Apologies to all

[Mattie]

I know my posts have not been what you want to hear as we are "rescuing" the sick, wounded, starving and homeless. I apologize for the negative comments - but I just don't understand WHY. These people are getting help as fast as we can get it to them and they are not cooperative and seem less appreciative.

The police force is some of the most kind and gentle people I know. They would give you the shirt off of their back if you needed it. But when you show disrespect - then it's hard to go back and feel the empathy. These guys are putting their life on the line each and every day and we wonder why the New Orleans guys quit today.

Yes - Dallas has many undesirable areas as do all metropolitan areas. But the outlying peaceful areas are now being invaded with unrest. It's heartbreaking.

The Walmart story is a good example of how a good thing can go very bad based on just a few actions of a few not so grateful people.

Again, my apologies and I won't post another negative comment. I promise.

[beachbum_al]

You are doing what you can! I think the problem the US has never had to deal with this type of natural disaster of this magnitude. And I admire the man and woman who are down there right now risking their lives to help other people.

The problem is you have a some who don't care about people and all they can think of doing is causing problems by shooting at the rescue workers, the helicopters, turning over boats, buses, and doing things like raping and beating innocent people. And the sad thing is that it is the innocent people of NO who are sufferring because of their action. They have been through a living #$#$ and part of the grieving process is anger at times. They are angry. Some might not know exactly what they are angry about but need something or someone to blame. Unfortunately it is directed at the ones who are trying to help them.

[LSU2001]

Don't sweat it, We are all a little (read lot) stressed and tense. We all are frustrated and we want the sleeping giant to wake up and work his magic on this bear of a problem. I am confident that the officials will get their act together and bring enormous resources to the area. I have no doubt that once our govt. gets moving it will provide the necessary services. Remember the Government moves slow and ponderously but it does move and once it starts moving it is very hard to stop.
Tim

[Windy]

I know my posts have not been what you want to hear as we are "rescuing" the sick, wounded, starving and homeless. I apologize for the negative comments - but I just don't understand WHY. These people are getting help as fast as we can get it to them and they are not cooperative and seem less appreciative.

Well, this seems more phrased as a question, so I'll try to provide you an answer. The answer is that your average American citizen has never exerienced going several days without access to food, water, and sanitation, and assumes that such conditions could/should never occur within their lifetimes. Thus, when it does, they are extremely upset, because it is a sudden change from their normal "my life is not in danger" routine. The people of New Orleans, Biloxi, Gulfport, etc., are in a despair. Everything they know is destroyed, many of their loved ones are dead and unburied (and in some cases being devoured by scavanger animals), their jobs are gone, their homes are destroyed, they have no money, they haven't much more than a sip of water or a nip of food in four to five days, and they have to be worried about being murdered or raped by the numerous gangs roving brazenly about the streets, day and night. Right or wrong, it seems only natural that they'd be a bit testy at this point with anyone they came into contact with. They'll probably feel a little better after they have a cup of water, a meal, a roof over their heads, and a few hours of sleep without needing to worry that someone is going to rape their 7 year old.

[Houstonia]

I know my posts have not been what you want to hear as we are "rescuing" the sick, wounded, starving and homeless. I apologize for the negative comments - but I just don't understand WHY. These people are getting help as fast as we can get it to them and they are not cooperative and seem less appreciative.

Again, my apologies and I won't post another negative comment. I promise.

Well... I want to answer this with respect to you and your opinions because I think you are honestly concerned about your community, and rightfully so. I love Houston, but I originally come from a community of around 2000 people, so I think I'm familiar with the concerns about unsavory people coming in.

But I think that what you have to keep remembering is what these people have gone through. They have been through shear hell in the past week. They have lost EVERYTHING. Imagine being hot, tired, filthy - in unfamiliar territory. Maybe they didn't have a lot before the storm, and maybe their lives were in chaos. But they probably had a home and a family, and maybe pets. They had familiar things around them. Imagine that ALL being taken away, along with basic needs - food, shelter, clothing - in a matter of hours.

