my two cents
I ran across this picture today while I was looking at some hurricane news. It was of an Oriental Rug Store in New Orleans that was boarded up and the owner had spray painted the outside of the boards with a message that said, "Don't Try! I'm sleeping inside with a big dog, and ugly woman, two shotguns, and a claw hammer. Looters will be shot".
I've become addicted to the Foxnews channel, and can't seem to stay away from it for anymore than an hour at a time. Usually when big things happen in the US, like 9/11 for example, I pay very close attention to the news. However, after a while I get so emotionally caught up in the story that I have to wean myself away from it. With every new development in this story though, I've been glued to the television. There are so many things about this situation that frustrate the hell out of me. I could sit here and talk and talk about it, but maybe I'll save that for another time.
Anyway, back to this picture, the looting that is happening in New Orleans is one thing that is making me want to scream at people. The picture offered a little comic relief, but at the same time shows the desperation of the people who are going through all of this, and what they will resort to if pushed to their limit. Can It be stated any clearer? "LOOTERS WILL BE SHOT". In my opinion, which carries no clout in the grand scheme of things, there are very few instances when looting is acceptable. When a person has to break into a store in a time like this and get food, water, some type of nourishment for their own wellbeing, then I see it as acceptable. I still don't 100% approve of it but I see it as acceptable. Had we been better prepared for this crisis, then there would have been no need for someone to break into a store for food and water. NOW, I DO NOT see looting as acceptable when a person walks out of a store with a DVD player (or other electronics), a new pair of shoes, or hundreds of dollars worth of clothing. I know it will be impossible to do, but I would love if there was some way to bring charges up against the people who have been looting. From what I've seen, many of these looters feel what they are stealing is owed to them. For not taking better care of them, they have every right to go into a store and steal things right off the shelves. Some of these people should be dragged out into the street and flogged.
So where did we mess up so bad in this thing? Well how far back do you want to go? Umm, how about WAY BACK. Why would you build a city under sea level? Okay, we can't go that far back, mainly because I don't know all the history on New Orleans, or enough to defend myself on that statement. How about 5 years back when I remember watching a news piece on New Orleans thinking about building walls around parts of the city that would be able to be opened and closed with ease, and would protect everything within its walls from flooding, or a force 5 hurricane. Well maybe that wasn't economically feasible. I don't know how much that would cost, or how it would be mapped out. Here it is, in my opinion, the biggest mistake made in this entire tragic event. Why were the people of New Orleans, who could not afford to evacuate the city, not bussed out by the government of the city, or the state, or the United States? Is it not common knowledge that Hurricane Katrina was a force 5 at one point churning in the Gulf of Mexico, headed straight for New Orleans? Is it not common knowledge that New Orleans is more than 10 feet below sea level at some points? I realize that I can very easily sit here and type on my little keyboard about what we should have done, but I really feel that evacuating these people would have not only saved thousands of lives, but also could have been executed without too much difficulty. It may not have been easy to do, but it would have been a hell of a lot more pleasant than what is going on now.
It may sound like I'm ripping the city/state/federal government here, but I'm really not. Or at least not meaning to. I'm just disheartened that so many lives had to be lost when there was something that could have been done. I really feel that the federal government is going to come in and do the best they can. I don't think they can solve everything and make everyone happy, that isn't even possible. They will however do what is needed to be done, and try to make the best out of a horrible situation. All of this in my opinion of course, so take that for what you will.
This link below is to a blog from CBS news that gives day by day updates on what is going on. It's not super detailed, but it is a skin and bones look at what is being done.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/04/katrina/main814689.shtml
I've become addicted to the Foxnews channel, and can't seem to stay away from it for anymore than an hour at a time. Usually when big things happen in the US, like 9/11 for example, I pay very close attention to the news. However, after a while I get so emotionally caught up in the story that I have to wean myself away from it. With every new development in this story though, I've been glued to the television. There are so many things about this situation that frustrate the hell out of me. I could sit here and talk and talk about it, but maybe I'll save that for another time.
Anyway, back to this picture, the looting that is happening in New Orleans is one thing that is making me want to scream at people. The picture offered a little comic relief, but at the same time shows the desperation of the people who are going through all of this, and what they will resort to if pushed to their limit. Can It be stated any clearer? "LOOTERS WILL BE SHOT". In my opinion, which carries no clout in the grand scheme of things, there are very few instances when looting is acceptable. When a person has to break into a store in a time like this and get food, water, some type of nourishment for their own wellbeing, then I see it as acceptable. I still don't 100% approve of it but I see it as acceptable. Had we been better prepared for this crisis, then there would have been no need for someone to break into a store for food and water. NOW, I DO NOT see looting as acceptable when a person walks out of a store with a DVD player (or other electronics), a new pair of shoes, or hundreds of dollars worth of clothing. I know it will be impossible to do, but I would love if there was some way to bring charges up against the people who have been looting. From what I've seen, many of these looters feel what they are stealing is owed to them. For not taking better care of them, they have every right to go into a store and steal things right off the shelves. Some of these people should be dragged out into the street and flogged.
So where did we mess up so bad in this thing? Well how far back do you want to go? Umm, how about WAY BACK. Why would you build a city under sea level? Okay, we can't go that far back, mainly because I don't know all the history on New Orleans, or enough to defend myself on that statement. How about 5 years back when I remember watching a news piece on New Orleans thinking about building walls around parts of the city that would be able to be opened and closed with ease, and would protect everything within its walls from flooding, or a force 5 hurricane. Well maybe that wasn't economically feasible. I don't know how much that would cost, or how it would be mapped out. Here it is, in my opinion, the biggest mistake made in this entire tragic event. Why were the people of New Orleans, who could not afford to evacuate the city, not bussed out by the government of the city, or the state, or the United States? Is it not common knowledge that Hurricane Katrina was a force 5 at one point churning in the Gulf of Mexico, headed straight for New Orleans? Is it not common knowledge that New Orleans is more than 10 feet below sea level at some points? I realize that I can very easily sit here and type on my little keyboard about what we should have done, but I really feel that evacuating these people would have not only saved thousands of lives, but also could have been executed without too much difficulty. It may not have been easy to do, but it would have been a hell of a lot more pleasant than what is going on now.
It may sound like I'm ripping the city/state/federal government here, but I'm really not. Or at least not meaning to. I'm just disheartened that so many lives had to be lost when there was something that could have been done. I really feel that the federal government is going to come in and do the best they can. I don't think they can solve everything and make everyone happy, that isn't even possible. They will however do what is needed to be done, and try to make the best out of a horrible situation. All of this in my opinion of course, so take that for what you will.
This link below is to a blog from CBS news that gives day by day updates on what is going on. It's not super detailed, but it is a skin and bones look at what is being done.
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/09/04/katrina/main814689.shtml
posted by Sancho at 10:11 PM
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