As Katrina was roaring ashore, my sister told me how captivated she was, how we build all these things and have all this technology, but are completely powerless to stop a force of nature. In 2005, our man-made power and resourcefulness is still no match when nature becomes a bully.
Today a lot of blogs are discussing whether there is blame to go around for the magnitude of the disaster, from a weak Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to the lack of National Guard available due to the war in Iraq. A popular photo from yesterday shows George W. Bush playing a guitar in San Diego, captioned by many lefty blogs with words to the effect of "while New Orleans drowns, Nero fiddles."
I'm not really interested in laying blame today. I don't know what George W. Bush could really do from DC that he couldn't do anywhere else—God knows we don't need him rowing through Biloxi with a bunch of Secret Service agents to pluck someone off a rooftop. (Although I won't be surprised if that's a photo op that materializes in the next day or so.) And I'll leave the global warming conversation for another day.
The most blame I can find today is with Mother Nature, and, as we're going to need her for a while longer, I'll keep my mouth shut. At least for now.
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Article comments
1 - SugarKane
Why do Americans living in hurricane prone areas (and Tornado come to think about it) build houses made of wood? They will get turned into a pile of splinters in no time.
The same with power lines and phone cables. Why above ground?
Make houses from brick/stone and mortar and put cables underground would prevent a lot of this type of damage, no?
2 - Silas Kain
Did you ever hear about the Three Little Pigs?
3 - Joanie
People WERE warned early, and often. Our ability to track and monitor hurricanes, tornadoes, and other weather is better than ever. The problem is - we can't unbuild centuries old cities and move them; we can't hand someone a bag of common sense; we can't tell people via radio and television what they need to know if they don't have power, radios, or televsions; we can't hold back swelling rivers or waves larger than many buildings.
We can sit around and play armchair quarterback, blaming everyone and everything until the bloated cows come floating by and we still haven't done anything constructive.
From where we are now, armed with what we know and the resources we have, we can help our neighbors to the south with donations of food, clothing, and shelter. If you believe in God, you can pray.
Until anyone figures out how we can control nature, well...that's all we can do. So I urge you to give what you can and hope that anyone you haven't heard from is safe.
4 - Sid Fish
It's pretty hard to evacuate when you don't own a car, when there are no buses or trains available, and when even if you could find transportation you can't afford to buy a ticket because you're living from paycheck to paycheck and you ran out of money before you ran out of month. It's also tough if you're sick or disabled.
The wealthy and the middle class could get out of town all right, but many of the poor had no choice but to ride out the hurricane, with disastrous consequences.
5 - DrPat
Let's blame the French -- after all, they picked the location for New Orleans...
6 - Silas Kain
I say we blame the Scientologists.
7 - DrPat
Why? At least I had a (vaguely) plausible reason to blame the French!
8 - Dave Nalle
Let's blame God. Can't pass the buck any higher.
Dave
9 - Silas Kain
God is great and good. This is Satan's fault. I'm withdrawing blame from the Scientologists because they're on the ground giving aid and gathering converts. Praise ElRon!
10 - Will
Nah, you are all barking up the wrong Juche-tree. The real answer and the real blame lies here:
Songun Blog
A sensational tour-de-force.
11 - Kay
Regardless of why the victims of Katrina stayed behind is of no significance because as we all
know, they did. More significantly however is they did not have to suffer and die the way they did while we Americans watched helplessly as they begged and pleaded for water, milk for their babies, and food. Sadly, we watched some of them die like animals while nothing, absolutely nothing was done to come to their aid for days, by the government.
One more note of importance, and the one I find most appalling " if we were watching the Katrina victims (not refugees) beg for their lives on national TV, so did our government officials who had the power to do something about it.
I am truly saddened for the victim’s trauma, particularly the aftermath of this catastrophic event. And yes, I want to know who is responsible for this inhumane, merciless cruelty and why. Moreover, my congressional representative had better have some answers in addition to responding to my memorandum calling for a congressional hearing.
What a disgraceful moment in history for America. The aftermath of this tragedy could have been avoided, if only the focus would have been about saving lives, human lives, and that did not happen.
12 - Peter
Just wanted to know what was the mayor of New Orleans and the governor of Louisiania's plan on how to deal with the catastrophe of Katrina? It seems to me that it was let the feds deal with it. Why didn't a plan call for before a hurricane struck to send school buses through neigborhoods offering a ride to anyone who needed one? Or why not park the school buses on higher ground so they could be used for rescue/evac afterwards? Show us the state plans to see what the response was supposed to be?
13 - steve
peter, you are preaching to the conservative choir. I couldnt agree with you more!
14 - steve
peter, you are preaching to the conservative choir. I couldnt agree with you more!
15 - steve
peter, you are preaching to the conservative choir. I couldnt agree with you more!
16 - Silas Kain
There'lll be plenty of blame heaped on the Mayor and Governor. How much of it will be justified remains a question. The thing that stands out in my mind, however, is the shock coming from around the globe that Americans can be first on the scene in foreign lands but not domestically. They can play the blame game until Hell freezes over but that still doesn't change things. Thousands are dead, a city is destroyed and they'll still build bridges in Alaska.
17 - Jordan Oubre
I dont really see it fit or necessary to point fingers and try to blame people for whathappends naturally. Blaming is not what is important. What`s important is to pull our strengths together and fix the problem no matter what created or who places New orleans where or how people have said the wrong things. None of that matters. We dont want this to be the fall of america because everyone is playing the role of a three year old. Lets be adults and problem solvers not blame makers.