"We need food and water and they sent us men with guns" - Katrina survivor
> "They give us food and they shoot us," a Somali said [of UN >peacekeepers in 1993]. Such extraordinary comparisons one can make. John posted a message titled "Is Katrina the end to Bush's brand of 'conservatism'?" which had some interesting links: http://sustainablelists.org/pipermail/biofuel_sustainablelists.org/200 5-September/003970.html Or: http://snipurl.com/hg76 But I think it could be or is the end of more than that, and it's been kind of obvious from the time the full scale and scope of the disaster became known, along with the unbelievable central fact that left the rest of the world stunned - that the most powerful, wealthy and capable nation there's ever been had just lost a major city through sheer incompetence. Never mind the Twin Towers, this is "the greatest calamity in American history". What is one supposed to say? "Butterfingers!" or something? Stratfor Report: New Orleans: A Geopolitical Prize A simple way to think about the New Orleans port complex is that it is where the bulk commodities of agriculture go out to the world and the bulk commodities of industrialism come in. http://snipurl.com/hfol Incompetence and worse - from today's gleanings (with thanks to Tom Feeley of ICH): New Orleans crisis shames Americans The only difference between the chaos of New Orleans and a Third World disaster operation, he said, was that a foreign dictator would have responded better. http://snipurl.com/hfob The Two Americas By Marjorie Cohn Last September, a Category 5 hurricane battered the small island of Cuba with 160-mile-per-hour winds. More than 1.5 million Cubans were evacuated to higher ground ahead of the storm. Although the hurricane destroyed 20,000 houses, no one died. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10112.htm Bodies Are Strewn 'Like Roadkill' By Scott Gold and Alan Zarembo Teams searching for survivors in attics and on rooftops have been given instructions to tie bodies that they encounter to street poles so they can be collected later. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10122.htm Cuba has twice offered to send fully equipped medical personnel with experience in disaster relief. Washington tried to cover it up and didn't reply: Tell Bush & Congress: Accept Cuba's offer to send doctors to the hurricane victims! Specifically, Cuba is offering to send 1,100 medical doctors with 26.4 tons of medications and diagnosis kits at no expense to the U.S. (they will even bring their own food and water). http://snipurl.com/hfoi Meanwhile: Navy ship nearby underused The Bataan's hospital facilities, including six operating rooms and beds for 600 patients, are empty. http://snipurl.com/hfof Americans are seeing things they're not used to seeing, and used to not seeing: Amanda Lang: Left Behind We are afraid of each other. Isolating ourselves to our own class or perceived kind behind 'gated' neighborhoods and communities, we drive with blinders in SUVs towering above the fray at lightning, gas-guzzling speeds looking over, through, and/or around our fellow citizens trying to do anything but see them. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10111.htm Now they're seeing this: Failing at War, Peace and Dignity By Dan La Botz Hurricane Katrina blew off the façade of American society. It pulled back the curtain to reveal the millions who live in poverty, mostly African American in New Orleans, but in other cities Latino, Native American, and white. The most apparent failure of the state has been in emergency response, but far greater has been the failure to create a stable existence, a decent society for millions. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10095.htm And much besides: New Orleans is a bad place to be poor New Orleans officials issued an almost cynical evacuation order in a city where they know full well that thousands have no car, no money for airfare or an interstate bus, no credit cards for hotels, and therefore no way to leave town before the deadly storm and flood arrived. http://www.nydailynews.com/front/story/343324p-292991c.html How the Free Market Killed New Orleans Everyone was expected to devise their own way out of the disaster area by private means, just as the free market dictates, just like people do when disaster hits free-market Third World countries. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10118.htm Along with just where the buck stops: Brown pushed from last job: FEMA chief had to be `asked to resign' The federal official in charge of the bungled New Orleans rescue was fired from his last private-sector job overseeing horse shows. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10115.htm Ex-officials say weakened FEMA botched response Government disaster officials had an action plan if a major hurricane hit New Orleans. They simply didn't execute it when Hurricane Katrina struck. http://snipurl.com/hfoh Warnings went ignored as Bush slashed flood defence budget to pay for wars Funding for flood prevention was slashed by 80 per cent, work on strengthening levees to protect the city was stopped for the first time in 37 years, and planning for housing stranded citizens and evacuating refugees from the Superdome were crippled. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10117.htm Bush visit halts food delivery Three tons of food ready for delivery by air to refugees in St. Bernard Parish and on Algiers Point sat on the Crescent City Connection bridge Friday afternoon as air traffic was halted because of President Bushs visit to New Orleans, officials said. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10119.htm Bush Visit Grounded Helicopter Rescue For the entire time Bush was in the state, the congressman said, a ban on helicopter flights further stalled the delivery of food and supplies. http://snipurl.com/hfod Rebecca Romani : Troubled Waters Bush flies over New Orleans much as he flew over Baghdad. He claps his FEMA director on the shoulder, chuckles, and says good job, much the way he hung out with his generals in the Green Zone for Thanksgiving. