Re: OT: Katrina's Wrath

"LX-i" <lxi0007@xxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:5e059$431736b7$45491c57$19401@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
> Lueko Willms wrote:
>>
>> Please go back to the Marxmail archives of September 2004 and find
>> out that New Orlean's mayor was aware of the dangers to the city
>> resulting from a major hurricane. And that he said the the 100'000
>> poor of New Orleans would have no chance to get out of harm's way
>> because they own no car.
>>
>> Did he organize to set up plans to get the people evacuate
>> nevertheless? Did he organize plans to reinforce the levees and
>> organize their protection against a hit by a hurricane. Nope. Nothing
>> happened.
>>
>> When the evacuation was finally ordered shortly before landfall of
>> Katrina a few days ago, it was as announced a year before: everybody
>> is left by themselves, no common effort to save everybody.
>
> Sadly, many Americans don't see the need for something until a tragedy
> occurs. Look at our lackluster response to Islamic terrorism from 1993 -
> 10 Sep 2001. Something bad happens, it finally gets attention and public
> support.

I think you could remove the word Islamic there - terrorism on it's own
would do just fine.


>> Before the disastrous hurrican Ivan hit western Cuba in September
>> 2004, 1.5 or even 1.9 million people have been brought out of harms
>> way, in an organized fashion, without leaving anybody behind.
>>
>> When poor Cuba can do it, why not the rich USA? They could have
>> organized a dozen or more planes, hundreds of buses, and what have
>> you, to organize a complete evacuation of the city.
>
> That's the thing about freedom - you have the freedom to make an unwise
> choice. I'd much prefer it that way to the way Cuba is run. :) It's not
> the *government's* responsibility to get people out - the truly
> responsible thing would be to not live below sea level to begin with!
Ah those silly dutch....and those silly people that live on fault lines,
near active volcanos, or were stupid enough to be born in Mali.....In the
words of Napoleon Dynamite...Idiots.

> In this country, you are responsible for you (and your family) - no matter
> how many socialistic programs are enacted (or attempted), the bottom line
> is that each person has the power to choose what they do, where they go,
> where they live.
And what, pray tell, would happen if you decided that tomorrow you wanted to
live in....hmmm...Hawaii...

> Think about the mayor's year-old warning another way - if people heard
> that warning a year ago, and knew they would not be able to get out the
> way things were, why did *they* (the people) not do anything?
Maybe because they were working two jobs to make enough money to scrape
together enough money to put clothes on their kids backs and send them off
to school? Maybe because you cannot just call up
1-800-GIVE-ME-A-NICE-HOUSE-IN-A-SAFE-TOWN-AND-OH-BY-THE-WAY-IT-HAS-TO-BE-FREE.

>> There are no material reasons not to save peoples lives, only the
>> incapacity of the capitalist society which is well able to bring shock
>> and awe and real destruction in all parts of the globe, conquer
>> countries, organize hundreds of thousands of soldiers to terrorize
>> people all around the world, but even then they can't create
>> conditions where human beings can live in peace and progress.
> Government in this country has a limited function. Providing for the
> defense of the land is probably the biggest one.

In my world, providing the ability to pursue happiness and some such
nonsense in a manner of equality was the most important.
According to you, the biggest function is building walls....only the
fortunate are lucky enough to be inside...on the outside?
To quote a band "We are young forever hungry, you are old and getting fat."

> Name for me one other country that has given more to this Earth than the
> USA has over the past 100 years.
Do you mean in a positive or negative way, or both?

>There's not one! Just because people don't heed warnings
So the governments of the world should go on a tour of Africa sending out
leaflest "Don't live in poverty in Africa, you will die young!" and then
when they starve it will be their fault? Works for me, if it absolves me of
blame then I'm all good.

> (which, freedom being what it is, they can make that choice)doesn't mean
> that it's still not the best place for peace and progress.
Team America, *** Yeah!

>> From the standpoint of humanity, saving human lives is the first
>> priority, capitalism is incapable.
>> Think also of those who managed to get out of New Orleans and other
>> areas hit by Katrina. They might be about a million people who are now
>> wandering around in the USA, who have lost their jobs, their homes,
>> and will soon not even be possible to use their credit cards to pay
>> hotel accomodation or whatever, since the banks at home are shut down,
>> they are flooded and have no electricity and the bank workers
>> themselves are among the refugees.
> And that's where the extreme generosity of the American people kicks in.
> Our private charitable contributions for the tsunami last year far
> outpaced what our government gave - as it should. Taxes are for running
> the government; charity is for helping folks in need.

And as we all know, the Tsunami damage is fixed already so you can all stop
donating now and focus on donating somewhere else until the next cause comes
into town.

>> A real social crisis is looming for the USA.
> I don't know that I'd call it a social crisis. Sure, there's a crisis
> dealing with people (and the looters, apart from food/water/a few clothes,
> need to be shot where they are).
So in the crime hierarchy - murder is less then stealing?

It's easy to say stealing is bad, drug dealing is bad, prostitution is
bad....when you don't need to steal, deal drugs, or prostitute
yourself...but then, we every person has the power to choose what they do,
where they go, where they live.are free to do what we need to do to. Right?

> But the bigger issues are policy-related, specifically energy and public
> safety. And, they'll be addressed. That's another great thing about
> freedom - we can address problems and learn from the bad things that
> happen.
And they will be addressed by the people for the people in a fair and
equitable and free manner. Where there is injustice, there is Team
America - *** Yeah!

The big issue is poverty - but that's too uncheap for the unpoor to
goodthink about.

JCE


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