We had nearly three days worth of warning before the first landfall in New Orleans. There was even television specials on the "worst-case-scenario" before the first drop of water from Hurricane Katrina landed on Bourbon Street. Of course, we'd heard about it for years before then, how a strong hurricane (anything higher than a Category 3) could flood the city. The Army Corps of Engineers had even studied ways to spare the city in such an event. Too bad the the required funding for such a project ended up in government contracts to "build democracy" in other countries.
Yes, I just put blame squarely on our policy makers for the devestation caused by a natural disaster. Call it politics, but quite frankly I don't give a damn how these citizens voted. I am only echoing the outrage that has come in the wake of this avoidable tragedy.
I am exactly what the Republican Party is attacking in their latest round of left-wing bashing. So be it. At least it's good to see that old habits die hard: When faced with an angry public about failed policies, claim that the policies haven't failed, but will if the public doesn't get behind them.
Case in point: war in Iraq, war in Afghanistan, social security, energy crisis, civil liberties debacles, trade deficit, shredded treaties. Every one of them was met with a formulaic response, blaming those in opposition for causing the troubles.
Add one hurricane relief effort to that list. Although at this point, "relief" isn't the right word. That's a golf term for what you get if you need a rule adjustment to make the green in two after a horrible tee shot. Right now, the gulf costal region needs nothing short of "miracle."
New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin put a voice to the frustration of city in chaos, as reported in scathing editorial from the The Times-Picayune:
"I don't want to see anybody do anymore goddamn press conferences," the mayor said during a WWL radio interview Thursday. "Put a moratorium on press conferences. Don't do another press conference until the resources are in this city."
The mayor had obviously become fed up with federal bureaucrats' use of future tense verbs. "Don't tell me 40,000 people are coming here," he said. "They're not here. It's too doggone late. Now get off your asses and do something, and let's fix the biggest goddamn crisis in the history of this country."
ABC's "20/20" this evening was an indictment of the federal government for their miscues in response to this natural disaster. Even I thought the arguments presented were one-sided, but then again the only opposition that could possibly be raised was "we didn't think it was this bad down there." To paraphrase what Ted Koppel said to a dazed and confused FEMA bureaucrat, "Do you even watch television or read the newspapers?"
It's nights like these I wish Rep. Dennis Hastert, who suggests abandoning the city of New Orleans, could somehow be forced to work in neck-deep sewage to rebuild those levees. Even then, it wouldn't be justice.
Forces of God will claim lives, whether it is an earthquake, volcano, tsunami, or hurricane. But in our country, I had always thought that we had the resources to save and comfort the afflicted. Indeed, I was mistaken. We hear stories of people dying in the streets because aid arrived four days too late, rapes, shootings, looting. When faced with similar carnage on the streets of Baghdad, the word was to "stay the course." At this point, the so-called course is under seven feet of water.
Can this really be happening in America?