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![]() Gary Drescher wrote: "cjcampbell" wrote in message oups.com... Peter R. wrote: Jay Honeck wrote: Why the hell were they there? Everyone in America knew that New Orleans -- and everything for 100 miles on each side -- was about to be blasted by Katrina. Jay, many didn't have the economic means to escape the storm, nor a place to which to escape. That area is about the poorest part of the US. This argument is starting to wear a little thin as more information becomes available. New Orleans and the state of Louisiana had a plan for evacuating more than a million people from the city, including providing transportation for up to 300,000 people who had no means of getting out themselves. Neither the governor nor the mayor (who has been very quick to blame everyone but himself) chose to implement this plan, despite the fact they had plenty of warning and all of the needed resources. If that turns out to be the case, then the mayor and governor are certainly among those at fault. But the above point still stands: whichever officials may have screwed up, it's still the case that thousands of people were stuck with no means of evacuation. Of course, you will get no argument from me there. But you must have seen the TV pictures of hundreds, maybe even thousands of buses stacked like cordwood in the flooded areas. Why weren't they used? The argument that people are unable to leave also weakens as we get more and more incidents of people refusing to leave when they are offered transportation, despite the fact that they are being told that they will get no more food or water or medical services if they stay. There have certainly been reports of such refusals now that the National Guard is on the scene. I can't tell yet how widespread it is. Anecdotally, though, the people staying put seem largely to be home owners who don't want to abandon their (well-stocked) homes, and thus are largely distinct from the stranded population that urgently needed prompt rescue. (Whether the holdouts will need rescue in a few weeks remains to be seen.) May be moot. The mayor has said that anyone who will not leave voluntarily will be arrested. It will be interesting to see how he accomplishes that. You see what you want to see. It looked to me that it was all kinds of people who would not leave, not just rich folks with property to protect. Those who don't want to leave have been giving some interesting, if not very relevant, reasons: 1) They don't want to leave pets. 2) They are poor and don't know how they would support themselves if they leave. 3) Fear of the unknown/flying/boats/spiders etc. Hmm. I wager our Scottie, Badger, could take pretty good care of herself for a few weeks. Although I am quite attached to the dog, I really am not willing to give up my life for her. In fact, I would almost rather she remain on duty in the house while I am not there. She would probably hold the rats at bay for some time. As for the poor, they have it so good where they are? What are they doing to support themselves there? It seems completely irrational to me. For the rest, two words: tranquilizer darts. :-) |
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