Katrinagate Day 5: Human stupidity is infinite

Well, I haven't been able to add my two cents to the whole hurricane (lack of) relief efforts. I have dial-up...yes, I'm the last person on Earth who does. I don't know what went wrong, but my home phone was dead without any sound whatsoever, and when I called it from my cell phone, someone else answered the phone. And boy was she pissed. I guess getting a phone call at 2 a.m. will do that to you. So, I called the phone company and told them I thought my line was crossed with someone else's (I didn't realize that even happened anymore) or something. Anyway, it got fixed today. Hooray!

So, on to this disaster. I don't think I've ever heard so many people flapping their gums who are basically completely full of shit. (And here we all thought it was the Superdome that was full of it). Yeah, yeah...opinions are like assholes, and here's mine:

#1 Why make it racial when it really isn't?/ That Kanye West is an idiot for saying that.
Cha-ching (my two cents): It is so racial. It's been proven. I've seen one person after another blame the hurricane victims for their plight. They should've just gotten out. The response was very different for the hurricane Andrew victims. The overwhelming response was to help, whereas the overwhelming response to Katrina victims has been to blame. Blame the vicitms. Blame their local/state government (most of whom are black). Now, I'm the last person to "pull the race card". Even when Jesse Jackson came out and said that help was coming too slowly, I refused to believe it had anything to do with race. Now I agree with him.

#2 Why didn't they just leave?
Cha-ching: Many were dirt poor. They couldn't leave. That's hard for most of us to imagine. Just imagine if you had no...family or friends with money, credit cards, car, etc. How would you get out of the city on a few days' notice? Where would you go? Remember, before the storm hit, there was nothing set up for them. Most places don't allow loitering. Most shelters aren't equipped to handle ginormous groups of people. Yes, some people stayed despite having the means to leave. Many, many more had no choice.

#3 Well, it's not my fault those people were so poor and helpless. It's their own fault for being in that situation!
Cha-ching: It also isn't your fault that the people in Iraq were being killed. We are a country that helps those in need...no matter the situation that lead them to need help. Why stop when it's the people in our own backyard?

#4 Let's not politicize this.
Cha-ching: You're kidding, right? I'll direct you to DailyKos. Most of the Republicans voted into office since 2001 used 9/11 to get there. Saying that Bush dropped the ball on this isn't politicizing this disaster. It's telling the truth.

#5Things don't happen overnight. Give everyone time to help.
Cha-ching: They didn't/don't have time! The minute word got out that New Orleans, yes the entire ing city, was flooded, help should have been on the way. blaming the NO mayor or other government officials in LA who "didn't know what they were doing" or "were too inexperienced". all that. Help should have been en route. Now, we all know that didn't happen. And in the midst of the blame game, I'd just like to point out that the military can't just up and decide to go help people...even when they are the only ones smart enough to figure out that's what needs to be done. Nope, they need orders from those in charge. I'll let you figure out where those orders have to come from. Or, here's some help from AMERICAblog.

#6 We tried to help, but they shot at the rescuers, so we had to leave.
Cha-ching: WTF? Okay, there are people in Iraq blowing our troops the hell up, all day every day. Does that mean we can pull them out now? No? I mean, if we're going to pull our military out of every situation in which people shoot at them, that's a logical step, is it not? Don't get me wrong. I think anyone who shoots at our military should be shot point blank...especially when so many lives are at stake. My point is just...that comment/line of thinking is idiotic at best. But, thanks for playing.

A couple of other things have bothered me...like, why couldn't we parachute food and water to the people at the Superdome and Convention Center in NOLA, or any of the other places people sought shelter? We do that everywhere else. At least until a plan could be devised for evacuation, people wouldn't have starved/dehydrated to death. Also, a US Navy vet friend of mine told me about ships stationed in FL whose sole purpose is to set up tent hospitals in disasters or wars. Why weren't they sent? They were two days away. Am I missing something? Why didn't these yahoos (Dick, Condi, and the First Fucktard) end their vacations sooner?

One thing I haven't heard is the "what Kerry would have done" contingent. You know the ones. Kerry would have handled 9/11 the same way or worse. Kerry would have hugged the Iraqi terrorists and told them they were naughty boys. Surely, you remember those. Are they absent now because they'd have to admit that Kerry wouldn't have ignored the plea for help? That he would have paid attention in the first place, as one of us tree hugging Liberals? That Kerry would have had help down there much sooner and that many lives would have been saved? That this tragedy probably wouldn't have even happened under Kerry (or wouldn't have been as bad) because he wouldn't have waged war on Iraq and he wouldn't have diverted the money from New Orleans in the first place?

All I can say now is that I am flabbergasted and saddened by the news and pictures coming out of NOLA. People being treated like criminals and locked in the city...people dying IN AMERICA because they have no water...people being raped and beaten in the place their leaders told them to go for help...so many dying.

I actually cheered today when I read that buses were being sent from New York, more food and water had arrived, and things were finally starting to look up for the victims down there. I had been crying every time I watched the news the past couple of days. I just pray they continue to get help.