It's the usual stuff: complain about everything so you can't tell we have nothing to offer to replace what we're complaining about. I was doing a lot of thinking while passing some people calling for non-violence at an air show on Sunday, although not the kind of thinking they wanted. I was thinking how ridiculous they were. After Katrina, how can anyone protest military might and call for "non-violence"? The morons with stolen guns are shooting at rescue helicopters and construction workers, for crying out loud! Do you really think it would work to have a "dialogue" with them about why they shouldn't be shooting people??? Another area where I feel I can't do anything. If people are that stupid that they think defending yourself against an agressor is never needed, what could I possibly say to convince them? I just laughed at them (out loud) and walked past. If all the idiots you mentioned above had their way, we'd all be living in a place like New Orelans is right now. And I mean all of us. How much would a celebrity's bodyguard(s) help if society fell apart to the point where twenty men with guns decided to help themselves to a celebrity's house and possessions? Who could even earn money, much less untold wealth, if people were huddled in their houses afraid of open warfare in the streets? The only explanation I have is that some people will always hate the light, even though they have nothing to offer but darkness. This is NOT to say that President Bush is "representing God" or always "doing God's will", although God's will takes place in any case. They just hate the light of freedom, to stand OR fall, and fight against it with darkness.

Barb,

How much would a celebrity's bodyguard(s) help if society fell apart to the point where twenty men with guns decided to help themselves to a celebrity's house and possessions?

That reminds me...In the next post, I mentioned some dumb statements by Celine Dion. Well, I was reading a comment thread on Little Green Footballs and heard about some even dumber things she said. She said something about how the looters just wanted a chance to touch some things they never had and that they should be left alone. I bet she wouldn't say that if it were her home being broken into and her stuff that was being taken!

These people are like Marie Antoinette -- they live in a little bubble and have no idea about how the real world works.

Wow, Celine Dion did make an extremely dumb comment. Looting is unacceptable and the looters were both black and white. Celine Dion needs to get a dose of reality.

I am intending to send another blistering post to a list that I own and moderate called Religion and Politics. There is a libearal part native Indian on the list who is constantly showing how much she hates George Bush. She has a few pieces of information about New Orleans very wrong. Even though I am an Australian, I have become vocal because I am stunned by the utter selfishness of the people who have done all the looting and who have attempted to impede the rescue efforts by shooting at the rescuers.

Who is to blame? Well I think the blame belongs to the people who have proved themselves to be both lawless and selfish.

Go for it.

Hi Maggie,

The idiocy that has crawled out of the woodwork since Katrina is absolutely infuriating. It has left me mentally exhausted. Someone on a blog somewhere (I can't remember where) said Katrina is the "anti-9/11" and I think he's right. I remember how after 9/11 people put aside their differences and stopped sniping for a while. With Katrina, the sniping has escalated to unbelievable levels.

As for the likes of Celine Dion, I feel like telling her and the rest of these celebrities to stick their damn money where the sun doesn't shine (which is where their heads are anyway). If taking their money means we have to listen to them mindlessly yammer their moronic opinions on America or President Bush or the Iraq War, then we are better off without it.

I have been checking out a lot of information concerning what went wrong in the aftermath of Katrina. Whilst Governor Blanco does not earn an A for effort, she does end up not being quite the failure as Mayor Nagin. Blanco did all the right things at the appropriate time, but Nagin was the one who showed ineptness by not ordering a compulsory evacuation of the city of New Orleans. On top of that, he proved that he is the master of inertia when he declined the offer made by Amtrak to move people out of New Orleans prior to Katrina touching down. Thousands of people, especially the elderly and disabled who had already assembled at the Superdome could have been safely transported out of New Orleans, without it costing them a penny. NAGIN declined the offer.

I am still aghast over the outright selfishness of those who had remained behind. I am aghast at the selfishness of those who encouraged the distressed to blame George Bush, when they were the ones who had refused to leave their homes when the evacuation was called. I am still aghast over the level of the looting and other acts of criminality that took place.

It is true that this situation is the exact opposite of what happened in New York. When 9/11 took place there were images of people rushing to the area to assist in any way that was possible, or they rushed to donate blood, but that did not happen in New Orleans. Instead there was looting, shooting, rape and murder. What a picture of decadence they presented to the world at large.

