Can't believe what's happening in America!!!!!

[Forgetmenot]

Have just watched the news and I'm so upset seeing all those people who just seemed to have been abandoned by the authorities, their government and the rest of their country!!!
They have no food or water and the police are only concerned with looters!!
Why isn't the whole country rallying round to help for gods sake!!!

[PeachyClair]

I don't understand why they are saying looters are their first priority now? LIFE is the ONLY priority now surely?

[happymerryberries]

But many of them are looting guns! That has to be stopped as a priority. They have broken into the gun section of Walmart (stupid to have guns for sale IMHO, but that is a whole different argument).

[morningpaper]

A letter in the Guardian said that they should have called it Hurricane Koyoto, to remind America that global warming DOES have effects...

It does look mostly like it's black urban people who are suffering from extreme poverty in the first place.

[happymerryberries]

hmm that is tactful when they are still locating the dead.

As I said, I don;'t think that now is the time to be America bashing.

The people who died, died. I think their families deserve a bit of sympathy before the world starts saying 'I told you so'

[Forgetmenot]

Just seen the news this morning and I'm sickened!

[Windermere]

I agree hmb. I also think the media coverage is focusing too much on the looting. If I was homeless with no food I would be looting too.

[basketcase]

This disaster is on huge, difficult to comprehend scale. There are many many people suffering/dying right now, many others homeless, without food, drink and shelter. The devastation has been frequently stated as much worse than 9/11. So why on earth are the news bulletins and newspapers not doing a better job covering this. Sure, a lot fo papers popped it on the front page - mainly to focus on the negative angle of looting and police failing to cope. There was a bigger article covering which superstars shop in highstreet chain stores than on this massive human catastrophe. Who on earth prioritises these things? I have just had BBC News24 on to catch up and have watched endless drivvle about tv, sport, mind numbing local news articles.
9/11 was horrendous and shocking but it seems to have numbed media to almost every massive human crisis since that time.
It is not that I want the media to wallow in all the gory details - just keep us informed. It is hard to even imagine the misery and horror those poor people are experiencing right now.

[princesspeahead]

Where is Bush? 5 days and he hasn't shown his face?
Why are there 80,000 people at the superdome with no food and no water? Surely the most powerful nation on earth can summon up a helicopter or two and lower some relief supplies? They have been given NOTHING.

Disgraceful.

[happymerryberries]

I also think that there ia slight, but nasty, undercurrent of 'They had it coming' running under a lot of these reports, for example the letter quoted from the Grauniad.

In the end the people made homeless, bereived, injured and hurt. The fact that we may well disagree with the US policy on whatever, should not limit our compassion to the individuals hurt. I'm not wild about some of Indonesia's policies, but that didn't stop the huge outpouring of sympathy etc to the people affected by the Tsunami.

What is happening smacks just a little of people saying to the widdow of a smoker, 'Well he was stupid to smoke' at the funeral. It may well be true but it is horrificaly lacking in tact and compassion.

[basketcase]

Just seen a snippet of Bush on tv. He looks shattered, weak and tbh, not like a strong leader at all.
He is due to meet the gulf coast today - fgs, why on earth hasn?t he been there already?!!

[basketcase]

80% of New Orleans is under water.
A million believed to be homeless.
The stats just get worse and worse

[bubble99]

Not many republican voters in the affected area, I imagine. Sorry to be so cynical.

[Nik72]

What p*sses me off a bit is the local radio news' main headline is "Edinburgh mum weeps tears of joy as daughter safe in New Orleans". I mean, great she's ok but to view that as more worthy of a headline than thousands possibly dead, people facing disease etc makes me a bit sick tbh.

[potty1]

I think you are right to be cynical bubble.

There just seems to be a complete lack of on the ground help. Even allowing for the lack of communication where is the aid?

[SueW]

I've posted on the other thread about the constant news coverage here in the US which is obviosuly different to what you are getting.

Bush returned to the White House two days early from his holiday (reserve comments regarding amount of holiday time taken by Bush which is another issue here) to deal with the crisis. He flew over the affected area on the way. Today he announced that his dad and Bill Clinton will be leading some fundriasing thing.

There are funriasers being held all over the place. Red Cross is asking for cash at the mo.

Tis very very sad. I will be back in UK next week and I will probably be shocked by lack of coverage.

The only non-Katrina news I have heard today is about the London bomber video.

[morningpaper]

HMB I think analysis and comment is perfectly acceptable. It isn't American-bashing and no one is saying 'they got what's coming' - but what is shocking is that the richest country in the world - which is constantly telling us how it's the only superpower left - has such poverty and lack of infrastructure in parts of its own country. There is so much poverty in America and this just emphasises the problems. No one is criticising the people in affected areas but lots of people are criticising the administration.

I've had a few emails from friends in America saying "Don't worry! X is safe, he's driving up to us in his 4X4 - hurray!" and it makes me think, well that's good news, but he's escaped because he's RICH and for no other reason.

The army would usually come in and deal with a situation like this are massively depleted in the area because they are of course deployed in Iraq. That's what so ironic and depressing - lots of these families have given up their children to fight an expensive and controversial war but the help and money is not there for them.

[Prettybird]

American foreign policy is relevant to the way that they have been able to cope (or not) with this natural calamity: 30 per cent of the National Guard, who are the ones who owuld normally be drafted in to help in such situations, are currently deployed in Iraq.

My dh is getting really agitated by how America deson't seem to be dealing with it, given their immense resources that they should have available. I don't feel we can pass judgement because we can't understand the sheer scale of it. Imagine trying to "police" an area the size of London (and in fact, they're talking about the area of devastation being the equivlent of the UK) - let along trying to evaucuate hundereds of thousands of people.

[triceratops]

There does seem to be more concern over possible looting than there is over vulnerable people dying through lack of food and water. It seems to me that the quickest way out of the situation is to get a gun and pretend to be pinching some bread from a shop. You will then be arrested and taken to safety (if they dont shoot you first). Meanwhile elderly and young are dying from heat exhaustion and dehydration. It is shocking. It really shouldn't happen in a developed country, especially one as rich as america.

[expatinscotland]

Oh here we go again! BAD America! There's so much wealth there and this all happened b/c of Iraq and it's all Bush's fault and blah blah blah. Newsflash: have you seen the UK's 'plans' for a potential bird flu epidemic? Well have a look people, b/c it's basically: save the government officials! Everyone else, good luck!

Before you start bashing the place, think long and hard about how poor, working poor and immigrants are treated here, b/c I can tell you from personal experience, there isn't much difference between the two places. The apple certainly didn't fall too far from the tree in that respect.

Oh, and funny how the media here is showing absolutely NOTHING about the extreme damage and crisis in Mississippi, where most of those affected are white. Poor, poor white. In fact, Mississipi is one of hte poorest states in the Union, right alongside West Virginia, where again, the majority of the inhabitants are white.

In fact, I haven't heard anything in the British press about the number of dead in Mississippi, which wasn't evacuated at all.

I was born and raised 250 miles from New Orleans. I didn't like living there and didn't fit in. Like many Americans, I don't support Bush.

But that's no reason to go labelling an entire nation of over 275m people a bunch of selfish, greedy, war-hungry gits. B/c it just isn't true.

[morningpaper]

"selfish, greedy, war-hungry gits"

None of these posts do that.

Do you think that people's responses would be any different if this was happening in this country? No, we would all be saying WHERE THE F*CK IS THE HELP? What SHOULD our response be?

[milward]

Would like to help these people as I imagine many others would. Is the uk sending any help?

[morningpaper]

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