Watching the end of the world

HappyGunner

New member
I am watching on TV this evening the end of the world for many people trying to just stay alive. :o It is very hard to watch also hard to understand how our Goverment has dropped the ball in trying to help all of these poor people. :confused:
 
Sorry in advance, but...

You are not going to like my response.

First off, can you say "living in a city 12 feet below sea level"?
Second, can you say "ignoring mandatory evacuation"?

Third, why is the it the .gov's responsibility to do everything, for everyone, every time?

I have lived in blizzard country (ME and IL), I have lived in hurricane country (FL), I have lived in earthquake country (CA, was actually within 30 miles of the "wrong" places for both of the last two semi-big ones) and tornado alley...

I pay for homeowner's insurance, I listen to the weather reports, and I have been known to stay in my home when a storm hits, but that is MY CHOICE... and I do not expect the .gov to be responsible for MY CHOICES when I make the wrong choice.

Yes, emotionally, I realize that these are Americans in distress. Pragmatically, as a taxpayer, I am getting tired of subsidizing everyone's poor choices. Live on a flood plain near the Mississippi river, or on the beach in FL, or or a mudslide prone-hillside in CA? YOUR CHOICE. When the worst happens, I may CHOOSE to help you out. MY CHOICE. When the .gov is coerced into spending MY tax money to make your bad choice into a good one, my choice is gone. Now I pay for you, and for me.

YMMV.
 
Happy, I hate to say it but the people they are inteviewing seem to be the ones who have already made a career of looking and acting helpless so they can get support. I watched about 2 hours of CNN when I got my power turned back on and after I got back from work yesterday. I saw one man interviewed who was involved in carrying people out of the floodwaters on his back and all I mean ALL the rest who were speaking were not lifting a finger to help themselves.

In the hurricanes I've been through its always the same. Most of the people, 95% are going about their business quietly cleaning up and fixing things without any fuss and a few members of the professional-line-standing-class are whooping it up in front of the camera, waiting for CNN to convince Uncle Sugar to take care of them.

This is complicated in New Orleans because the unspanked children of the professional line-standers have decided to steal the citizens' guns and shoot at helecopters while their mamas wait patiently for ice water to fall from heaven.
 
I, too, watched the scenes in New Orleans, and Mississippi. Most of these people are squalling about the fact that the U.S. could help after the Tsunami, but where is THEIR help? Fact, it took ALL of the countries who helped after the Tsunami DAYS to arrive, and WEEKS to get into many areas, and MONTHS to effectively help these people. The freaking hurricane hit what? Less than 48 hours ago? The Tsunami also went back into the sea, while the less than bright group screaming for help live twelve feet below sea level. Think the waters are going to recede naturally?

Let's also factor in the inability of these groups to help themselves. They moan about dead bodies laying about, unburied. Y'all doing anything right now? Instead of raping, robbing, and looting, try saving your own oversized butts from Typhoid by burying the dead. If I thought that I was going to be flooded, I'd have moved food, water, and medicine into the attic before the storm hit.

As for the looters, I believe that some of them are taking just what they need to survive. I can understand that. However, I don't need liquor, guns, drugs, TV sets, other electrical appliances, and literally racks of clothing to survive. I believe that those people should be shot on sight. I also think that anyone who fires on the Police, National Guard, Fire/Ems, or Medivacs should also be shot on sight. Yeah, it could be nasty for a while, but the sub-humans doing these things would soon get the idea.

Let's also remember that the mayor of New Orleans called for a general evacuation days before the storm hit. You want to stay, fine, you're on your own. 100,000 people expecting to be rescued and moved to safety in a flooded enviornment, without power, and obviously, in many cases, without a shred of human decency, in a matter of hours, is sheer lunacy.
 
Some of those folks on TV looked like they could go at least 3 to 4 weeks with out Macdonalds. The mutanats need to be hunted down and shot.

The failing I saw was the total lack of any kind of direction from the forces on sight at the Superdome. Put the people into line, they were in shock and would have responded to any authority directing them some where. The local authorities just ignored them.

Providing clean water could have been done its not that far out of line.

TC
 
Yes, emotionally, I realize that these are Americans in distress. Pragmatically, as a taxpayer, I am getting tired of subsidizing everyone's poor choices. Live on a flood plain near the Mississippi river, or on the beach in FL, or or a mudslide prone-hillside in CA? YOUR CHOICE. When the worst happens, I may CHOOSE to help you out. MY CHOICE. When the .gov is coerced into spending MY tax money to make your bad choice into a good one, my choice is gone. Now I pay for you, and for me.

THANK YOU, WELL SAID!

As an American business owner and taxpayer I have used government programs to help me build my business, but I have never pleaded or begged to use them. I never felt that the government owed me anything because I payed taxes. Yes, I get frustrated at the idiocy of government spending but I never expect them to pay me back by giving me a free ride during these types of situations. America is great because it gives you the freedom to prepare for these kinds of things.