However, I have a new image to present and this is one that comes from Iraq because the Iraqi soldiers have collected 1,000,000 dinars (the equivalent of one month's salary) which is roughly $680 for the disaster relief of hurricane Katrina. This is a gesture of overwhelming generosity. I think that much can be learned from these lowly soldiers being moved to such compassion and gratitude. The whingers amongst those who needed to be rescued do not deserve such compassion.

As for rock stars, well the press gives them too much importance. All of them - rock stars, actors, actresses, singers in general, sports stars - are all know-nothings. They like to think that they can throw around personal opinion as though it is gospel, but they need to straighten out their morals before speaking up on any issue.

I have discovered some more news articles and opinion pieces that indicate that Mayor Nagin deserves a good kick where it will hurt the most. I have learned that Amtrak offered to take New Orleans residents out of the city prior to the arrival of Hurricane Katrina and Nagin declined the offer. The poor of New Orleans have unnecessarily suffered because of the failure of their Democrat elected mayor.

I have been learning about the corruption in New Orleans and Louisiana. Some point the finger at those who are willing to accept a cheque from the government without doing a lick of work. I think that there is merit in such finger pointing but it is only half of the story. We have to distinguish between those who are disabled and are not able to get work, and those who are able bodied and refuse to work. The problem with the welfare state happens to be that people begin to think that the world owes them a living and they do not want to have their benefits taken away. I know that in Australia there are benefits from accepting welfare since a raft of charges are slashed for the welfare recipients, leaving the remainder of the work force footing the bill with high taxes, and no immediate relief in sight. Yet, one must keep in mind that in some regions the work situation itself is very poor and those who are least able to look after themselves are the hardest hit when it comes to unemployment.

My take on the situation post-Katrina is that there should be enough construction work in the regions that have been devastated that there should be no excuse for the majority of the able-bodied who have been welfare recipients from working. If they are still unable to find work then perhaps the finger needs to be pointed at a form of racism that seems to fester beneath the surface.

I continue to believe that the Democrats and their minions who have been quick to blame George Bush over the alleged slow reaction to Katrina need to do some soul searching and yes they need to learn more about the nature of federal/state relations. If Governor Blanco had not been so concerned about politics and had been thinking more about what was best for the people in her state, then she should have agreed to Bush's suggestion that the feds control the situation prior to Katrina hitting. The fact that she refused the request means that she is responsible in part for the perceived failure of initial rescue efforts.

The state of Louisiana must bear responsibility, and the same is true of the local area. The funds had been cut by the feds over a number of years, including under the Clinton regime. The local authority should have taken the initiative and raised the necessary funding for works through new taxes. The local authority of New Orleans is also responsible for not taking seriously the possibility of a category 4 or 5 hurricane hitting the city. New Orleans was ill-prepared for a category 4 hurricane and therefore the local authorities must take the blame for the lack of preparation.

The local authorities stuffed up by not accepting the Amtrak offer to move people out of New Orleans. The last train out of New Orleans could have taken thousands out of the city for free (at the expense of Amtrak), but the poor and disabled remained trapped. Should Bush be blamed for the failure of the local authorities to act assertively prior to Katrina hitting in New Orleans? I do not believe that he should take the blame for the lawlessness or the rescue response.

Hi Maggie,

The governments of Louisiana and New Orleans have always been notorious for their corruption. People used to joke about it, but it's not funny anymore.

The Amtrak train left empty is just the latest outrage...I didn't think it could get worse than the fleet of schoolbuses that were left to flood rather than being used to evacuate people.

And yes, the failings of the welfare state and the sense of entitlement held by some of the "poor" have also been exposed here. But daring to point this out gets you accused of being an elitist or not being compassionate towards the poor. Some Christians need to learn that being poor does not automatically mean that someone is a virtuous, oppressed victim.

Blanco and Nagin are the ones responsible for making a bad situation worse with their utter incompetence. I can't believe that some goofballs want Bush to resign or be impeached over this. They got their Republican pound of flesh with the Brown resignation. Now let's concentrate on cleaning up the local government.