Katrina a canadian observation

Re-post froma group I belong to

I am sure no disrespect for the victims of Katrina was intended by the person who put the Bush Vacation image together, who and wherever he or she is.

And no disrespect was intended when I posted it.

The image is in my opinion a brilliant, biting commentary on the ENORMOUS, mind-numbing disrespect paid by the White House to those very victims in the past days. As the storm passed and the water flooded in, Bush and Cheney kept on vacationing for days before cluing in that people were demanding their leadership; Condi went on a shopping spree in New York to buy shoes before being browbeaten by a citizen on the street for doing nothing as people suffered, whence she hightailed it back to Washington.

Since then, their priority has been political damage control - saving their own sorry hides and casting desperately for anyone else they can blame - before belatedly pulling together a response that has been a disaster in its own right.

Being that I am a ctizen of Canada, you may say this is none of my business: but when Washington coughs, the world catches cold. The supposed leader of the free world is responsible to all who believe in democracy. We don't hate Americans, but we so wish our friends in America would wake up to the perversion of democracy that is taking place under the banner of "freedom on the march".

New Orleans is a tragedy, and I couldn't agree more that it is not a laughing matter. Rock and Roll Boys posted a tribute with links to where you can help a week ago, with no comment on who is to blame.

The photo in question is a classic example of black humour, a joke intended to expose an absurd response by the established order to a deadly serious situation.

No Vince, no disrespect was intended to you, to your great country, or to the victims of this tragedy with this photo. Nothing like this has happpened to an American city since the Chicago fire of 1871 or the San Francisco earthquake of 1906.

But I imagine that in seeing the image I posted, most citizens of New Orleans would see the image for what it is, and agree wholeheartedly on the sorry state of leadership today that it represents.

Katrina a disaster on so many levels

There is plenty of blame to go around.. But lets just place it where it belongs..

The affected cities had plenty of time to plan ahead. they should have done the following:

General warning on every local station, advising citizens to evacuate.
Made preperations for shelters, including being high enough not to flood, water and food and electricity.

Making plans for prearranged pick up locations, to bus out those citizens unable to leave on their own.

the local government should be held liable for not making plans in advance

Now, anyone who stayed of their own free choice, to bad..so sad
you should have gotten your ass out when you were warned.

If you were poor and had no means of getting out, it should have been provided..and law suits for lost loved ones should be filed.


The federal government should have also been prepared to have buses ready with food and water, to relocate everyone to a predetermined location(s), making it easier to stay together and to find family members including pets.

President Bush should be held liable for hiring a friend with no qualifications, who did not prepare and lost lives.

the media should be held responsible for the vial act of perpetuating racism.. how can a black boy be called a looter, right next to a white couple and they didnt loot they found the food..... as long as we are fighting amongst ourselves we are not paying attention to what the government is doing.

Please watch big brother, cause he is watching you