expect to do our fighting for us.

We know that this was a COLLOSAL disaster. Not only from what Our Mother did, but it is a man made disaster. Part of the disaster came from engineering and part of it came from people wanting to live where it turned out to be very dangerous to do so. The real disaster was the failure of our governemt.

our Government is us. We are the government. This is our responsibilty, but we have charged our elected officials to handle the details for us. Because they have have been charged with the responsibitly they are ultimately responsible for the failures in the system.

Harry S. Truman kept a plac on his desk that read "The Buck Stops Here." This mean that he accepted the responsibility of the office. That he couldn't pass off any dicision he made to "faulty intellegence" that the responsibity his administration.

The office of the president sets the budget, He or (hopefully someday) She sets the cabinets. This president decided that he would weaken FEMA. Any president is ultimately responsible for what happens under his watch, good or bad.

This president decided to stay on vacation instead of springing to action. Bush should have expecially known because he was a govenor. This is one of the things that govenors have special experience with and that is dealing this natural disasters in their states.

He stayed on vacation, instead of taking charge of the situation. He passed responsibility to his Daddy and Bill Clinton for fun raising. He went on the news and spoke at length about keeping oil flowing, not saving lives of Americans. These are not the opionon of a crazed liberal, they are the observation of a thoughtful person, me. (Or at least I like to think I am thoughtful.)

If I hire someone who cannot do the job, as a manager, it is my responsibility to see that job gets done anyway. My responsibility, not anyone elses. If the CEO of a company hires a top manager to do a job and that person can't get it done, it is the responsibility of the CEO, not some underling.

If the top man at the department of homland security was not upto the job, it is Bush's responsibilty. If FEMA didn't have the resouces that they needed, it is Bush's responsibilty. The buck stops with him.

[mousecrazy 2]

First of all, I have been working all morning, cleaning out my family's closets. They do need clothes, but they have to be distributed to all the shelters in the U.S. We have tens of thousands of the the evacuees here in the North Texas area.

Everyone is sickened and suffering over our fellow Americans' suffering in the Gulf Coast states. I ask you to keep your minds open to my comments. All major cities have disaster plans, especially in the wake of 9/11. It seems to me that right off the bat, New Orleans did not have an effective plan. Secondly, it appears that city leadership is poor if not incompetent. Where are the leaders? What was the mayor doing besides cursing and blaming? A few of the police were participating in the looting! NO LEADERSHIP. At the root of the entire problem is a population who has been conditioned to depend on the government to provide all help, and fix all problems. Not just in New Orleans, but the nanny state has taken over the minds of many of our citizens. I may be in the minority here, but blaming the Office of the President, whether it is Bush or Clinton or the next guy, seems ridiculous. Think about this: Is it possible that some natural disasters are just so large in scope, land area, and magnitude that a proper and quick response is just not possible? I agree that there are have been mishandlings and mistakes, but to rant and rave against the governement, admittedly imperfect, of the greatest and most giving and generous country in the world, is not going to solve anything, and is hurting our people. America is responding, will respond, and will continue to do its best under the most horrific circumstances imaginable, not only here, but throughout the world. I care for and respect you guys, but I am not going to be afraid to defend our country and its people, the brave and courageous military, and our president. I guess we should have a president that wears ragged clothes, and drives a bicycle around the country? Work him to the bone, with no relief for the stress of his job? Come on, people...I am no rich girl. I am a public school teacher. Give the Office of the President your support, even if you do not like the man. Turn your grief into action, and show everyone that they can always be proud of the United States of America.

[kat72 0]

