Author |
Message |
Mameblanche
Member
04-13-2005
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:09 pm
I take back what I said about the looters. At that time I was discussing petty theft. This crimewave is horrific and downright EVIL. Get them gone any way, at any cost, shoot to kill if you must, but they must get through to help the real innocent victimes in need. I hope we hear many heroic annecdotes soon. This is a nightmare of the worst proportions and a real litmus test of 'humanity'. Lord of The Flies... indeed. And I am a big, liberal, democratic 'leftie'.
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Fruitbat
Member
08-07-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:09 pm
I doubt that anarchy would result in all communities with this type of disaster. I can't recall one disaster, as long as I have lived, where this happened. It is inexcusable. No catch 22 here, at all. Shameful and stupid. Kali, he did not mean not to use any gas. Just conserve it.
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Mameblanche
Member
04-13-2005
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:13 pm
WHY would anybody be a sniper and shoot at an evacuating hospital? I really don't get that at all. You'd think the bad guys would want the place evacuated so they could go in and loot stuff freely. I have heard of mindless violence and this really fits the description exactly.
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Cathie
Member
08-16-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:17 pm
We were expecting the latest flight of children evacuated from NO to our hospital at 11am. It has since been delayed two more times. Our prayers are with these kids and their families for a safe evacuation.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:20 pm
I have to get this off my chest. There has been a lot said about the people who are trapped being folks that couldn't afford to leave, but there are also many who chose to stay that could have taken the first Concorde out (i.e., Fats Domino). Who knows how many of those who couldn't afford to leave would have had they been able to. I think people too often make the mistake of underestimating just how dangerous a storm can be. I learned that 11 years ago during an F4 tornado. I never paid much attention to tornado warnings until then but you can bet I do now. Until you've been in it, you can't appreciate the power of it. And then you either gain a new respect for it or you come to believe that since you lived through it once you can live through it again.
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Fruitbat
Member
08-07-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:31 pm
Yes Native. I agree. By the number of cars you see, certainly many could have driven a few hours west until the storm passed. They would be better off than they are now. It is more about not getting the power of weather. Had the levy held things would not have been as bad either, so there is that.
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Meli456
Member
05-01-2003
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:33 pm
Its time to demand that our government get to work, NOW! The city of NO is at least as important as Terri Schiavo, let's demand that they cut their vacations short and force Bush to send REAL help. Violence is happening because the National Guard and the police aren't helping, but only standing around trying to intimidate people! Violence is happening because they are seeing people dying all around them for lack of help! WHAT THE HELL ARE WE PAYING TAXES FOR, WHERE IS OUR DAMN MONEY? CALL THE WHITE HOUSE AND YELL AT THEM! (202)456-1414 CALL YOUR CONGRESSPERSON AND YELL AT THEM! (800) 839-5276 or (202)224-3121 Ask for your Congressperson by name or if you don't know, just ask the receptionist who yours is.
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Lkunkel
Member
10-29-2003
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:49 pm
Oooh...CNN is promising to talk about the race and economic status of those in need. I can't believe that babies are being evacuated from one of the hospitals without the parents being told. Feel better, Meli?
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Meli456
Member
05-01-2003
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:58 pm
Yep, feels good to remove my thumb from my anus. Turning CNN back on now.
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 12:58 pm
I am probably going to get blasted for this, but the tenor of this thread is starting to upset me. YES, absolutely, categorically, there are some awful stories of governmental screw ups and mishaps, terrible stories of man's horror against man and most definitely nature's horror against man, but there ARE some good stories. Why is it every good announcement is met with doubt? Houston offers to help and immediately the errors they made are brought up? Companies offer to help and immediately it's not enough (ok, I am guilty of that one!). We yell at the press for showing the horror stories, but we're are as guilty here of only focusing on the negative too. Is it frustration that is turning tvch into a mob too?
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 1:02 pm
Texannie, I couldn't agree with you more, but I learned a long time ago there are always going to be people who see the glass as being half-empty.
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Meli456
Member
05-01-2003
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 1:03 pm
The truth needs to be seen and talked about. The media has been able to hide the screwups of the Bush administration in Iraq for a long time. Now its happening at home and cannot be hidden. This is America, we do have freedom of the press for a reason. Reality doesn't go away just because we choose to ignore it.
