nfb: What the hell? Are people this idiotic?

[Bug Lover]

Yeah, like I was saying "The bottom line is, that the “Powers that Be”, have had since the 1700‘s, when the work on the levies first began, to make them stronger. Everyone knew that this was going to happen eventually, but it was allowed to happen anyway."
Bush is sitting in the catbird's seat right now, and I am afraid that he is going to get the brunt of the blame, because ultimately, it is the responsibility of whoever is boss at the time, to prevent things like this, which was preventable, from happening. Now we have probably thousands of people dead, and an enormous expense financially, and in human terms as well. Its too late now, there is no going back. It makes me wonder what else is coming in the future that can be avoided.

Is he REALLY ultimately responsible? He often has to make decisions based on statistical analysis and those analyses don't always hold true. Shouldn't Louisiana have done something about it LONG before now?

I just read on Wikipedia (and several other sites) that the levees have been around since the French settled the area and the current pumps date from the early 1900s. The pumps are nearly 100 years old. They should have started thinking about this a WHOLE LOT sooner.

Think about it this way - You have a house that's 15 years old and you know you're going to have to get a new roof put on the house soon. At the same time, your car is totalled and you have to get a new one. Do you replace your roof now to prevent a leak (that might happen) and go without a car? Or, do you get a new (to you) car so you can get back and forth to work? You make the choice to spend your money on what is best at the moment, plain and simple. If your roof springs a leak in a month, are you going to blame yourself for getting a car?

There are millions of things we could try to prevent, but we have to make the decision to spend our money where it is most needed now. We can't do everything at once, so why don't we all stop second-guessing other people's decisions and just deal with it? Focus on what we can do now and go forward.

As a friend of mine used to say, "STOP WHINING!"

[95TransAm]

My point is not to say that you don't have morals, that you don't believe in God, or to suggest that you might entertain the thought of killing a family member if it meant your survival...

My point is YOU DO NOT KNOW. Please don't sit back in the comfort of your home or office and insult the people of New Orleans by trying to pretend you have a single shred of understanding for what they are faced with.

All that any of us can do is pray that we are NEVER faced with that situation... I'd much rather do that than lie to myself by saying that I know I wouldn't act like that in time of dire need.

The reason why the looting of electronics bothers me more is because those people cannot justify that based on their survival. They aren't trying to save their lives... they're just being "opportunistic" scumbags, preying on people's misfortunaes from a terrible natural disaster. I hope they all get Malaria.

I do understand what you are saying, and I do understand that I have no idea what they are going through. I hope I never have to face a situation like that ever... of us do. I absolutely 100% agree with you on the looting of electronics also.

My point solely is although I don't know how I would react in a crisis situation like that, it's not who I am to ever do something like that. There are things in my life that I absolutely have no doubt over....killing family is one those things. I personally am not afraid of death....whether you believe me or not. I have such strong faith that if it's time for me to go, then it's time. All I can do is try my best to survive without compromising the things I've worked a lifetime to aquire. I would kill an enemy who is a direct threat to save myself, but not family...ever...plain and simple.

I don't want this to be a thread that turns in to us flaming each other or anything. I honestly respect your opinion and understand what you are saying. All I ask is please don't tell me that I don't know if I would kill a family member in my time of need. Maybe some people don't know, but I can gurantee you that there are others like me who do know. I would die fighting and protecting my family in a heartbeat. My love for my family is too strong...I love them more than I love myself. The sheer thought of it curdles my stomach.

Once again Jay, I always have respected your opinions and statements. You have made many good arguments and have always backed them up with legitimate facts. I've never met you, but I bet you have a good head on your shoulders. Just understand that not everyone is alike, and there are people out there, me being an example, that DO KNOW that they could never kill an innocent family member only for the reason of saving themself.

[2Fbodcru]

I don't want this to be a thread that turns in to us flaming each other or anything.

Too late

[Jeff_in_Atl]

I couldn't kill someone except in self defense. I don't care what the situation is. It aint gona happen. But I don't want this thread to get hijacked or locked because of this. Can we drop it? As my wife and I say, agree to disagree and move on.

[Joe 1320]

With Andrew you could still drive 30 minutes to power, water, food, home depot etc..

Um... not true. The roads were non useable, the debris was so intense that most roads couldn't be seen. If you tried to drive anywhere, the tires would have been flat before you got to the next block. People were just as stuck, it just wasn't under water. That's why the Army ended up making a city of tents to house people until a certain amount could be cleared.

[Red20170]

Um... not true. The roads were non useable

I lived behind Homestead AF base. The next morning I drove to a 7/11 in north miami to buy ice and stood in line for three hours at home depot to board up the windows that were broken. The palmetto express way and turnpike were clear. I even check on family around metro zoo. Where were you during Andrew?

[Z Ya Later]

Easy for you to say from behind your electronically powered computer screen.

This is proof of how terrible human nature is in the face of a crisis.

No Jay, its not proof of how bad it IS...its proof of how bad it can be. As Joe pointed out, look at how the people of Florida reacted. We cannot completely control what happens to us, but we can control how we handle it. There is no justification to shoot your own sister for a bag of freaking ice or anything else materialistic...PERIOD! Desperation has become a poor excuse for lack of judgement.

