I am a member of an online group of retailers who share information online about managing and operating retail businesses. It is not a political forum at all and usually anytime political topics are brought up, people usually clam up. It's not really for political purposes after all.
However a few of our members were from Mississippi and Alabama and Lousiana. None fom New Orleans that we know of. One woman on this board has become one of my best friends and she is from Mississippi.
I wasn't able to reach her on Monday or Tuesday and we were all expressing our concerns about our mutual friend. We finally heard from our Mississippi members on Wednesday night. Well meanwhile people were posting places to send money, ways to help, etc.
And I got so pissed watching television that I wrote a pretty scathing post about the government inaction. I got a heated response from a rabid right wing lady and after that I thought the thread would clam up as usual. But it didn't. We started getting responses from people who are pretty apolitical complaining about the lack of response as well. I was shocked. And I started getting private messages from people saying 'right on!'
Well there's been quite a few posts blasting Bush from unlikely quarters, but this one I think said it best:
I try to be a balanced individual and try to educate myself on all of the issues, before I form any opinion. I am an independent, not registered with either political party. I've voted for Republicans and for Democrats.
This disaster response is not a political issue. The fact is that people have died by the thousands. More will likely die over the coming days, weeks and months and the emotional impact on everyone affected will endure their entire lifetimes.
I am upset that our formidable resources were not deployed until days after the disaster. Michael Brown was on television warning people as early as Friday about the impending disaster. FEMA was aware of the fury that was bearing down on the Gulf Coast but failed to adequately respond.
The current administration cut funding to reinforce the levies surrounding New Orleans, referring to it as "pork".
Those are not political observations, those are facts.
I am a huge fan of National Public Radio (NPR). Driving home on Wednesday, Michael Chertoff was a guest on Robert Siegel's show. Siegel told him that NPR reporters were stating that there were thousands at the Convention Center without food or water and that there were at two dead bodies. Chertoff replied that there was adequate food and water at the proper staging places, like the Superdome. When pressed by Siegel that people were massed at the Convention Center without food and water, Chertoff replied "we don't act on rumors".
His comment was my tipping point. It became apparent to me that our officials were woefully unprepared to protect our citizenry, as our Constitution requires them to do.
I've heard the President speak about the Iraqi constitution numerous times over the past year; perhaps he should read our own first.
And why was Charity hospital the last to be evacuated? Helicopters were landing day and night at Tulane Medical Center while staff and patients at Charity watched and waited. Tulane was completely evacuated before the first helicopters came to Charity.
This isn't about Red or Blue, left or right, Democrat or Republican. It's about human beings, human misery and our fellow ciitzens in the greatest country on earth. Surely, God can not be looking down at our leaders and be pleased? How can politicians move heaven and earth to try to save Terry Schiavo yet leave thousands of others wallowing in misery and death?
Leadership is action; it is not playing the guitar, attending Broadway plays or fishing in Wyoming. The Mayor of New Orleans demonstrated more leadership than our federal authorities did. Leadership is not stating that "we're going to rebuild Trent Lott's house" as soon as you first land in the middle of the disaster.
I don't buy the current excuses that this was a "storm of unprecedented magnitude". The authorities knew that days before it hit; they were the ones warning us. They knew that the levies were built for Cat 2 hurricance and that a Cat 5 was bearing down on the area. They should have had the assets staged and ready to go long before the fourth day after the storm. People die in 4 days.
I am very concerned that we will have the werewithall to survive another disaster or, heaven forbid, another 9/11.
Sorry to rant like this, but I've actually calmed down over the past 24 hours. I am very upset. We expect better and deserve better from our public authorities. If we can say we're satisfied with the government's response to this disaster, then shame on us. We will be just as guilty as they in adding to our fellow man's misery.