Red Cross Donations???

[corkboyinexile]

I just popped on there I havent been on in a while and I saw that there was a place where you can donate to the American Red Cross.
Does anyone else think that they need donations being that they are based in the richest country on the planet, who also controll most of the planets resources?

[Gatsby]

well to be honest, the united states are usually the first country to help others in need when disaster strikes... and they have pledged alot of money to other countries in the past

i suppose you have to look at the people and not the country... I hate george bush with every bone in my body but i ignore that fact and try to think of the people...

Hopefully the only good to come out of this is that the people, finally, realise how corrupt their government is, and that they think twice before electing baboon bush again...

[cindy8219]

Yes, they need donations. People are starving and dehydrating.

It's truly sad to see how our government has completely failed us in this time of need.

[gomezxico]

i was watching the news the other night and a man said he never thought he would see something like this happen in america. Why? simply because it's america. many here seem to have this attitude that nothing truly devestationg can happen here simply because we are th richest nation on earth, they dont understand that nature has no consideration for money, if it did, things like the massive hurricane would hit more often here and completely miss the developing nations because they would be too poor to rebuild.

I agree that GWBush sucks as a leader and it's best to just look at the people, rather than the government. and sure the US is usually one of the first to give but usually it is only in order to set an example: what happened when it came time to provide to the tsunami victims...the US stepped in and pledged around $30,000,000. sure that is a lot but when you look at numbers like the $1/2 billion Japan gave right off from the start, it makes you see things differently (at least it made me see them diff.) How can my president spend $40,000,000 on his inaugural balls/parties and on $30mill to help those in need??? it just doesn't make sense. the only reason the pledge was stepped up was because of pressure from those abroad (particularly war allies) and US citizens who donated to places like the red cross/unicef and other non profit orgs.

it is because of government failure that we must help those in need.

p.s revelate: GWBush won't be up for reelection in 08 but hopefully people do see the govt as corrupt and don't elect a "baboon bush" baby. (I like that name for him )

[Henry]

I hate Bush

A lot of countries are offering help and he's too arrogant to accept them. "Oh well, we're the United States of Freakin' America. We don't need no stinkin' help!" Thoughts like that get on my last nerve. We need help just as much as anyone else in this position would need it. Just look at the news, it looks like some Third World Country out there. This wasn't an ordinary hurricane, there many things to factor in. It hit as a category 4 and look at the damage. Florida has been hit with categories 5's in the past and it had NEVER been anything like this.

The only thing that makes me (made me, actually) hesitant about giving money and clothes and items was 9/11. When 9/11 happened, months and months after the fact I saw in the news tons of storage where toys and goods were still stored simply because there was no one appointed to handle them and coordinantly hand them out. So frustrating.

[gomezxico]

Originally Posted by Henry

I hate Bush

if the help were being offered directly to those affected, they would forget all their arrogance, proudness, whatever just to recieve the aid but bush doesn't get this cause he's nice and warm in his cozy white house, well rested, of course, after his 5 week vacation. he sould be a lot more considerate.

[gomezxico]

Originally Posted by Henry

I hate Bush

Florida has been hit with categories 5's in the past and it had NEVER been anything like this.

i think that has to do with location though.

how are things in georgia right now?

[Henry]

Florida is not that different from Louisiana. They're both surrounded by water (more Florida then Louisiana, actually) and they're both below sea level in certain areas. This would never happen in Florida though, because Jeb Bush is their governor and he's Bush's brother. Katrina was a very special storm you could say, since it even did a lot of descruction in South FLA while being just a category 1.

In Georgia things are fine, no Katrina here. A lot of the victims are being brought to certain areas here, which is really great. I plan on going over there and see if I can help with anything. I hope more states step up and offer a temporary home for a lot of these victims. These people have lost everything.

[Cali]

for those who want to help, please contact their local red cross. i also hate bush but people are still dying as of right now. it's weird but those people that
voted for bush are the same ones that are being ignored by him and his greedy-ass politicians that didn't do anything to prevent this outcome

[jenn fox]

The government has failed in a truly ridiculous way, we have money for war but none for education and disaster relief...having said that, the most important thing right now is that people are dying, and the government isn't going to take care of us so we have to take care of each other. Period.

[PenguinBoy]

The army has just been wheeled in to stop the crime, where were they for the evacuation?

[Cali]

Originally Posted by PenguinBoy

The army has just been wheeled in to stop the crime, where were they for the evacuation?

in iraq making bush's pals richer

[gomezxico]

Originally Posted by Henry

Florida is not that different from Louisiana. They're both surrounded by water (more Florida then Louisiana, actually) and they're both below sea level in certain areas. This would never happen in Florida though, because Jeb Bush is their governor and he's Bush's brother. Katrina was a very special storm you could say, since it even did a lot of descruction in South FLA while being just a category 1.