Firstly, unless you are wealthy or have a lust for being dire situations, "Dont live on a coastal floodplain"

Secondly, if you are foolhardy enough to live in such an area, get ample insurance

Thirdly, even after you get ample insurance, you would be a total embicile to not have a disaster plan and B.U.G. prepared

I am not the sharpest tool in the shed, but these poor excuses for Americans whining and looting and shooting would not even qualify to be put in a pig pen.
 
I, too, watched the scenes in New Orleans, and Mississippi. Most of these people are squalling about the fact that the U.S. could help after the Tsunami, but where is THEIR help? Fact, it took ALL of the countries who helped after the Tsunami DAYS to arrive, and WEEKS to get into many areas, and MONTHS to effectively help these people. The freaking hurricane hit what? Less than 48 hours ago?

Yes, and the poor third world Tsunami victims were not out raping,looting, and killing each other. These whiners and criminals in New Orleans make me :barf:
 
Some could not leave

Quote:Let's also remember that the mayor of New Orleans called for a general evacuation days before the storm hit. You want to stay, fine, you're on your own. 100,000 people expecting to be rescued and moved to safety in a flooded enviornment, without power, and obviously, in many cases, without a shred of human decency, in a matter of hours, is sheer lunacy.
__________________

Many just did not have the basic means to get out. They had no auto no truck. There were the very old and the very sick. How were they to leave? Does the leader of the free world... The Country that is rebuilding Iraq and defending the people of Iraq. Does this great and powerful Country just turn it's back on it's own people?
 
I think its very important to realize the press is way UNDER reporting the good people. Pretty much the norm, to include the "fairly unbalanced" station.

There are people you see mugging for the camera, and the vast majority who are too busy trying to help themselves, their loved ones and people in need to stop and talk to these people with a microphone and not one shred of a clue :mad:
 
To Meek & Mild

Glad to see that someone else is seeing it in the same way. I am sure the conditions are awful, and my heart goes out to the emergency workers trying to give help to the elderly, sick, and anyone else standing by wailing for whatever...but when you see people screaming out in anger demanding that someone give them food...and they look to be hovering around 300 lbs., or more, I have a hard time feeling anything.....it's just disturbing to see some of the images....Forgive me for saying it, I know it could very well be my family down there, but some of the people are acting worse than animals. It's a damn good argument against cloning!
 
Yes, emotionally, I realize that these are Americans in distress. Pragmatically, as a taxpayer, I am getting tired of subsidizing everyone's poor choices. Live on a flood plain near the Mississippi river, or on the beach in FL, or or a mudslide prone-hillside in CA? YOUR CHOICE. When the worst happens, I may CHOOSE to help you out. MY CHOICE. When the .gov is coerced into spending MY tax money to make your bad choice into a good one, my choice is gone. Now I pay for you, and for me.
While I agree in principle, I'd like to raise the point that there are some people who simply cannot do this in practice. Be it the single mom raising 5 kids, etc.

For people who CAN afford it, however, there is no excuse.

Strike that -- there are many excuses, but there are no good excuses.

Wolfe.
 
I agree w/ much of what is said...

However, some people COULDN'T evacuate. What about people that don't have a car? I live in Boston (just outside actually, but used to). I know MANY MANY people that don't have cars and wouldn't have a way out of the city if the SHTF. They wouldn't have people to bum rides from. The roads would be jammed. Public transportation would be woefully inadaquate. Some people just COULDN'T get out. And they would need help.

Why do the people in NO need help tho? Well, it IS because they were unprepared and rely on others to take care of them and riot when they go 48 hours without help.

My heart does go out to people when I see on CNN that there's gang of roving teenagers that are literally raping and pillaging. There ARE innoccent victims that are caught in NO. Realize that. Not everybody there is a happless layabout that is a leach off of the system.

If this happened in Boston, I know many young professionals that would be without home, food, clothing and shelter. Decent God fearing, law abiding people that would need help. Now, I would also fault them for not having a plan in case something happened.

In the end, it's a horrible situation, and people are dying. Not all of it because of a natural disaster. And i'm sure that the government is doing all that they can do under the circumstances, I do not fault them at all.
 
"...hard to understand how our Goverment has dropped the ball in trying to help..." I don't think your government has. Every bit of news footage shows troopies and cops up to their waists in water. The only way to get around is by boat or air. There are no roads. No sewers. No electricity. No potable water. Nothing. The Corps of Engineers has been busy trying to rebuild the levees just so they can start pumping water out.
The people who stayed behind very likely had nowhere to go and no transport. Poverty sucks.
"...UNDER reporting the good people..." There was a guy on the news who had rescued a 90 year old man and his wife from a sinking car surrounded by alligators. The guy said the 'gators were milling around waiting for the old people to die.
CNN said that nearly everybody from the N.O. stadium, moved to Huston, is suffering from dehydration. They're prepared to keep them there until at least December.
Doing anything takes time. None of this will be sorted out anytime soon.
 