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10110.htm And so on and on, at every level on down. Guardsmen 'played cards' amid New Orleans chaos: police official A top New Orleans police officer said that National Guard troops sat around playing cards while people died in the stricken city after Hurricane Katrina. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10105.htm With the outrageous truth exploding on everyone's screen, it's too late for even these masterful spinmeisters who've stopped such a barrage of heavy-duty bucks to stop this one short of its true destination. Daniel Patrick Welch: Only in America The near total incompetence and callousness of the Bush administration has thankfully floated to the top of New Orleans' rank floodwaters like so much rotting waste; and no amount of blame-the-victim spin and war-over-people rhetoric can put the genie back in the bottle. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10107.htm Paul Craig Roberts: Impeach Bush Now, Before More Die Bush's single-minded focus on the "war against terrorism" has compounded a natural disaster and turned it into the greatest calamity in American history. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10108.htm But that the rottenness is shown to be so systemic and widespread in so many US institutions means that greater changes are required than just the I/D of the puppet in the White House or the ruling faction he represents. Delusions Under Siege As more people become acquainted with the reality behind the veneer of lies, the Bush administration, large corporations, the wealthy elite, and powerful lobbying groups are slowly losing their grip on power as the tide of public opinion rises against them, here and abroad. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10099.htm It's not an essentially different disaster in the way that's been claimed here. The disaster itself - Katrina - was nothing that special. It's the incompetent response that's the real disaster, but that's not what was being addressed. Anything else but, it seemed. I've sometimes asked people this question: "Do you have faith in the institutions of your society?" You tend to get one of two answers, either a pause followed by "What do you mean?" or an immediate "Of course not!", and neither needs a reply, it would either be futile or superfluous. Call the first group "subscribers" perhaps, such as those Amanda Lang refers to. They've had ready rationalisations for the high and rising poverty rates in the US now so thoroughly exposed by Katrina, and for so much else now exposed by Katrina. They bought into the spin and were part of the buffer that helped deflect previous bucks from their due destinations. If the scales aren't now falling from their eyes then this might be happening instead: >There are folks out there, and I know some of them, who limit their >input to sources which reflect only their particular mindset and they >reject information from other sources as "false" or "biased" whether >or not that is indeed true. They want the world to be a mirror image >of their cherished beliefs whether or not the beliefs are true, good >or wise. That makes no sense. - Gustl, 27 Aug. But rejection isn't the only option in denialism, there's also deflection, such as blaming the victims, which is what happened here (and the vehemence is an indicator), just as others have blamed America's poor for their own poverty, explaining them away with a flourish, which has also happened here in the past. The proposed solution: cut back on welfare. Which leads to this: Killing Americans By Health Care Policy : Lack of health insurance kills Americans. More Americans die from political decisions concerning health care policy on a weekly or monthly basis than died in the 9-11 terrorist attacks. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10109.htm ... and back to New Orleans, the empty USS Bataan and no Cuban doctors. The blame comes home to roost, there's no deflecting it. Predictably, the harsh judgmentalism came under attack, and so did the inward-looking focus, and not only by us: Cindy Sheehan : Dangerous Incompetence Innocent people are dying daily in this world. In the crush of the hurricane story, the fact that 950 people (mostly women and children) were trampled to death in Iraq was buried in the back sections. Those are 950 people who would still be alive if George Bush were not president. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10113.htm We came, we saw, we ruined Iraq - to stay will wound it more Two great cities, New Orleans and Baghdad, were last week plunged in horror. They both cried out for sympathy. One will get it, the other will not. http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10120.htm So much for the "newsworthiness" of disaster coverage in the media, as I said at the time. "Not enough "Think globally", and without it the local focus risks being narrow and parochial." That it sure was, at best. Rather than attacking people left with no choices for refusing to take responsibility for their own actions and damning them for not being prepared when they couldn't even afford a bus ticket to escape with their lives, we now come to something more like a perspective that's fit for a global group to chew on. It's what tallex and Ian and others are talking about, what we so often talk about here. Washington and its cynical corruptions aside, the whole world thinks Americans themselves are a great people. Their huge gripe with Americans, especially over the last four years, isn't "they hate us for our freedoms" as alleged, but that Americans haven't been behaving like the great people they are. Instead they've refused to take responsibility for