Geraldo Rivera Crying on Live TV

[MBismyPlayground]

I think it is idiotic that people are angry at the government because they arent getting food. They didn't evacuate and then they blame the government. I think that the national hurricane center and the media did the best job they could have possibly done to warn new orleans that a category 5 hurricane was going to nail them. Give me a break.

Hhmm....I could debate this all night long. I agree, they were given evac orders. A day late but it was done.
This is sort of their fault. Except for this. As we all have found out, the majority of the people who did not evacuate did not because of lack of money or lack of transportation. Even the tourists who are there or who just left did not evacuate due to lack of transportation. And I am sure they tried to find some.(No car rentals ect.) I talked to a young couple today who evacuated prior to the hurricane. Found it very interesting. They defended those who did not evacuate. They said that public transportation was not available out of the city. Because of the timing of the evac order, the pawn shops were closed so people could not even pawn their things for cash to leave. She said it took her 12 hours to get to where one hour would have put them. All of you who keep saying this.....about lack of evacuation, lets consider this. I have no idea of what the count is of how many did not evacuate. But seems alot. Lets say it was 10,000.......lets say 1 out of every 4 had a car and we loaded them all up and put them on the road. That would be 2,500 extra cars on the roads out of town. 60,000 people with 1 car per each 4.....15,000 extra vehicles on the roads out. Could it have been done, based on the timelines of when the evacuation notice was put out??????? I think not.

So who to blame......the mayor.....next step.......the govenor.......the government. Each and every one of these people represent the government. Someone dropped the ball on this one......

[Windy]

I think it is idiotic that people are angry at the government because they arent getting food. They didn't evacuate and then they blame the government. I think that the national hurricane center and the media did the best job they could have possibly done to warn new orleans that a category 5 hurricane was going to nail them. Give me a break.

There is so much compassion here, it's touching my heart. If only all Americans could show such grace and love for their neighbors.

[Chilly_Water]

Fellow South Kakalakian, I totally agree with you on many points. (Why are we up this late? ) The "good" news stations are on "rerun mode" right now so we don't know how it's actually going. Hopefully, for the sake of intelligence and humanity, everyone is being fed and given water. Again I'll say that it would be political suicide to drop the ball now. We can generally assume that the starving and thirsty are being revived.
On evacuation, I, at first, blamed the Mayor. Why the hell not hire a bunch of buses (as being done now) to get those less-fortunate out of the city?! Why didn't some of the more-able use their legs and just try to get as far away as possible? Incapacity? Poverty? Stubborness?
Then I talked to my brother who lives and works in DC. His best friend works on Capital Hill everyday and threw down an intersting fact. Bush has totally cut much of the federal NO crime budget. That's a fact. Look it up if you'd like 'cause I don't want to. In fact, has anyone noticed that the NO chief of police hasn't been on TV as one should be? I heard the other day that he was indicted on drug trafficking charges a few weeks ago. Haven't followed it up so it might not be true. Grapevine. Blah blah blah...my point being that they did not have the means or coffer to evacuate....BUT they could've tried. That's where my argument falls apart..
The Mayor should've helped to evacuate the people. He should've hired the same buses taking "refugees" to the Astrodome before Katrina hit and try to evacuated everyone. But hindsight is 20/20.
It sounds unsympathetic, but this hurricane, Katrina, had to happen. It was a "glorious" reminder that "Mother Nature's come to arms...she's in a fighting mood." And she does the same thing every year(in a matter of speaking). Wake up and realize that she's a mean lady and not just some tornado or flood or "catastrophic" event.

[MBismyPlayground]

Fellow South Kakalakian, I totally agree with you on many points. (Why are we up this late? ) The "good" news stations are on "rerun mode" right now so we don't know how it's actually going. Hopefully, for the sake of intelligence and humanity, everyone is being fed and given water. Again I'll say that it would be political suicide to drop the ball now. We can generally assume that the starving and thirsty are being revived.
On evacuation, I, at first, blamed the Mayor. Why the hell not hire a bunch of buses (as being done now) to get those less-fortunate out of the city?! Why didn't some of the more-able use their legs and just try to get as far away as possible? Incapacity? Poverty? Stubborness?
Then I talked to my brother who lives and works in DC. His best friend works on Capital Hill everyday and threw down an intersting fact. Bush has totally cut much of the federal NO crime budget. That's a fact. Look it up if you'd like 'cause I don't want to. In fact, has anyone noticed that the NO chief of police hasn't been on TV as one should be? I heard the other day that he was indicted on drug trafficking charges a few weeks ago. Haven't followed it up so it might not be true. Grapevine. Blah blah blah...my point being that they did not have the means or coffer to evacuate....BUT they could've tried. That's where my argument falls apart..
The Mayor should've helped to evacuate the people. He should've hired the same buses taking "refugees" to the Astrodome before Katrina hit and evacuated everyone. But hindsight is 20/20.
It sounds unsympathetic, but this hurricane, Katrina, had to happen. It was a "glorious" reminder that "Mother Nature's come to arms...she's in a fighting mood." Always has been. Wake up and realize that she's a mean lady and not just some tornado or flood or "catastrophic" event.

hi there.....I am up coz I work really late on the weekends LOL
Anyways, at first when I saw the school buses covered with flood water I thought OMG they could have used those buses to evacuate with. But, with no money, where would they have stayed? THAT many people??Just like now, they are having a very hard time finding shelter for all of these people......1 day before the hurricane, would it have been any easier???Even if they had stayed on the buses........once NO and MS got hit, not like they could have went home. With each and every single senario, the end result is pretty much the same. Tens of thousands of people who are thirsty, hungry, sick, and homeless. Only difference is would be less death.
No rescues. So it would free up the Nat Guard and civil servants to do other things.....like what?? Regardless, the city would still be uninhabitable.Without the injured, dead, and civil unrest, would they have been able to save the city??? No
I think it may be time for our National Government to develop a contingency plan for natural or other type disasters.Not each state, but as a nation. A central area that would be used only for evacuation of disaster areas. Or several areas for each part of the US. These central areas stocked and always kept prepared for evacuee;s, just in case. With the realignment of military bases, why not utilize these buildings in this way.
Some of you might say, that is what fall out shelters are for. But those cannot handle a large amount of people. What I am speaking of are places that are geared for a large city. Exactly what a military post is......