ian... they won't do anything to a person who just picked up a pair of shoes or those who took water, food, blankets, etc. but they do have to ask them what they are doing. The kind of looting that was going on down there was not just desperate people but crooks stockpiling goods for later to sell to the unfortunate or to sell in the aftermath to people moving back into the city. The cops were looting just as badly as the crooks in some areas... actual looting.
However, having lived in that state, I know how that state is and kind of expected it. That state from local officials up has been crooked for so many years I don't know if they would know what honest is. I mean you hear there are crooked people in every government,right? Louisiana has a shortage of honest people to offset them.
A lot of things disturb me. Not least is why they had no disaster plan in place while blaming the federal government for it. It takes time to load and shift that much stuff from one place to another. The difference between Louisiana and Mississippi are profound in that respect, yet you know both states have experienced this same type disaster time and time again. MS knows, has plans in effect that go into effect immediately because it does take time to organize and shift what will be coming from the federal government. Louisiana did nothing. Mississippi is sending aide to Louisiana.
Poverty aside, the people in Louisiana should know that if a storm comes through at the least they will lose power which could be off for long periods of time. Bottled water does not cost that much, canned foods to eat in an emergency... food that they would probably have as a matter of course because it is the cheapest to buy. Water doesn't rise so quickly over such a wide area that they didn't have time to grab something but they grabbed nothing. The people were ill prepared for a disaster of any type and panicked or left thinking that help would be on higher ground. Their state and local government let them down in that respect because they had nothing ready to provide that assistance. Once it's over with I can almost guarantee that some few survivors will be telling stories of being robbed of what little they salvaged of food and water before abandoning their homes. Just because they are poor doesn't mean they are all stupid but that's what the press makes it them out to be.
I don't understand why the press could stand around and push cameras and microphones in people's faces while reporting that there are no communications systems for workers to use to coordinate anything but can give us nationwide coverage of the nightmare. And put someone on the cameras who was too good to eat an MRE cold.
I don't understand why everybody is pointing a finger at the president when none of this is his fault. They snicker about him not leaving his ranch until Tuesday when much of what he could do initially on his own could be done by phone call, yet fail to mention that Congress, who would be needed to enact long term relief and set aside monies, didn't start moving back to the capitol until Wednesday. Why can't they put their enmity on hold long enough to just get the job done as best they can in the face of a disaster... Why do they have to use this as an opportunity to take potshots at him just because they don't like him instead of using that energy and brainpower to deal with a castastropic situation?
In MS I have: 3 sisters-in-laws, a Father-in-Law, his wife, and 3 stepbrothers. They are stretched across the whole area. Father in law lived between Long Beach and Pass Christian as does one sister 1/2 mile from him. 2 sisters lived in Gulf Port. The stepbrothers likewise.
In AL I have: Mother-in-law, her husband, 1 sister-in-law, Aunt Faye, her 3 children, and their children. All live in Mobile and Mother is very near downtown.
In Fl. I have some nieces but I lost count of how many.
In LA I have a nephew who had a baby sick in the hospital.
All are fine.
FEMA and the federal government are taking huge hits from this and truly unable to answer it without making things worse because it would become a finger pointing match. So they tap dance around the real answer and the stupid press keep asking the same stupid questions over and over again.
I'm so sick of the press right now. I'm probably in a minority over that, too. Hardly anybody likes the president these days but, man, it's time to put that aside and deal with this problem realistically. If you ask me, the press is just making the situation worse and don't seem likely to let up because worse increases their stupid ratings.
When you think of it in that light, who thinks more of human life when that life means nothing but an extra rating point to those stupid people? Celebrities and posturing politicians going on camera and saying things outright like: "The president doesn't like black people." That's what people are going to remember from all this. The truth will be buried in a mountain of press ratings and ad sales revenues. ****, since I know how the press is now and how they slant things and practically all out lie, I might actually start liking the president again myself. Maybe I've misjudged him all this time because the press said so.
I'm done ranting now. Sorry.
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