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Texannie
Member
07-16-2001
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 1:06 pm
Congress will reconvene from its summer recess Thursday evening or Friday to pass emergency legislation for victims of Hurricane Katrina, a Senate Republican aide said Thursday. weather
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Emeraldfire
Member
03-05-2003
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 1:24 pm
I feel the need to speak up to the statement that this type of anarchy would not happen in every community and has never been witnessed before. When before have we had the majority of a large city buried under water with dead bodies floating about and large amounts of poor people who have only lived in high crime areas starving and desperate? Am I excusing the behavior of the mobs with guns terrorizing the rescuers, not for one minute. However, I have learned never to judge people about situations that I have never experienced myself. I can see this easily happening in large cities such as Houston, New York, Washington D.C. etc. This is an evil, "nothing to lose", mob mentality and to think it would never happen in other places is a very dangerous thought. Hopefully we can learn from it and be better prepared should something like this ever happen again. Our city has taken in many evacuees and we are experiencing some bad things because of it, but there are so many that are just thankful to be alive and safe. I think this is so shocking because we just can't understand the actions of some people that we are only trying to help.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 1:43 pm
Emerald, it has been witnessed before - just not here at home. We've watched it happen many times in other parts of the world, shook our heads at what animals those people were and stuck our noses up in the air because we considered ourselves to be more civilized. I, too, try not to judge, but it's hard not to when a person is screaming for help while shooting at the rescuers.
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Emeraldfire
Member
03-05-2003
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 2:07 pm
I agree Native, and I admit I do not understand the actions of some of the people both in NO and the ones who are in some of our shelters. The thing that scares me the most though is the thought that this could happen anywhere in our country given certain conditions. It shows how fragile our society can be and makes you feel very vulnerable.
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Reader234
Member
08-13-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 2:10 pm
Texannie, and native, I apologize if any of my posts have angered you... I am coming from what I thought was a simple point of view, where is the water? I see Texas reaching out. I also type what I am seeing on the news. I do not think it was a negative post to report that the Houston Police arrested bad people trying to commit crime when help was being offered. I think that the devastation is vast, and that only a portion is being told, but what is being told is that there is a great need, and a desperation from me who cant do anything but pray. Its hard drinking a glass of water, its hard taking a shower knowing how many are doing without. I thought the other disasters being shown in Florida showed more help reaching more people. I think the negative stories are being reported to stop the negative crime that is occurring. Certainly the hospital that has evacuated 150 people, with over 450 still in there - is a good story, but to have snipers attack, that does blow out all the good being done... There are many churches stepping up offering shelter. There are many, many companies, and celebreties donating money - and there are many reporting 'angles' negative... for instance it was reported Barbara Streisand made a HUGE donation yesterday, and then the comment followed, but she is releasing an album...
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Reader234
Member
08-13-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 2:12 pm
apparently I dont have a thick enough skin to post on this topic anymore.
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Redstar
Member
07-08-2005
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 2:16 pm
Texannie, yes, I think that frustration is a lot of why some comments are negative. BUT I also think there are some very real, serious problems with how this has been handled by state and federal agencies. Meli, I felt better after my morning rant here, too, and went on today to do something constructive by starting a Katrina Relief Fund Drive on our campus. For cheering up, check out the HURRICANE: How are you or your company helping? thread. There are some wonderful, hopeful things going on.
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Native_texan
Member
08-24-2004
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 2:55 pm
Reader, you did not anger me in the least and I agree with everything you said and the Streisand comment was what got me started here yesterday. What upsets me is to hear people use their right to freedom of speech to say they are ashamed to be Americans, but, then again, that is their right.
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Karuuna
Board Administrator
08-31-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 3:06 pm
My post apparently upset some folks, and for that I am sincerely and very sorry. I did not however say I was ashamed to be an American. What I said was right now I am not "so proud" to be an American today, and by that I meant I lacked pride in our government response to this tragedy. I understand that sometimes the nuances of meaning can be lost in a forum like this. But what I posted (at least in my feeble mind) does not mean "I am ashamed". It merely means exactly what I said, I'm not very proud. People are dying. Starving and dying of dehydration. The emergency response has been agonizingly slow. It seems to me we don't have our act together. The freeways to some of these people are very passable. The gov't position is that suppies are in "place". I think "in place" is in the hands of the people that need them! It is very hard for me to watch this suffering, this needless death, the agony of these people. So I'm not very proud that we haven't found a way to use our American ingenuity to respond in a better way. It breaks my heart; because I really do believe we could have done better. Again, my sincere apologies to anyone I might have offended or angered by my post. I am not ashamed either. I am just sad.
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Cathie
Member
08-16-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 3:09 pm
Lkunkel, the baby being transferred w/o parents is because the parents were not at the hospital in NO when the flooding occured and could not be located. They have not been heard from, and the hospital needed to transfer the baby for his own safety.
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Cathie
Member
08-16-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 3:14 pm
The flight of children due here at 11am finally arrived at 4pm. Many more children arrived than had been originally expected, currently being triaged...
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Escapee
Member
06-15-2004
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 3:18 pm
I Would adopt that baby
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Twiggyish
Member
08-14-2000
| Thursday, September 01, 2005 - 3:40 pm
These people are dying. It's hard to believe this is America we're seeing. We always depend on our country for help. I would not loot, but then I ask what anyone would do in this situation? What if your family was dying?
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