In Georgia things are fine, no Katrina here. A lot of the victims are being brought to certain areas here, which is really great. I plan on going over there and see if I can help with anything. I hope more states step up and offer a temporary home for a lot of these victims. These people have lost everything.

it obviously wouldn't have taken this long to get the aid because of the connection but the destruction would probably have been the same.

hope you get lots done while helping.

cali you are right, those who voted bush in again are only seeing the true man now.

[Mankman]

Surely much of New Orleans is primarily a Democratic State? Isn't the whole underlying Republican message that of a sort of racism (im talking of the neo-cons here.) ?

[Hendrik]

Originally Posted by Mankman

Surely much of New Orleans is primarily a Democratic State? Isn't the whole underlying Republican message that of a sort of racism (im talking of the neo-cons here.) ?

Definitely.

[flyaway]

In a way the disaster will be a blessing. It will make everybody see that you can't ignore warnings, and Bush will have lost alot of votes, and it will make sure he won't be re-elected (Unless he cheats again! :P) and the slow relief and shoddy aid won't happen again.

[Mankman]

But surely all of the ppl in the Bible Belt will continue to vote for bush, because they just agree with the republican ideals? I dont wana generalise, but from what ive seen a lot of these are somehwat racist, and so just will not vote democratic. Some ppl will just blindly follow Bush. I think the only way he wont be back is if the democrats can get a properly charismatic leader. I dont see this horrific disaster in New Orleans making too much of an indent into Bushs re-election plans. Am i right here? Im not sure, cos im not American.

[Cali]

i agree. the reason bush won in the first place was because he's against gay marriage, and stupid things like that. i particularly don't see what the big shock is about, bush had already shown the kind of incompetent monkey he was, but most people in this country are willing to put up with him because he's on god's side. bush believes that evolution is just a theory. acording to a 2001 poll, 72% of americans believe in some form of creationism (Gallup poll). wtf?

the democrats are not much different from the republicans, they're just not as bad as them. the problem with the democrats is that those idiots seem to be on pot or something. they just can't make a clear point on anything. that's why bush called kerry a flip-flop. and everytime they mess up the whole republican machinery make a huge deal but when the republicans mess up, and they do big time, the democrats just wait and wait and wait and that's it.

[Andrew]

Alright, wow...

First thing, releif aid was in fact organized before Katrina hit. The fact is, no one can predict natural disasters and I doubt anyone really expected New Orleans to be submerged underwater. A lot of people are angry because it took so long for the aid to reach those in need. Well, why do you think this is. I can think of one good reason, A HURRICANE JUST HIT....That means that there is a ton of damage such as trees blown all over the place, collapsed buildings, etc...It would take a long time for huge trucks carrying supplies to reach a city surrounded by debris. Its not like the roads were just clear for people to move in. Its not Bush's fault, I do not like the guy, but you can not blame him for everything that happens. I lived in New Orleans for six months, and I have cousins the live in Biloxi and lost everything...They all say a lot is being done....Of course the media is only going to focus on the negative, but seriously, think about it...The American government is doing a lot to help.

[Mankman]

True, but Bush couldve still put more money into aid beforehand, instaed of goin into Iraq. We as humans, are always goin to be second to nature. Nature rules us. A government should always put money aside for these types of disaster, especially a country suscepitible to these horrendous natural disasters, ie, USA. Bush shouldve done more. All this diasaster does, is increase the gap and animosity between right wing america and left wing america. It furthens the gap immensely, and soon america will be in a real chaos and have major problems. All because a stupidly right wing daddy's boy was elected and then re-elected. Blair isnt doing much to help.

[Henry]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Alright, wow...

First thing, releif aid was in fact organized before Katrina hit. The fact is, no one can predict natural disasters and I doubt anyone really expected New Orleans to be submerged underwater. A lot of people are angry because it took so long for the aid to reach those in need. Well, why do you think this is. I can think of one good reason, A HURRICANE JUST HIT....That means that there is a ton of damage such as trees blown all over the place, collapsed buildings, etc...It would take a long time for huge trucks carrying supplies to reach a city surrounded by debris. Its not like the roads were just clear for people to move in. Its not Bush's fault, I do not like the guy, but you can not blame him for everything that happens. I lived in New Orleans for six months, and I have cousins the live in Biloxi and lost everything...They all say a lot is being done....Of course the media is only going to focus on the negative, but seriously, think about it...The American government is doing a lot to help.

No one could've predicted the disaster? I'm sorry...but that is extremely incorrect. Read that article and check out the publication date. They saw this coming for New Orleans since four years ago, down to the tinyest of the smallest of details! No one can say this "couldn't have been forseen." Such bull. And it's not like this hurricane appeared from nowhere and hit New Orleans without anyone knowing about it's soon arrival beforehand, either. Everyone saw it hit Florida and then position itself onto the gulf for days. They saw this huge storm coming. How can they NOT have been prepared?

