Here’s what I want to know about the looters:
So, how are these people supposed to eat or buy diapers? Where are they supposed to get it? Where are the jobs they’re supposed to go to in order to earn money? And if they’re on welfare, how soon you figure it’ll be before they get the next check? Where will the mail carrier deliver it, and where would they go to cash it?
Assuming they even have any money to pay for their food right now, where are the cashiers?
Funny, how some people were simply glued to the TV for “Survivor,” cheering on a bunch of people in a simulated survival mode eating small rodents (gee, what network was that on?), but they can’t even imagine what’s involved in the day-to-day survival for the residents of New Orleans.
I don’t have any sympathy for the scum who are stealing TVs and stereos. But this is what always happens when things fall apart. Hell, after the Asian tsunami, people were stealing children.
Hell, after Saddam fell, the Iraq Coalition Cronies were looting millions of dollars in cash! (Didn’t see that on Corporate News Network though.)
I don’t watch much TV but I’m in a hotel watching CNN and I’m shocked (well, too jaded I suppose) at the blatantly racist coverage. White people: victims of tragedy. (A blonde woman is describing her loss as I type.) Black people: looters.
I’ve been watching cnn and the coverage is awful. Soledad keeps harping in looters, who is responsible for the planing, looters, where is the plan to deal the storm damage, looters….over and over again. They just had a former mayor on and he was begging bush to send the army. He also stated he believed there are 80,000 people stranded in new orleans. He was begging bush to send troops and evaculated the city. He was begging bush to send the army to and fix the levees.
Thank you so much for writing that.
Folks don’t seem to realize disaster preparedness is a luxury item, requiring one to leave certain resources untapped to call upon in case of emergency. If you can barely cover the day-to-day expenses, how are you expected to cope with (say) car rental to get away and lodging which runs in the hundreds to thousands of dollars?
Furthermore, a Pandagon commenter pointed out, what if these people fled and the storm didn’t hit?
It’s a tough decision with powerful risks either way if you choose wrong.
There’s a quote from boingboing that says so much:
Among the pictures I’ve seen this morning was an entire lot of now-unusable schoolbuses. I count at least 100 buses visible. Seating 50 apiece that could’ve made a nice contribution to the evacuation of those without private automobiles.
I find the whole situation heartbreaking.
As for Soledad, has anybody asked her what police are supposed to do with looters if they arrest them? It’s not like there’s a jail to take them!
By Nancy Grace and Jeebus Cripes, it scares the holy rollin bejeepers outta me to see so many black faces on my TeeVee just a lootin and a stealin away in outright violation of one of them Commandments up there on my wall.
Where are the white wimmin?
Where’s my Bible?
Where’s my gun?
Is George Dubya watchin this?
Who is the bigger fuckup, Bush or the media?
#1’s right, looting is the first that happened in iraq. or as i call it, the redistribution of wealth. certain people are kind of sold a dream that they can never afford (american dream, commercialism, etc) unless they patiently save up for half a year or longer. electronics they can never afford, clothing lines they can never afford.
i’m sure there are some psychological studies out there that I would guess relate it to mob mentality. human beings are much more grey than they are black and white (no racial pun intended). I think there’s a reason it’s the lower classes that are doing most of the looting, beyond the essentials like water and diapers. but i’m just reasoning, not excusing.
Glad someone said it.
Gary said, “Who is the bigger fuckup, Bush or the media?”
–Both, thats why our country is now fucked up.
yo suz, thanks for saying what needs to be said.