At this point, I honestly don't know what to say. I have been so frustrated, upset, sad, sickened, etc. concerning all that has taken place, in New Orleans particularly. I have been following everything since day 1. Before this tragic event, I was truly ignorant and oblivious to my place in this country. However, OUR president and HIS government have surely shown me exactly where I stand in this country. I honestly did not want to face the worse-that these suffering people, MY people were not getting aid because of the color of their skin. However, I have no choice but to face the hard core facts and reality of the situation. It has been thrown right in my face as well as in the face of the entire world. We have people in different countries wondering what in the hell is going on? Why have people been stranded in an unlivable situation for almost a week? The fault lies with Bush and his 'entourage'. They should all be ashamed of themselves. When other countries were coming to our aid, he turned them away, saying that we did not need the help. What's REALLY going on? When Sunami hit, America was there! Iraq sure has the aid and support of America! 9/11- America was there! A catastrophic event takes place literally in Bush's back yard where the majority of the sufferers are African American, and all of a sudden, support, aid, comfort from the American government is no where to be found, as if they have disappeared from the face of this earth. It is EXTREMELY upsetting, sickening, depressing, and HEART WRENCHING to watch such a blatant display of racism in this day and age. If we did not have the kindness of our fellow American CITIZENS throughout this country, who knows how much worse this situation would have been. I have seen people open their homes, wallets, and shoulders to lean on or cry on. It makes my heart swell with love and appreciation to know that good and kind hearted people are out there, even if THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES AND OUR GOVERNMENT ARE NOT!!!

[divaliciousdee 0]

Kathy I don't think all the poor Black people refused help. I think that you are generalizing. You actually belive all of those people stayed because they didn't want help? You actually believe they don't realize that they are below sea level? yes they are in dire straits because this is a fact of life most of their day to day living is because of dire straits. Poor is Poor if you are not poor thank God for that. Don't blame them for not being able to evacuate! 4 days may be enough time for you and your family to evacuate but not everyone may be as fortunate as you are. I had to evacuate in 1999 I did not wait I had to make sure family members that didn't have the means to evacuate got to safety. We were packed to capacity in a caravan and some still had to go to shelters or schools. It is hard. They are not blaming the government for the Hurricane wiping out everything they owned and the lost lives but the response time was tooooo slow. Even the president said it was unacceptable. I don't speak for all of my people but I do know that we are not ignorant to the fact that when there is a hurricane with 150 mile per hour winds we know that tis catastrophic. Our faith has held us this far for over 400 years and will continue to do so. The government helps others in diasters abroad almost instantaneously but our own americans it takes 4 days to get basic supplies. yes I too blame the government for their slow response and I am a black woman, but looking at the headline news stations alot of white people agree with me too.

[the best me 6]

At the root of the entire problem is a population who has been conditioned to depend on the government to provide all help, and fix all problems. Not just in New Orleans, but the nanny state has taken over the minds of many of our citizens. I may be in the minority here, but blaming the Office of the President, whether it is Bush or Clinton or the next guy, seems ridiculous. Think about this: Is it possible that some natural disasters are just so large in scope, land area, and magnitude that a proper and quick response is just not possible? I agree that there are have been mishandlings and mistakes, but to rant and rave against the governement, admittedly imperfect, of the greatest and most giving and generous country in the world, is not going to solve anything, and is hurting our people. America is responding, will respond, and will continue to do its best under the most horrific circumstances imaginable, not only here, but throughout the world. I care for and respect you guys, but I am not going to be afraid to defend our country and its people, the brave and courageous military, and our president. I guess we should have a president that wears ragged clothes, and drives a bicycle around the country? Work him to the bone, with no relief for the stress of his job? Come on, people...I am no rich girl. I am a public school teacher. Give the Office of the President your support, even if you do not like the man. Turn your grief into action, and show everyone that they can always be proud of the United States of America.

OMGosh thank you, thank you, thank you. Well stated. I couldn't agree more.

Crystal, you are so right about the condition of the poor in New Orleans. Thank you for speaking that perspective. I agree that it is a difficult situation. You said "the relative safety of their homes" and that made me understand a little better. If what's on the "outside" looks worse than what "could" happen at my home...well, I wouldn't choose to stay under any circumstances but I can see how some might chance it. I don't know, it just seems like a no brainer to leave. There was a way out if you wanted one...it's very sad, it's very frustrating.

I couldn't disagree more that the poor response to this disaster was racially motivated. It simply isn't so. See "the nanny state" comment quoted above. I think that is at least a piece of the puzzle.

Our opinions are as diverse as we are. Our respect for our diversity makes us stronger. It helps me to process all this by reading and posting. I'm sure this forum does the same for each person here. Our opinions are different, but it's still a safe place to express them. For that, I am grateful.