Guys, I have some strong things to say, but I PROMISE ia am not making any kind of 'political' statement.
We all feel pain when the innocent suffer. That's what makes us human.
Katrina is a shock for several reasons. In even the worst disasters, we in the US are accustomed to seeing a handful of deaths- not thousands, like is so typical in the "Third World."
Every year, we have several hurricanes- and every one is accompanied by "end of the world" predictions. So we become numb, and can't tell a "real" warning from a "pro forma" one.
Most of us rely upon our local resources for most things- not some power far away. Homestead Florida did a fine job of banding together when the crunch hit- so the degerneration of the Gulf area into a soggy Somalia is especially distressing.
New Orleans has given several signs over the years of being dysfunctional. Certainly, none of the risks were unique....you don't live along one of the world's largest rivers, and along a hurricane coast, and next to a levee without at least once saying "this can't be good." Every year the Mississippi sends millions of tons of dirt into the gulf- by now, New Orleans should have been atop a hill- not below sea level!
Beyond the local crisis, we all are paying for our ignoring other warnings. Two summers ago, the entire energy market was poleaxed by some refinery problems in California- and Enron capitalising on them. One neither drills wells nor builds refineries overnight- but, had we listened then, we wouldn't be getting hosed by this disaster. Really makes me want to hug a bunny!
I also recall how, countless times, we have pitched in to help the rest of the world. So who has offered to help us this time? Where are the UN resolutions? Where are THEIR aircraft carriers, sent to deploy aid?
What happened to 'self reliance' and 'keeping a stiff upper lip?' How can we hear cries of 'no water' when they're neck deep in the stuff? What do they want= Perrier? No food? Hate to say this, but a week without food isn't so bad- so what's with the complaining five minutes after the rain stopped? No power- heck, even the "Robber Barons" had to make do without electricity!
As for the media- their continual harping on the negative only feeds the despair of the injured. Don't just stand there, surrounded by your private army, pontificating how 'this or that' should have been....tell us how we're all busting our tails to clean this up.
