You kinda hope this would be one of the pull-together-as-a-community things. Sadly, it's been more of the "every man for himself" sort of mentality I've mostly been seeing.

Listening to the NO mayor on radio saying "get off your damn asses" about Congress and the help was nice to hear. And Cindy Davis, the "only nurse at the Superdome" screaming out for insulin was moving. And a man called Tracy Chalmwood (I think) fishing people out of the flood with his airboat.

Godfuckingdamn, world's most industrialised nation, and aid was slower getting to it that post-tsunami Indonesia. And they knew when and where the hurricane was going to hit, unlike the tsunami.

From the Guardian: Bangladesh, Thailand and Afghanistan Offer aid to US. 'Spose Thailand and Bangladesh would know about water damage, but let's hope that Afghanistan isn't going to help the US the same way the US helped Afghanistan: by bombing the crap out of it.

And there's The Onion's take on the situation.

"... and it will be in Texas"
Uncanny.
"Texas owed the shantytowns that steamed in the warm gulf rains to the uneasy neutrality she had maintained in
the face of the Coast's attempted secession.
The towns were built of plywood, cardboard, plastic sheets that billowed in the wind, and the bodies of dead
vehicles. They had names like Jump City and Sugaree, shifted constantly in the covert winds of a black-market
economy".
Fragments of A Hologram Rose
W. Gibson,(On UnEarth), 1977

And Bruce Sterling makes fun of those trying to help.

From Sterling's Wired Blog
"Thank Goodness, Here Come the Brave and Generous Indians to Rescue Louisiana"

"A sum of $5 million released by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh yesterday for hurricane relief aid to the US is already being deposited in an account of the American Red Cross, Indian embassy officials here said. (((Hey! That's real money! Thanks for the charity, India! Jaya He!)))"

Seems this guy does not know how much 5 million bucks means for a country like India to spare.
What a moron. Wont be buying his next book.
PS Didnt buy his last one either.

RUR - nice catch - hopefully Sterling will someday realise what a dick he is for posting that. With a billion people to govern, it's amazing that they would offer anywhere near that much - good for them.

Oh well, I haven't read one of his books yet - now that's even less of a priority.

IIRC, Afghanistan donated $180,000. And good for them.

Speaking of The Onion (as lithos did), I particularly like this:

White Foragers Report Threat Of Black Looters

NEW ORLEANS—Throughout the Gulf Coast, Caucasian suburbanites attempting to gather food and drink in the shattered wreckage of shopping districts have reported seeing African­Americans "looting snacks and beer from damaged businesses."

"I was in the abandoned Wal-Mart gathering an air mattress so I could float out the potato chips, beef jerky, and Budweiser I'd managed to find," said white survivor Lars Wrightson, who had carefully selected foodstuffs whose salt and alcohol content provide protection against contamination. "Then I look up, and I see a whole family of [African-Americans] going straight for the booze. Hell, you could see they had already looted a fortune in diapers."

Radio stations still in operation are advising store owners and white people in the affected areas to locate firearms in sporting-goods stores in order to protect themselves against marauding blacks looting gun shops.

I think you're detecting sarcasm where there isn't any, R & H. Note this paragraph:

A state department official said yesterday that it was doing a needs assessment to determine which of the large number of aid offers received from all over the world would be accepted. (((Accept it, you morons!

Meh, whatever. YMMV.

BTW:

India's per capita GDP - $US700 approx
Australia's per capita GDP - $US10,000 approx
India's contribution - $US5 million
Australia's contribution - $US7.6 million

Hey, we got overheads!

I did see that actually - and it could very well be that he meant it literally.

I think that, if he hadn't posted the first statement as an editorial aside, it may have seemed less flippant.

Semantics are so tricky.

So I'm wondering if this will lead to th total gentrification of new orleans. Sure the mortage companies and credit card compaines are giving them 90 days now, but what happens when thats up maybe one extension, maybe foclosure. Maybe a developer starts making offers at say 10 % less than the last appraisal. good money for poor people who cant afford to live in one cityand pay for a damaged property in another. I could just see developers leaping on the idea of an upscale mardis gras.

While the news had been focussing on the more negative side of the story, now we are getting a more balanced view. The BBC had a 1 hour show last night collecting news from ABC, NBC and one other US news company (not Fox or CNN) which gave a much better view of how people were reacting. It mentioned the looting and shooting, but also showed the courage and determination of the vast majority of the people.

This morning's paper reports Barbara Bush's comment that "[they] were underprivileged anyway, so this is working out well for them". When I add this to GW's dumb grin and GHW's smirking and whispering in Clinton's ear, plus the fact that Bush now wants to head up the inquiry, I wonder how this family ever got into politics.

How? How could they not?

they didn't "get into politics",
they forced their way in.

I have a feeling the GHWB was the shooter on the grassy knoll...

quote:

Originally posted by Rich:
So I'm wondering if this will lead to the total gentrification of new orleans.

Post-apocalyptic NO could be much worse than that...

But no. It could be even worst. You're forgetting this masterpiece.

does anyone think that the mandatory evacutations under martial law are an attempt to grab the port with emminent domain?

quote:

Originally posted by zeronewmark:
does anyone think that the mandatory evacutations under martial law are an attempt to grab the port with emminent domain?

I think you must be getting heat stroke from all the tinfoil you're wearing. Don't forget to touch your own urine.

I reckon that and the pillowcase on the noggin must be keepin' him well insulated:

If you ask me this whole thing, tragic though it is, may turn out to be the first dress rehearsal for the rest of the twenty-first century, which looks set to be characterised by forced migration and social breakdown. 'Civilization' is eggshell thin, as this sums up better than I could ever put it. That and the depressing regularity of the appearance of stories such as this one are making me wonder which life skills I should be teaching my kids.

The one thing that I've been most surprised about is that the whole situation hasn't kicked off more of a debate about gun law in the US media. Surely the evacuation of the population would have been a lot easier if it didn't have to be done at gunpoint? Guns are not a civilising influence.

I expect the job markets for lapdancers, strippers, croupiers, bar staff and blues singers is going to be pretty tight for the next few months.

"Go Fuck Yourself Mr. Cheney"
Live on CNN. Nice.
And Mr. VicePresident's response? Quick scoff, and a cheap joke... and laughter. Ah, nothing like a clear conscience.

Thinking on the Texas Hooverville's (Bushville) situation as it develops. And the possible election of Kinky Freedman as Governor- Motto : Kinky for Governor why the hell not?
I do think it is rotten enough here in the U.S. that there is some possibility of more voters registering, and making use of their vote. Just boggles my mind to think what we might do with this sad opportunity.