And for the past several days, they've had to scrounge for meals, scream to get the attention they may or may not need, see things no human should EVER have to see, and possible struggle just to stay conscious. Many of these people might be alchoholics, drug addicts, nicotine addicts, bipolar, depressed, manic-depressive, obssessive-compulsive, or just unstable at the BEST of times. Now here they are - perhaps no medicine, no support system, AND under enormous stress.

Now they're being taken to places they have NO KNOWLEDGE of. Completely foreign to them (especially areas like a small community in north Texas that may not be on the tourist map). They may have no family with them, they may have been split apart. Who knows.

And they may be criminals. That's always a possibility. I think some of the people stayed behind and didn't evacuate because they had some kind of problem with authorities - trying to stay below the radar.

Anyway, for these people - getting off the bus and getting inside someplace cool and safe - for the first hours or days, they probably will just be dealing with the shock of the past week. They really may not be able to be grateful right away. They are still in the anger phase of PTSD.

They've had to deal with so much. Is it really too much for us to just let them be - let them deal with all the changes? Let's deal with the out-of-control ones immediately - get them out and get them the help they may need - but as far as being cooperative and appreciative... can you see how they might just be too overwelmed right now? I bet if you give them some time - let them get some sleep, allow them to realize they aren't going to be moved again, there's no hurricane that's going to get them there, they have food and water - I bet the gratefulness, appreciation and cooperation will come out.

[GalvestonDuck]

Well, I accept.

And after thinking about it, I'm gonna give my answer to WHY? as best I can. I think it could be that they're scared and uncertain and still in survival mode. They've seen some awful crap (death, rotting bodies, unsanitary conditions which most are certainly not used to, and let's not forget living through the storm that started it all) and they've dealt with some of the worst violence (that group of bad apples) surrounding them for days. Then they waited and waited and waited for aid that seemed to never come. And I think some of them are not sure if they're still only seeing an oasis that's going to disappear as soon as they reach their hand out for it or if it's actually real this time. They're disoriented from lack of sleep. They're scared and uncertain about how long this aid will last. And they don't know much about their future right now.

I don't know what else. That's my best guess. It's more than physical for them. It's more than just those basic needs of water, food, shelter, rest, and a shower. There's some serious misery in those hearts and they're gonna need more than just those basics to bring them back that spirit they once had when live was normal for them before Katrina.

[GalvestonDuck]

Wow, I think we all covered it!

[Houstonia]

Well, I accept.

And after thinking about it, I'm gonna give my answer to WHY? as best I can.

Ducky, we said the same thing, but you were so much shorter and more concise then me!!

[GalvestonDuck]

I just took longer to type it. When I started, there were no replies. LOL!

I'm slowing down in my old age.

[Windsong]

The other thing to remember is that while they were out there in survival mode, all they knew was what they could see around them. They had no way to know that 3 states were involved and that the death, destruction, misery and devastation went far beyond their vantage point. All they knew was they were in dire need and (seeemingly) no one was responding. No wonder the anger surfaced. They felt abandoned, discarded and expendable without understanding the scope of the devastation.

Personally, I would have like to see it all go faster and better than it did. Mistakes were made that we can only learn from now. Truth is, this country is not used to this type of thing on American soil and chaos reigned. There will be hard lessons with Katrina, and some of them are going to be ours, the American people.

More truth. If ANYTHING else happens in the next month or two, there will be NO AID on a mass scale for a period of time longer than the established norm. The rescue resources are so maxed out right now, how could they possibly be expected to show up with hot coffee and cold water the next day? It won't happen.

I don't know about you, but I've added many more days of supplies to my disaster kit. The writing is on the wall. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read it. It's up to me (and you) to go the extra mile and take some personal responsibility for our own survival in the coming days. FEMA, the Red Cross etc. can only do so much.

Hopefully, the rest of the season will bring a school of fish.
Windsong

[lwg8tr]

There's some serious misery in those hearts and they're gonna need more than just those basics to bring them back that spirit they once had when live was normal for them before Katrina.

