I am sad to be an American.

[luckydog71]

I am a naturalize American. I came here many years ago as a personal choice. I am proud of my country and I am thankful for the opportunity my country has given me.

In times of national crises we have come together. We have shed what ever political or socio-economic positions we have held and work as one to over come adversity.

But not this time.

This time we have politicians trying to blame each other. We have the media staking out their particular agenda and accusing the other side of mis-management. One race blaming the other… Poor blaming rich….rich blaming poor

I am disappointed with all of my politicians.

But I am truly saddened by my fellow Americans. Thugs shooting at rescue workers….able bodied people shoving aside the sick and injured to get evacuated first… perverts raping women that are in emergency shelters

All of this when fellow Americans are dying. Dying because they can not get their insulin…..dying because they run out of oxygen…..dying because their ventilator has no power

This is a sad day in America.

But I am an optimist by nature.

Maybe this will make Americans look at themselves in the mirror and see if we like what we see.

Of the people…..by the people……for the people

Has become

Of the government……by the government……for the government

The constitution has become a document that is interrupted to support whatever position you favor. Things are read into the constitution that are just not there.

If there is just one good thing that comes from this tragic event…..I hope it is Americans wake up to the fact that we have lost our country.

I am sad

 

[no3]

It truly is sad. For whatever reason, help is not being provided for those who need it. Why is it that Americans (in this case) are slow to send aid and relief in their own backyard; but were ready to seemingl jump through hoops to send it to another country. Ironic that Mother Nature succeeded where terrorists failed when it came to separating a nation's people in time of chaos.

 

[dirtydan]

My sympathies man

My sympathies man.

There is something about the White House response to Katrina that is lacking in comparison to their handling of 9/11. Now it's not every hurricane that the US loses one of its most important cities, but surely with the countless hurricanes that make their way up the east coast every year that the response to Katrina would have been much swifter and more organized. Sure there would be chaos just because the extent of the damage but seeing coverage from several media sources on what's going on in NO is indeed confidence shaking for many an American such as yourself.

IMHO the National Guard were the wrong troops to delpoy to patrol the flooded streets of NO. The Marines with their Canadian built LAV-25's (yah that's a shameless plug) and AAV7A1's would have been my choice. And quite frankly matrial law should have been declared the day before Katrina hit NO.

Come next payday I'll be making a donation to one of my favourite charities, the Mennonite Central Committee, to the relief effort in the southern US.

 

[luckydog71]

My sympathies man.

Thanks DD.....

What is wrong with Americans....regardless of who is to blame for the fuck ups......what the hell are we doing firing upon rescue workers?

I understand there are first responder Canadians in the area, but they are held up because they need a military escort to enter the war zone. What the fuck is the matter with this picture.

Stop shooting and raping you fucking idiots....just fucking stop....

 

[chiefwiggum]

I too am puzzled by the U.S. government's, well, how can we say it....BAD response to the disaster - especially one that, for all intents and purposes, they got 3-4 days notice about.

The lawlessness - looting, raping, shooting - that has been the most shocking thing for me. What a sad statement on human nature that we turn on each other rather than work together. In fairness, I don't believe the images we see represent the majority.

I think comparisons to 9-11 are unfair, two different situations, two completely different dynamics.

And with all due respect, 9-11 in and of itself does not compare to the scope of Katrina's aftermath. It is now four days later, and they are still not really even in the stages of counting casualties. There are potentially tens of thousands of dead bodies still submerged. Thousands still basically out on the streets, with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Potentially 1,000,000 or more people homeless. It is a massive undertaking to even begin to address the disaster, but even with that consideration, the Bush administration's response has been terrible. And he (finally) admitted as much.

The Canadian media certainly has focused on the looting, lawlessness, and cries of protest re: slow response by Bush - to be expected, I think - but it'd be nice if it was tempered with the other stories about other Louisiana residents stepping up to help, etc.

It makes me wonder how well prepared the U.S. is for a disaster that does not involve the war on terrorism.

 

[georgebushmoron]

The system was diseased and decayed long ago. Most Americans wore rose colored glasses and refused to see what was happening to our country. LD and other conservatives blames too much gov. Liberals blame too little gov. The real cancer is too high influence of huge corporations in public policy, the made-for-profit military establishment (yes, the Pentagon), and now politicians who care first and foremost about their bank accounts - all the way up to the top.

