Those on the right keep shouting that this disaster should not be politicized. But as they always tell us, 9/11 changed everything. The fact that we are 4 years on from 9/11 is EXACTLY why the bungled operations in New Orleans SHOULD be politicized.
No one seems to have mentioned: Katrina functioned JUST LIKE A DIRTY BOMB. Those thousands that could, fled in a panic. The poor, immobile, sick and unknowns of society were left behind. They were left behind in an unsafe, apocalyptic ground zero urban zone where lawlessness took over and thousands had to be evacuated or left to die. A major American city has been left uninhabitable for... how long... months? And the Feds could do nothing!
In other words, if terrorists had detonated a dirty bomb in New Orleans last Monday, the results would have been almost the same. The biggest difference was those with the means to do so had 24-48 hours to evacuate. With the instantaneous horror of a dirty bomb, people would have tried to flee in seconds, and the chaos, looting and desperate lawlessness would have been seen on the highways out as well.
But otherwise, the results are identical.
I don't know about you, but I would have assumed there is some mechanism by now for the eventuality of a dirty bomb. Some shadow fleet of thousands of vehicles on standby, waiting to take thousands to safety. Stores of food, water, medicine waiting to be quickly delivered. The planning and logistics in place to extract thousands from a devastated urban area... or at the very least the sick and wounded. Some mechanism or planning to ensure that a major American city is returned to a suitably habitable state quickly enough to minimize the economic disruption.
And I would have thought all of that would be true because we're 4 years on from 9/11. At the very least, I just assumed that the United States Government 1) Cared. 2) Had a plan.
Now we all know none of this is true. If a dirty bomb explodes in your city, you're on your own surviving the Mad Max apocalyptic dash from the city. The Federal govt. will have no clue where to put you and no idea how to direct you to safety or treatment centers. If you happen to be in the hospital getting your gall bladder removed, or if you need insulin, or you break your leg, you're dead. They have no way to evacuate you. If, God forbid, you don't make it out, then kiss your ass goodbye because the United States government has no plan other than to abandon you to your maker.
This is what is political: it's 4 years from 9/11 and we're NO BETTER OFF! Where has all the money gone! What was all the planning for and the talking for and the rhetoric for!??!
Mr. Bush, did we not elect you last year because you promised us you were "workin hard" as you like to say to keep us strong and make us safer?
Katrina has given us solid, indisputable scientific proof that you have not. If possible, we might even be WORSE off now, 4 years on from 9/11.