What spirit was that? I think the elephant in the room no one wants to talk about is the past, present and future these folks had while living in New Orleans. I have been to New Orleans many times and have unfortunately have had to go through some of those neighborhoods, and I can tell you Baghdad and Kabul are the only comparable places. Places where 80% survive on government assistance and we are not talking about Pell Grants or an SBA loan. Generations of these families have feasted at the government trough and when that trough is filled with polluted water from Lake Ponchatrain, the system ceased to function. Do we owe the poor of metro New Orleans comfort and rescue from this hellhole absolutely. Sorry to swerve into a welfare discussion, but we do not owe the citizens rebuilt government housing and a return to the hopeless nanny state they were living in. The fact is the citizens, which majority had two arms, legs and a working brain did no preparation of their own. No calling of friends outside the flood prone areas, no stocking up of supplies BEFORE hurricane season, and basically having no plan. There is a terrible moral here to this story.....you in the short term are on your own. Be prepared to go at it alone at least for a while. Have good insurance and forgo the $95 per month DirecTV and cigarettes and $100 dollar tennis shoes if you say you can't afford insurance. Have significant savings and financial plan for when Murphy comes a calling. Catastrophes happen, it's our own cursed creation we can thank for that, but G*d gives us the brain and the ingenuity to prepare for the dark days.

[GalvestonDuck]

Well, doggie...so much for compassion.

What does what you said have anything to do with the overall spirit of the people of New Orleans? Or of the people in the U.S.?

[MomH]

Duckie--I don't think it is a lack of compassion, we all have that I'm sure. It is more about the lessons we should take away from this disaster and hopefully teach to others. I had type the following earlier but maybe this is the thread for it.

Wind song wrote:
“…don't know about you, but I've added many more days of supplies to my disaster kit. The writing is on the wall. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to read it. It's up to me (and you) to go the extra mile and take some personal responsibility for our own survival in the coming days. FEMA, the Red Cross etc. can only do so much. “


I have always tried to teach my children -- hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Like a lot of younger folks, they have always had some excuse -- no place to put it, no extra cash, no this, no that. I think maybe this horror has been a wake up call for them. I got no argument Thursday night when I advised the kids they should stock up on essentials (especially those things trucked in from outside our area), make sure their hurricane kits were fully supplied, and to not let their gas tanks go below a level that would take them 200 miles from their homes.

It seems to me that most people in the US have come to expect that local, state, and federal governments will be there to handle any contingency beyond day to day living. We expect them to support us in our old age with Social Security checks, Medicare, and Medicade. That’s why FICA and Medicare allotments are taken out of our paychecks, right? We expect them to provide us with really good schools that teach our children everything they need to know. That’s why we pay property and state taxes, right? We expect them to be there immediately in a disaster and to protect us in any and all other circumstances. That’s why we pay Income Taxes, right? Wrong, wrong, wrong, folks. These taxes are meant to supplement, to act as a backup, to give us a little maneuvering room. They aren’t and were never meant to remove these burdens from us completely. You cannot exist on a SS check, let alone thrive. Everyone should be planning for their own old age. Teachers are meant to impart “book learning” to children, not moral values. That is your job as parents, as is reinforcing the need for “book learning.” As for disaster--- the latest one has made it perfectly clear that we must plan ahead to help ourselves and hopefully others during these times.

We must learn to prioritize and teach our children how to prioritize what is important in life. Want a better life when you retire? Sock away a few dollars every month. Want your children to have a better life than you? See that their homework is done and teach them how important an education is. Want to live through a disaster. Forego a 6 pack, a CD or a couple of packs of smokes this week and buy several cans of food or an extra blanket from a thrift shop. With few exceptions, everyone can do something, no matter how poor they think they are. I know, I have lived well below the poverty level for 17 years now and raised two kids while doing it. No, it can’t get done overnight but, it can get done, one dollar, one hour with your child, one can at a time.

I realize I am preaching to the choir on this board. Most of us I‘m sure, with the possible exception of our youngsters, know these things. However, I’m also sure, that all of us could probably do a little more to become more self sufficient in all circumstances. For those extremely bright youngsters, who are part of this board, you have been given a chance to learn some very important lessons in life this week. The biggest of which is -- Do not live your life completely in the moment, plan for the future.

OK -- MomH voiced her thoughts enough for now. Love to everyone. My prayers go out to all (most especially my family on this board) who have been affected by Katrina. If I can help PM me.