their actions, especially for what their government does abroad in their name and with their tax money. Now it's all come home to roost, and Americans find themselves in the same boat as the rest of us, at the tender mercies of a thuggish government that doesn't give a damn about any of us, nor the planet either. We Have Been Abandoned By Our Own Country You have to watch this video to fully understand how little regard our government has for the welfare of its own citizens. Click here to view. Windows Media http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article10121.htm What are they going to do about it? Vote for the other guy next time? Swallow another bunch of lies and invade somebody like last time? Or take their country back? Best wishes Keith >Greetings Keith and Hakan, >I am not ignoring you or refusing to answer. My AC went down and my >computer does not like to work in 90F+. I have to use the cool of the day >to get the farm chores done. I will be back. >Bright Blessings, >Kim > >At 07:15 PM 9/2/2005, you wrote: > > >Kim, > > > >During the years between the first and the second Gulf war, a very > >large number of children died each year, something that Galloway > >picked up in his part of the US "oil for food" hearings. "..- who died > >only because the fact that they were born in Iraq at the wrong time". > >Many 1,000's more than anything from the hurricane. I still have the > >Galloway speech at, > > > >http://hakanfalk.com/msnbc_uk_galloway_blisters_us_on_iraq_050517-01b.wmv > > > >This was a direct consequence of the US led blockade. In this case > >it was not the parents, it was the "Americans". I did not see many > >Americans being upset about that. > > > >Hakan > > > >At 14:35 02/09/2005, you wrote: > > >Greetings, > > >No one but you has brought up any stereo types. If you honestly believe > > >that everyone who has been injured by this storm is an innocent bystander, > > >then enjoy your rose colored glasses. Most of us feel anger that children > > >died because their parents would not heed warnings. We never said that > > >every child's death was it's parents fault, or anything like > > >that. However, in the world I live in, there are people who expect others > > >to do for them, what they should be doing for themselves. It is sad that > > >their children have paid an ultimate price for their behavior. > > >Bright Blessings, > > >Kim > > > > > >At 09:32 PM 9/1/2005, you wrote: > > > > > Greg has not condemned anyone who tried to > > > > > help themselves, just those who don't. > > > > > > > > > > > >And precisely who's position is it to condemn anyone? And what right is > > > >it of their's to say that those whom they condemn or denigrate didn't do > > > >all they could within their means? > > > > > > > >An estimated 112,000 homes that lack transportation in the New Orleans > > > >area, with the government agencies fully expecting that 20% of the > > > >population would not be evacuated under circumstances similar to or less > > > >than Katrina. See "Hurricane Pam Exercise," > > > >http://www.ohsep.louisiana.gov/newsrelated/hurripamends.htm > > > > > > > >I wonder what it is that these agencies know that Greg and >yourself don't? > > > > > > > >As for rants that you perceive to be acceptable? Well, it is quite out > > > >of line to rant when not holding all the facts. Even worse to rant and > > > >stereotype all who are enduring the same consequence when not all made > > > >decisions on the same basis. > > > > > > > >A bit like saying all Canadians who choose to live in Texas are as dumb > > > >as bricks. Or that all black single moms are sucking on the government > > > >welfare teat. Maybe there are extinuating circumstances that rip such > > > >rants to shreds under even the most simplified examination. > > > > > > > >Todd Swearingen > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >Garth & Kim Travis wrote: > > > > > > > > >Greetings, > > > > > > > > > >I am wondering, are Greg and I the only ones that feel >frustration with > > > > >people who don't care about their lives, then expect someone else to > > pick > > > > >up the pieces? > > > > > > > > > >Greg has not condemned anyone who tried to help themselves, just > > those who > > > > >don't. I can remember my parents being irate with a neighbor when > > we were > > > > >growing up for the same kind of behavior. There was a >broken water main > > > > >and it flooded the basements of the houses. The one guy on the > > > street that > > > > >was always bragging about his new toys, was the one that >didn't have the > > > > >money to fix his house, because he didn't pay his insurance >premiums. I > > > > >mean, who expects a flood in Calgary, Alberta, Canada? I am >afraid they > > > > >were not very polite when someone came canvassing for money to > > > help the guy. > > > > > > > > > >How about: God helps those who help themselves? > > > > > > > > > >I don't see that a rant against people who have endangered > > themselves and > > > > >others is out of line. > > > > > > > > > >And yes, I have already donated help and I am working on more for the > > > > >people of Louisianna. > > > > > > > > > >Bright Blessings, > > > > >Kim > > > > >At 03:54 PM 9/1/2005, you wrote: > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > > >>I'm sure that there is a percentage of people who have exercised poor > > > > >>judgment. Who hasn't exercised poor judgment? The irony >here is how you > > > > >>express less sympathy as the suffering from those mistakes >gets worse. > > > > >> > > > > >>Mike _______________________________________________ Biofuel mailing list Biofuel@sustainablelists.org http://sustainablelists.org/mailman/listinfo/biofuel_sustainablelists.org Biofuel at Journey to Forever: http://journeytoforever.org/biofuel.html Search the combined Biofuel and Biofuels-biz list archives (50,000 messages): http://www.mail-archive.com/biofuel@sustainablelists.org/