Right. The gov't has the responsibility to care for us and keep us all safe. That's why you don't need a gun.

I don't know what tpo say about the elderly. Travel can be deadly foir the elderly. Problem is the heat and humidity is deadly for the elderly, but you can't get all the power up all at once. Sad.

If you're young and healthy and can work, you're going to have to be responsible for yourself. And I believe 99% of the people over there are probably doing just that. Cleaning up, helping others.

I can't imagine how the gov't could do it, anyway. Feed, clothe, and shelter 100,000 people in less than a week? In an area where any travel by ground was impossible due to fallen trees, fallen powerlines, and floodwaters. Not receding floodwaters, but Lake New Orleans.

Sad situation. And all the finger-pointing in the world isn't going to fix it.
 
We knew it was coming...

I read an article in the Wall St Journal a year or two ago predicting this very event. The authorities knew it was inevitable, the media, everyone knew that it was inevitable, yet no-one prepared.
Not surprised at all about the lawlessness either, what do we expect? They're human beings, to begin with, and not many of them have much in the way of education, stable upbringings, 9-5 jobs, etc.
 
yup, that is exactly what I saw

and once again, if you CHOOSE to stay, okay. Just be clear, and be honest, about that point.

If you want to second-guess, then second guess your own CHOICE.

Thank you.
 
Marko is correct: free transportation for evacuation was available for days provided by gov't, churches, etc.

My opinion (which is mine alone) is that while some CHOSE to stay despite evacuation recommendation/request/orders they CHOSE to remain believing that despite the massive forewarned danger that somehow it was in their best interest to stay (whether that be for medical reasons, pride, fear, wanting to protect what they had, etc..). They were wrong. BUT this only covers what I believe (opinion) to be a very small percentage of people that CHOSE to stay and try and ride the storm out. And are now trapped, need help, and deserve help.

I think (opinion) that the overwhelming majority of people that ignored the evacuation to include the free transportation out of the area (to free shelters with basic necessities) CHOSE to stay thinking the storm would not be as bad or catastrophic as predicted. They CHOSE to stay thinking that by riding the Hurricane out for at least a little while they would have free reign on an area and city where the vast majority of citizens, police, etc., would be out of the picture. They would be able to in fact LOOT. Looting began immediately. As I understand it (could be wrong though) the dykes breeching which caused the city to flood to 80% underwater began some time after the worst part of the Hurricane had already passed through AND AFTER looting (and general lawlessness) was well underway. The dykes breeching and followed by rapid flooding caught a lot of these people (the ones that actually survived their CHOICE to ignore the evacution and danger) by surprise which is how many ended up on the roofs of buildings and properties that they don't work or reside at. I have little sympathy for these people (and yes, I fully understand why I am not like by ANYONE...but there you have it).
 
First off, let me say that I think its regrettable that in the midst of such a horrible event there are some members of the media capitalizing on people's circumstances to push their own (often liberal) viewpoints.

That out of the way, I think its very likely that as is always the case the worst examples of what's going on is what's leading all the reports. New Orleans has always had one of the most active, and most violent, criminal elements in the country. Considering their unlawful activities when things were good, it shouldn't be surprising that they're roaming the streets as armed mobs now.

As to the question of why the government isn't doing anything, I agree that the government is doing an amazing job making what progress they are. No country in the world could do more than we're doing, and many simply wouldn't try. I wish it was possible to work magic and rescue everybody in 24 hours, but it simply isn't physically possible to do. Lots of parallels have been drawn between this and 9/11. Everybody was impressed with the response to the collapse of the World Trade Center towers, and how long did it take to make just that relatively small area livable again so people could return to work and reopen their businesses? That was in an easily accessible area surrounded by a massive, working city, New Orleans is isolated and underwater. This is certainly the worst disaster my generation has ever seen, and it may be the worst natural disaster our country has ever experienced; all the organizations involved deserve our thanks and congratulations.
 
"Second, can you say "ignoring mandatory evacuation"?"

Think about this for a second...

The areas hardest hit by the hurricane also have some of the highest levels of poverty in the United States.

Where were many of these people supposed to go, and how were they supposed to get there?

Great, they were offered transportation out of the city...

How was that transportation provided? From centralized hubs? I don't buy for a minute that it would have been possible to get everyone out of New Orleans.



"Yes, and the poor third world Tsunami victims were not out raping,looting, and killing each other."

Uh, you may really want to recheck that.

The amount of violence -- rape, murder, theft, and even the selling of children and young widowed women into slavery -- was endemic in some tsunami areas.
 
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