[Mark B]

Hey Jeff95Z28,

Not Atlanta? Why? You dont like the idea of 100,000 people moving there that have no money, nowhere to live & no jobs. Sounds like a good time to me! Im sure that your taxes will drop and your crime rate will go down!

[Barry 94Formula]

As someone who was born and raised in this city(New Orleans) I can say that what you are seeing is not a reflection of the entire population of this city. The MAJORITY of these people are good and will help anyone they can. What you are seeing is a group of animals who feel like no one is in control and so now they can prey on the rest of society. I have never been as ashamed and disgusted as I have been for the last few days watching this unfold.

I currently have my father,stepmother,aunt and my baby sister who could not get out in time and are still in the Superdome and we cannot contact them.

I am safe and sound out of town and I am grateful to be alive, but at the same time I feel completely hopeless in all of this.
I, like Ken said believe it will get much worse before we see any relief, and unfortunately it will require the military to go in and engage these animals and take them out.

I know the thought of American forces firing on American citizens may be offensive but I now feel that these people are a threat to this entire rescue operation and they must be stopped by any means necessary.

[Mark B]

I know the thought of American forces firing on American citizens may be offensive but I now feel that these people are a threat to this entire rescue operation and they must be stopped by any means necessary.

Aggreed.
You cant let 20-50 lowlifes ruin the hopes of 20,000 people to get out of NO and to safety.

[Jeff_in_Atl]

Hey Jeff95Z28,

Not Atlanta? Why? You dont like the idea of 100,000 people moving there that have no money, nowhere to live & no jobs. Sounds like a good time to me! Im sure that your taxes will drop and your crime rate will go down!

Yea right! LOL

[Joe 1320]

I lived behind Homestead AF base. The next morning I drove to a 7/11 in north miami to buy ice and stood in line for three hours at home depot to board up the windows that were broken. The palmetto express way and turnpike were clear. I even check on family around metro zoo. Where were you during Andrew?

I was in Ft. lauderdale during the storm and immediatly went with some volunteers to north homestead area and spent days lending a hand, passing out water and emergency rations. I couldn't tell you what road we were on, there were no street signs, no traffic lights...... just destruction for as far as we could see. We rode in on trucks and all we could do was stare wide eyed at the aftermath. The highways were cleared very quickly, there wasn't much damage to fall on them.

[fastTa]

No Jay, its not proof of how bad it IS...its proof of how bad it can be. As Joe pointed out, look at how the people of Florida reacted. We cannot completely control what happens to us, but we can control how we handle it. There is no justification to shoot your own sister for a bag of freaking ice or anything else materialistic...PERIOD! Desperation has become a poor excuse for lack of judgement.

Couldn't agree more. These people shooting each other is simply inexcusable. I would also tend to agree with Jeff, and say that this IS more of a reflection of the integrity and character of this particular region and not just abunch of people desparate to survive. Unfortunately, it sounds as if they do not posses much of either.

[jodyg]

First of all, I'll tell you a little about my life after the hurricane. I live in south central MS and we were hit with 100+ mph winds. This was my first real hurricane. I can remember several thru the years, but nothing like this. We were very fortunate, we lost power and water for an estimated month, but we are still living and our home is still standing. I am also lucky enough to have family in north MS that welcomed us with open arms.

That said, I have issues with the looting in NO. I can understand people looting for food, or even guns for protection, but nothing else.

Now if you are still reading, this is my real issue....
The company I work for, which is a world wide corp located somewhere up north(yes, I know where...I just won't say at this time) is only concerned with doing whatever it takes...money is no issue....to have huge generators and diesel fuel shipped down here and trying to force people to come to work. These people have nothing right now. The have no water, electricity, many have no food or water stored because they live week to week on a fixed budget.(before any of you comment that they could do better to begin with...well, let's not go there...what is is and you can't change anything at this point).

Ok, if this was a vent session....sorry...but I just needed to say it

[Steel2686]

As someone who was born and raised in this city(New Orleans) I can say that what you are seeing is not a reflection of the entire population of this city. The MAJORITY of these people are good and will help anyone they can. What you are seeing is a group of animals who feel like no one is in control and so now they can prey on the rest of society. I have never been as ashamed and disgusted as I have been for the last few days watching this unfold.

I currently have my father,stepmother,aunt and my baby sister who could not get out in time and are still in the Superdome and we cannot contact them.

I am safe and sound out of town and I am grateful to be alive, but at the same time I feel completely hopeless in all of this.
I, like Ken said believe it will get much worse before we see any relief, and unfortunately it will require the military to go in and engage these animals and take them out.

I know the thought of American forces firing on American citizens may be offensive but I now feel that these people are a threat to this entire rescue operation and they must be stopped by any means necessary.

First off, my prayers go out to a happy reunion with your loved ones, Barry.

Second, I can't agree with you more. The people who are shooting at rescue workers and paramedics should be shot on sight... no questions asked. They are literally holding the entire city hostage. They are no longer American citizens. They are scumbag attempted murderers, and should be dealt with accordingly.

As far as shooting one's Sister over a bag of ice.... I can be fairly certain no one here would do such a thing... Survival or not. It's either in your nature or it isn't.