Lincolnite

You can add the Communist News Network (ie CNN) to that list too (heard that one in a store earlier today).

Seriously though, yes there an awful lot of disgusted and shocked people who predictably are looking for a target to blame here. As you know from the FEMA work you and I are familiar with, its a “normal reaction to an abnormal situation” (sounds kind of cheesy but its true).

Personally I’m not one to bend this horrible tragedy into some sort of strictly partisan opportunism (its all Bush’s fault) or sick-biblical prophecy (because God hates fags). Then again I’m not there. I did talk with that friend of mine from New Orleans just last night, who was filled with nothing but anti-bush rage. That person, of course, always hated bush and will continue to do so no matter what. But I knew she had to rant and respected that.

It does seem to me though - and watching TV is my only basis for this conclusion - that this response effort is seriously fubar. Its kind of fucked up when the first responders are the broadcast media. It seems striking to me that the current city officials (and those before them) didn’t have better plans for this. For crying out loud its a major city below sea level in an area that experiences devastating hurricanes on an annual basis. I’m also wondering what risk communication strategies were used to get people out of there over the weekend. Whatever it was - it didn’t work.

The Red Cross site has a link to a very easy and quick process to donate via credit card.

I, too, am shocked by the slowness of the reaction to the tragedy. I realize the scale is unprecedented, but this exact scenario was predicted by multiple respected individuals several times over many years. Bush is way down on my list of people to blame for the slowness of the response. First and foremost I blame city officials. It’s as though the city officials are working without a playbook.

But then, I’m not there. And it’s not like the media are going to report on the boring stuff that goes exactly to plan. That stuff is expected and, therefore, hardly news.