Another thing, Tsunamis have hit Asia and the disaster have been somewhat similar, and they managed to get aid faster than Bush did here. They claim that all the resources they needed to get the aid there was down because of Katrina, which is a reasonable excuse, but the fact that people in worse positions than the U.S have managed to do this with those same exact barriers, show we could've done the same and probably, even more here. That story Bush is selling? I'm not buying.

[Andrew]

Quote by Henry

"No one could've predicted the disaster? I'm sorry...but that is extremely incorrect. Read that article and check out the publication date. They saw this coming for New Orleans since four years ago, down to the tinyest of the smallest of details! No one can say this "couldn't have been forseen." Such bull. And it's not like this hurricane appeared from nowhere and hit New Orleans without anyone knowing about it's soon arrival beforehand, either. Everyone saw it hit Florida and then position itself onto the gulf for days. They saw this huge storm coming. How can they NOT have been prepared?"

Look, people can try and predict catastophic disasters all day long. If a major city lies on a fault line then they are going to predict what will happen if a earthquake occured. A perfect example of this is the city of Memphis, Tennessee...its lies on one of the largest, but also most unactive, fault lines in the United States. People have been predicting for years that Memphis is going to be destroyed. They say its going to happen sometime in the next fifty years and that most of the city will be leveled due to little preperation. Someone could say "hey, we have proof that a huge 6.0 earthquake is going to occur in six months, start preparing." I guarantee you half of the city would stay put just because a major earthquake has not hit the memphis area for a decades. The same goes for New Orleans. People knew what would happen if a huge hurricane hit...for countless hurricane seasons since Camille, hurricanes have been close to hitting directly but they usually miss. Well if everyone is saying "hey, a huge hurricane is on its way, leave your house and job," how many people do you think would do that after so many false alarms? Not many...No one can predict if a hurricane will weaken or strengthen before it hits a specific target. No one can predict if it will suddenly change course at the last minute. Even if everyone in New Orleans knew it would be a direct hit, I am sure very few would actually be certain it would flood the majority of the city and result in such a horrendous after effect. Yeah, people can see if a hurricane is coming thanks to radar, but no one can predict or brace themselves for a disaster like Katrina because seriously, how often have you seen something like that happening in the United States? Its true, people in the US probably did not think something like that could happen, but it can, it did, and the government is doing its best to help those affected. A prediction is just that...its someone trying to guess what will occure in the future. Its quite hard and I dont think the news was saying "hey, your whole city is going to be destroyed...if you dont get out you are going to be shoved into a sports arena with a bunch of dying people...don't go out on the streets because you risk being shot at by lootes and raving gang members." So thats what I mean when I say its impossible to predict the severity of a disaster such as Katrina. The article from your link was highly accurate, but do you think the media is going to warn people about something that might or might not occur during their life time? There is no way they want to cause mass panic because they do not know for certain when something like that would actually occur. Its like trying to tell a city that a fire is going to happen or a terrorist attack will happen on this date...If everything was 100% accurately predicted then everyone would probably stay clear from cities that risk a huge disaster, but thats the thing, no one can predict it. there are similar articles about what is going to happen to memphis when an eartquake hits, and I promise you it will be worse than any hurricane if it actually happens...you better start warning CNN because I bet everyone in Memphis will pack up their things and leave knowing an earthquake will destroy their city in the next fifty years (sarcasim). Anyway, I am just saying no one is going to take the kind of predicitions from your link seriously even though they are extremely accurate because for years it has not happened. No one can predict when something like this will happen even if they know it will occur within a given amount of time. It just impossible to predict how bad the after effect of a disaster like this could be. Its also impossible to predict the exact time of a disaster so basically no one knows wether to beleive the media or obscure science articles. No one is going to react until its down to the last minute. Its human nature, not government error.

[Cali]

1. nobody prevented the magnitud of katrina. but new orleans is a city under sea leavel that depends on walls and levees that they knew couldn't resist a magnitude 5 hurricane. somebody should've done something about that. they local authorities should've pressured more to get federal help. and the government should take care of their people instead of invading other countries

2. several countries offered their help inmediately after the hurracaine. bush didn't accept any offer until a couple of days ago. that was confirmed by several european countries not any "obscure science article"

3. harry connick jr got there before the national guard.

4. people were dying on the streets several days after the disaster but federal government took 4 days to send help. don't they have helicopters they could've used to send water at least. people had already start loitering for food and water. people inside the superdome didn't have food, we all saw that

5 the mayor of new orleand ordered the evacuation of the city 2 days before the hurricane hit the city, when it was obvious that it was gonna be at least a category 4 and it was gonna hit new orleans. some people left some people didn't want to, but many people just couldn't afford it. the authorities shouldn've taken those people out of the city.