LD chose America. I choose Canada. I won't miss the "choice" of one of two parties who are both marionnettes of corporations and the Pentagon. I won't miss the tear-jerking sentiments that are now meaningless over 200 years later. I won't miss the guilt of American hypocrisy when it kills tens of thousands innocent civilians in the name of something even America no longer truly believes in. I have my two ex-patriate American friends who already have lived here for nearly a decade, who welcome me with open arms. I'll gladly use a Canadian passport over an American one when travelling abroad. I missed my chance at applying for Cdn citizenship when they changed to the new PR cards, but I ain't missing my next chance, eh!

 

[steverino]

While the debate and analysis will go on for a long time, I think the racial/socioeconomic bias is more evident in the planning stage than the post recovery stage. The analysts knew well in advance that New Orleans needed to be evacuated and told the public to leave. People of means (car, money to relocate for a period) left safely. People without resources simply had no way out, they were left to face armageddon. No support was offered to help them exit before the hurricane. To me that is the unconscionable issue. While the physical damage was likely inevitable, the human carnage could have been prevented if the federal government cared about the poor, mostly black folks.

 

[S.G. Gibson]

I can understand why people are questioning why the government doesn't have a better response but I think the reason is that the government is just as overwhelmed with the severity of the disaster as the public and can't do better. Practically speaking I'm not sure they could have. People would like to feel secure that their government can respond to anything but I'm not sure they could have done significantly better?

 

[chiefwiggum]

While the debate and analysis will go on for a long time, I think the racial/socioeconomic bias is more evident in the planning stage than the post recovery stage. The analysts knew well in advance that New Orleans needed to be evacuated and told the public to leave. People of means (car, money to relocate for a period) left safely. People without resources simply had no way out, they were left to face armageddon. No support was offered to help them exit before the hurricane. To me that is the unconscionable issue. While the physical damage was likely inevitable, the human carnage could have been prevented if the federal government cared about the poor, mostly black folks.

This is an interesting point.

The faces we are seeing on TV and in the newspaper now are almost exclusively black. While I realize the population of New Orleans is only 1/3 white, I do find it somewhat telling that the vast majority of people suffering the after-effects seem to be poor black people. The average yearly income in New Orleans is only about 80% of the national average, which is estimated to be somewhere near $50,000/yr, so among major US cities, it is one of the poorer ones overall, it seems.

People who live in poverty and despair respond differently (ie. looting) to disaster situations than do those who normally live relatively stable, fulfilling lives. Not saying that makes it okay, but it's a reality.

Is that the Bush administration's fault? Is it a fault in the U.S. political/economic system, which emphasizes individual choice and capitalism over collectivist ideology?

Hmmm - better start another thread for that one

 

[samantha_van]

I am totally disgusted by that whole situation! I can't beleive the all powerful "America" can't get more releif to their people! Probably gave all their money away to fighting the war on terrorisim and the tsunami victims.
I was watching cnn last night watching this young women holding her baby that she could barely wake up becuase he hadn't eaten in 4 days they hadn't even seen a medical or army vehical yet!! The little boys eye's were rolling back in his head! SICK I TELL YOU SICK!! If this isnt a kick in the ass to americans that your country is better off ran by chimps instead of a retard that looks like one then I don't know what is!

 

[Cock Throppled]

Does anyone remember all the pontificating after 911 about how it "has changed our lives... it makes us realize what is really important...I realize we have to all work as one...we are really united as a country...etc etc." Oh how quickly we forget. I really feel for those ovewhelmed by the disaster and basically left to fend for themselves through no fault of their own. The federal response has been abominable and inexcuseable.
I have to agree with one of those trapped - why isn't every bus in the country diverted to the area? Why have food and water supplies not been distrubuted? There are sizeable cities a couple hours drive from the areas. Why hasn't the call gone out for people to take others in? Why haven't ships been sent to the area? Where are the hospital ships?

 

[The Lizard King]

If this isnt a kick in the ass to americans that your country is better off ran by chimps instead of a retard that looks like one then I don't know what is!

A classic but unfortunately it goes much deeper than that.

This is pretty much the best summation as to what could be said....

The system was diseased and decayed long ago. Most Americans wore rose colored glasses and refused to see what was happening to our country. LD and other conservatives blames too much gov. Liberals blame too little gov. The real cancer is too high influence of huge corporations in public policy, the made-for-profit military establishment (yes, the Pentagon), and now politicians who care first and foremost about their bank accounts - all the way up to the top.

 

[The Lizard King]

Does anyone remember all the pontificating after 911 about how it "has changed our lives... it makes us realize what is really important...I realize we have to all work as one...we are really united as a country...etc etc."

Sure but the fine print said "except the black, hispanic, and poor, and God(?) help you if you are both #1 or #2 AND #3". You missed that...

