More on the Gulf Coast tragedy

I have spent a lot of time the last few days watching CNN coverage of the Gulf Coast tragedy, as well as visiting a number of websites on the topic. The conditions in New Orleans are apocolyptic. The federal government's response has been incompetent and inexcusably slow. People are dying due to lack of potable water, food, and medicine. It is a blight on western civilization.

Two nights ago, I was watching Paula Zahn interview Michael Brown, the head of FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Association), and he said Wednesday was the first his staff knew that there were people holed up at the New Orleans Convention Centre! (Nevermind that there had been hundreds, if not thousands, of people there - at the instructions of the city mayor - for two days!!!!)

While horrified that such suffering continues, there are a few aspects of this story that fascinate me. One is just the logistics of the rescue operations - over the last few years I've developed an interest in urban planning and emergency response. (Yeah, I'm a lot of fun at parties ... LOL)

Another aspect of this story that captivates me is what can be learned about leadership (or lack thereof). Truly, this sad, sorry episode is a cautionary tale. You can read some interesting comments on leadership in relation to this tragedy by retired General Wesley Clark here. (He's an extremely intelligent man - it's worth a look.)

The critical importance of government has also been underscored by this event. There are those (particularly in the U.S.) who have preached for years that government is useless, a waste of money, etc., and that "the market" (!!!) is a more effective regulator of all things public and private. The very influential Republican Grover Norquist is famously quoted as saying, "My goal is to cut government in half in twenty-five years, to get it down to the size where we can drown it in the bathtub." Well, Norquist and the Repulsivecans have been very effective, as we all can see, yet there's no private corporation stepping in to coordinate the rescue efforts, to organize shelter for refugees, to provide for their basic necessities such as food, water, and clothing ... Wal-Mart, where are you????? Hmmm ... Hear that crashing sound? That's idealogy coming smack up against reality. The truth of the matter is that it is for this cause that government exists and should exist - to ensure the safety and well-being of its people.

There are two corollaries to this, in regards to poverty and law-and-order:

It's very evident that most of the victims who have been or still are trapped in New Orleans were too poor or too sick to get out when the warnings came. (And there was no organized effort to evacuate those without transportation.) These people don't have money, skills, or political clout - and so they were left to rot for a couple of days before the public became outraged. I saw Laura Bush in a press conference yesterday be asked about this, and she said something to the effect that the poor are always the most vulnerable, and that this "always happens". Well, for a party that has a sick fixation on saving fetuses and brain-dead vegetables, saying "every life is precious", they seem just a bit cavalier about hundreds (if not thousands) of people (including babies) dying day by day of dehydration and lack of medical care. Too bad they're not the "haves and the have-mores" that Bush considers his base.

In terms of law and order, it's now patently clear how thin the tissue of civilization can be. Rescue workers have been shot at, women raped, etc. I don't blame hungry people for walking into abandoned stores looking for food and water - what else are they to do? And I have never seen such an idiotic display of total denial than people robbing stores of big-screen TVs (yeah, good luck with that!). But it also underscores for me how I should not take our governments and police forces for granted. My roommate and I are two single women, living apart from our families and not really knowing anyone else around us. We don't carry guns, we don't have men/bodyguards to protect us, and yet we can travel freely around our neighbourhood, without (much) worry of being attacked or victimized. That's because of the law and order maintained by our police officers/justice system, and the fact that the government ensures that *most* people's basic needs are met.

I am sure that this has just been a long-winded diatribe, but lastly, I am thrilled that the American press actually is calling the Bush government to account for something!!!! The journalists are witnessing desperation and incompetence, and they're not giving anyone a free pass. (Check this out on the CNN website - "The big disconnect on New Orleans"). While for the sake of the victims, I hope Bush gets his act together, I still hope that rat bastard and all his sick cronies get their asses nailed to the wall but good!

Eclecta


P.S. - Another couple of thoughts on leadership:

Lt. Gen. Honore a "John Wayne dude"
Mayor to Feds: "Get off your asses"