Balh! Lookie us we all smart talking about people giving a shit! :yuck

I heard that a team of snipers had been delievered to the rooftops of some of the taller buildings in New Orleans to start picking off looters.

I really, really hope you're wrong about that.

I really, really, really hope he's wrong about that.

One of the Doctors near Charity hospital, as I recall was speaking on CNN about military snipers trying take pot-shots (or what I hope were at the very least pot shots) at people trying leave and enter the hospital.

Most of whom were indeed patients.


Watching the news today, I can only feel truly disgusted at the lack of effort by the american government in order to deal with this crisis.

The ability of middle class america to detach themselves from a humanitarian disaster on this scale is truly both staggering and disturbing.

If this had somehow struck in a place such as Connecticut or a place filled with majorly middle to upper class americans, then I would bet my life savings that the response would be faster.

Its ok to mobilize the armed forces overnight along with billions of dollars to make war on people across the globe, but when it comes to saving a few thousand people in the deep south, it can wait.

Who cares, they're only black, homeless drug takers . . .right?



The Following was taken from www.matthewgood.org ;

One of the more interesting articles on the disaster that I have read comes from David Gonzales of the New York Times , which includes the following…

“The victims, they note, were largely black and poor, those who toiled in the background of the tourist havens, living in tumbledown neighborhoods that were long known to be vulnerable to disaster if the levees failed. Without so much as a car or bus fare to escape ahead of time, they found themselves left behind by a failure to plan for their rescue should the dreaded day ever arrive.

“If you know that terror is approaching in terms of hurricanes, and you’ve already seen the damage they’ve done in Florida and elsewhere, what in God’s name were you thinking?” said the Rev. Calvin O. Butts III, pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church in Harlem. “I think a lot of it has to do with race and class. The people affected were largely poor people. Poor, black people.”

I have to agree with Reverend Butts. Were affluent Whites stranded in New Orleans, the response would resemble lightning.

Considering the government and state officials have been told for several decades that something needed to be done for people living in those areas who lived below the poverty level, much less sea level, then it's no wonder people are so pissed off. And I don't know what newspapers you guys are reading or the news your watching, but mine says the death toll is definitely over 1000 and expected to climb.

I mean, when someone comes to you and says 'hey, we have an area that has a 98% chance to have a disastrous flood at any time and there is thousands of people living there who have neither the means or money to evacuate' I would think the time to do something about it is before the damn storm comes in.

Also, what's up with the Superdome? There's thousands of people in there. They know this. The damned place is crawling with news reporters. The elderly and children are dying every day for lack of medical attention. There's no food or clean water. From the news being sent back, they've made one attempt to drop supplies in that place. What the hell? If the news reporters can get in and they've sent helicopters over once already, where's the doctors? Where's the medical supplies? Where is the army hospital that can be set up in an hour? Where's the food?

People are so desperate that they were firing shots at the medical helicopters ferrying patients out of the hospitals, trying to force them to land and pick them up. People are complaining about looters, but most of those people are just trying to find something to eat. It's reached the point where some of the looters are stopping news reporters to show that all their taking is food.

And for crying out loud, what the hell is this crap about American's not caring about other countries? How many billions do we send to other countries every year? America shipped tons of food, clothing and even civilian medical personnel to the tsunami victims but we're horrible people because we didn't send aid to every one who had a bomb explode or every country with a drought or flood that happened anywhere in the world? How much are we supposed to send and why the hell is it our fault when we miss someone? When did America become the rest of the world's relief service?

It's a pretty damned shitty thing to do to point a finger at any one's crisis and say well damned we have it worse over here, where's our damned sympathy? Your sympathy arrives all the time from the Red Cross, UNICEF, missionaries, and ten hundred other organizations funded by American money donated by the uncaring American people.

Just because the comments said here hit me the wrong way and it was mentioned by name, I looked it up. Annually the United States sends between 80 and 102 million dollars in aid to Bangladesh. Oh the humanity of our uncaring pocketbooks...

For crying out loud people, how much is one person supposed to donate or give before people stop saying Americans don't care?

Honestly, if drug users were killed, then their race is irrelevant - theysaved the people money that would have been spent on their incarceration.

I have never been a man to allow race to enter into my thoughts as an issue. Did it factor into the Ami response - one could hope not. Might it have - only Herr Busch knows.

Amerikans have quite a record of being altruistic - they sent billions of dollars to potential enemies affected by the tsunami but could not be bothered to clothe or house or medicate those brave soldiers who from a past war now wonder the streets homeless and hungry. Oh yes - -the Amis care, so long as the problem is far away and they can write it off with the taxes.

This is not a blanket statement, but it IS true

Considering how many drug users visit TRF, you'd think you'd be a bit more careful with blanket statements like 'Well, we saved some money by killing them'.

On that grounds, why not kill everyone who is ever even suspected of a crime? It would save us a lot on juries, and judges, and hell, even bullets - just use an axe, it's more cost effective.

Yes. Please shut up Telan.

Dolash, my friend - -please tell me you are not defending them? They have broken the law!!! They have subjected others to the idicoy of their mentally misplaced antics and doubtless shot at those who attempted to bring them to justice. Pray tell me you do not support those who would drain your own wallet to remain alive, cast into an ubran estate surrounded by walls and armed men.

I would hope that the board is free of those who contravene knowingly and willing the law - -drugs are illegal at least in my homeland German and in Amerika. We speak not of the soft drug such as Marijuina but of Crack, E, X, Tina, Methamphetamines, cocaine, et al.


I do not think those people visit TRF.


Suspected of a crime - no. Should muders, rapists, paedophiles, be killeed - yes. Lesser criminals not beyond redemotion - theives, defrauders, et al - -can they be spared - -yes. Should murders and rapists be eradicated, well obviously.

Telan

Amerikans have quite a record of being altruistic

Heh

Well, capitol punishment debate aside, how can you be sure someone has committed these crimes? Especially in so chaotic a place as New Orleans is now? You can't just start shooting everyone you see stealing a T.V. from Walmart. Hell, from what I've seen, even the police are having to live off of snack food and stuff taken off the rack of abandoned stores. Thousands of people have got NOTHING out there, if it takes a little emergency looting to survive like - heavens forbid - stealing some food, I think it should be excused, and certainly not punishable by death.

Now, if you're saying they need to start patrolling the area to stop rapes and murders from taking place, sure. I just don't think snipers taking out stoners is the right solution.

Dolash - -I do not mean food. My God no - they have nothing to live on - in fact, I believe looting of food is encouraged to survive -I know I would do so were I in scene command in my jurisdiction. I am talking about the real people who are using drugs. I am not saying that everyone should be shot on suspicion - only those with proof.

Should people stealing a TV be shot yes - you cannot eat a TV.