 

[wolverine]

The only bright spot is that this is a wake-up call for the States to be better prepared for such natural disasters. Hurricanes, tornadoes, blizzards and earthquakes are still going to happen.

But in this case, they knew well in advance that a Category 5 hurricane was heading their way. What could they have done better to inform and evacuate people? Were those levees being properly maintained before they broke and flooded New Orleans?

Nevertheless, anyone who knew of the hurricane and had the means to leave but chose to stay...don't deserve any help at all. Most of the refugees were already too poverty-stricken to afford transportation out of the city.

 

[Cock Throppled]

Does this mean The Tragically Hip are terrorists or just prescient?

 

[The Lizard King]

If there is just one good thing that comes from this tragic event…..I hope it is Americans wake up to the fact that we have lost our country.

If you woke up earlier, you would have realized that you lost your country a long, long time ago. Like 9/11, you and others like you, fail to understand or even bother to ask "what would compel other human beings to act out in such a malicious manner?". What amount or type of abuse, aggression, manipulation or oppression has your country, government, culture, or society inflicted on these people to drive them to this? Your dismay is for the actions of people yet you do not ask what drove them to it? Why is that?

Watching these folks suffer is truly heart wrenching. Why won't your government take the help being offered? Wasn't FEMA supposed to be able to make shit happen immediately? FEMA didn't know about the folks at the Convention Centre despite it being reported much earlier on the news and the local officials telling people to go there in advance? What would happen if there was a nuclear or biological weapon released on American soil? It just doesn't add up. I'm starting to really look at Sunset's posts a lot differently as this goes on.

 

[FuZzYknUckLeS]

...The real cancer is too high influence of huge corporations in public policy, the made-for-profit military establishment (yes, the Pentagon), and now politicians who care first and foremost about their bank accounts - all the way up to the top...

I believe that sums it up in a nutshell. When a country's policies, both foreign and domestic, are created to pander to the few rich corporate entities that pump money into the pockets of the decision makers, as opposed to the common citizens, there can be no good to come out of it.
The big question is, wtf can ya do about it?

 

[Herb_The_Perb]

If this isnt a kick in the ass to americans that your country is better off ran by chimps instead of a retard that looks like one then I don't know what is!

But our country (USA) is being run by a chimp.

 

[Herb_The_Perb]

Were those levees being properly maintained before they broke and flooded New Orleans?

No they weren't, and one major civil-service official resigned in disgust a while ago because the administration's budget office head refused, year after year, to allow him to request sufficient funds to maintain national infrastructure.
And now they're calling it a natural disaster. It's really a politically-created disaster.

 

[dirtydan]

I too am puzzled by the U.S. government's, well, how can we say it....BAD response to the disaster - especially one that, for all intents and purposes, they got 3-4 days notice about.

The lawlessness - looting, raping, shooting - that has been the most shocking thing for me. What a sad statement on human nature that we turn on each other rather than work together. In fairness, I don't believe the images we see represent the majority.

I think comparisons to 9-11 are unfair, two different situations, two completely different dynamics.

And with all due respect, 9-11 in and of itself does not compare to the scope of Katrina's aftermath. It is now four days later, and they are still not really even in the stages of counting casualties. There are potentially tens of thousands of dead bodies still submerged. Thousands still basically out on the streets, with nothing more than the clothes on their backs. Potentially 1,000,000 or more people homeless. It is a massive undertaking to even begin to address the disaster, but even with that consideration, the Bush administration's response has been terrible. And he (finally) admitted as much.

The Canadian media certainly has focused on the looting, lawlessness, and cries of protest re: slow response by Bush - to be expected, I think - but it'd be nice if it was tempered with the other stories about other Louisiana residents stepping up to help, etc.

It makes me wonder how well prepared the U.S. is for a disaster that does not involve the war on terrorism.

The comparison of the havoc created by Katrina and the horrors of 9/11 is most valid. For the former government officials at the civic, state, and federal levels KNEW without any question of the worst scenario that could happen to New Orleans ands other parts of the state and elsewhere. For the latter no one knew that the terrorist attacks that occurred were going to happen. Yet for 9/11 the response of emergency organizations was far superior. One would think that for something known to be coming, with the severity only in question, that despite the widespread destruction the response would be at least equitable to that of 9/11, if not better.

And while you target the Canadian media, the current labour dispute at the CBC will provide you with a grand opportunity to media coverage from the BBC. Compare to what they are covering to that of Canadian media is providing. And of course compare it to what the US media is providing.