6 i could go on and on. this government have proven to be completely inept. no one prevented katrina was gonna be a category 5 or that it was gonna hit land with such a devastating power but many deaths could've been prevented before and after the hurracaine

[Andrew]

This is directed to Cali:

1) You obviously did not fully comprehend the purpose of my argument.

2) You can not blame Bush for Lousiana officials neglecting to properly prepare their city for a hurricane such as Katrina. If you are going to blame it on a president blame it on every American president since 1970.

3) Harry Conick Jr. is from New Orelans and when he heard the hurricane was going to hit, then he probably went down there to salvage his possessions days before the hurricane struck. The fact that you even know Harry Conick Jr. was there proves that you are only getting your information from the American Media, and we all know how unreliabe and how biased that information can be. I have family in New Orleans and in Biloxi, so forgvie me if I might have a different viewpoint on the situation than you and the media. Forgive me if I have heard what is actually being done down there.

4) The media is only focusing on the negative...They know people are going to stay glued to the television if they only show the terrible images...Did you know that they have already started pumping water out, that they have repaired most of the levees, that my uncle has already been allowed to re-enter the city to check on his house. Did you know that they are rescuing people daily and that the government is doing the best they can to help those affected?

5) Do you think it is realistic to actually say that a fleet of buses would be there in New Orleans and ready to evacuate people days before the hurricane? No, because no one would leave because of the chance that it wouldnt affect their house, no one thinks something like that will directly affect them. Even if the government wanted to send some sort of fleet of evacuation vehicles to New Orleans to evacuate 80,000 people, they would need buses...A lot of bus companies probably wouldnt just give up their buses until they saw the damage. The days after the hurricane, the interstates had to be cleared. Plus, the city was underwater...are the vehicles just going to glide on top of 20 feet of water? I mean seriously, think about it for a second. Its hard to evacuate a large city. Yes, its a tragedy not everyone got out, but everyone is doing the best they can given the circumstances. The refugees are out, it took a few days to find places for them to go and a few days for an exit route to be cleared, but they are out and they are in shelters...No, its not a nice hotel, but its the best anyone can do to accomodate thousands of people with no place to go.

6) Please do go on and on because you are making no sense. You are just spitting out biased, incorrect media information that you saw on Fox News and the Oprah special...I mean seriously, think rationally! what you are saying is so far from the truth. go talk to people from new orleans and see what they say about the way they are being handled, they will all say they are being taken care of...by who do you think? the government! things are being done as quickly as possible, and new orleans will rebuild itself on government money...did you know the government is giving every refugee a credit card with a $300 limit?...I know this because my sister is volunteering for the red cross and she is passing out these credit cards. Thats a lot of money and 300 is more than enough to by toiletries and food for the time being. The media isnt going to mention this, but anyway, keep watching the tv...i promise you television will answer your every question.

[Gatsby]

things are being done as quickly as possible, and new orleans will rebuild itself on government money...

Im sorry but things have not been done as quickly as possible... Bush acted only when accused by the media of sitting on his ass...it took 5 days after the hurricane hit for them to start to try and aid those in need... Many of whom died in the process of waiting...
Yes i understand that people would not evacuate as its human nature to ignore something devastating that only has a possibility of happening... This is not the point. The point is that once it hit Nothing was done... The media held the biggest role in helping those in the disaster as they used it to show how badly affected people were and how little aid was given...

did you know the government is giving every refugee a credit card with a $300 limit?...I know this because my sister is volunteering for the red cross and she is passing out these credit cards. Thats a lot of money and 300 is more than enough to by toiletries and food for the time being. The media isnt going to mention this, but anyway, keep watching the tv...i promise you television will answer your every question.

what you are forgetting is that the government isnt solely the only people giving help... Most countries in the world are here to aid america but maybe your too biggoted to mention that one?

[Andrew]

Quote by Revelate
"Im sorry but things have not been done as quickly as possible... Bush acted only when accused by the media of sitting on his ass...it took 5 days after the hurricane hit for them to start to try and aid those in need... Many of whom died in the process of waiting...
Yes i understand that people would not evacuate as its human nature to ignore something devastating that only has a possibility of happening... This is not the point. The point is that once it hit Nothing was done... The media held the biggest role in helping those in the disaster as they used it to show how badly affected people were and how little aid was given...

what you are forgetting is that the government isnt solely the only people giving help... Most countries in the world are here to aid america but maybe your too biggoted to mention that one?"

Wow Revelate, are you serious? Are you missing my entire argument? The government began preparing for the hurricane days before it hit...if they sent the supplies to the Gulf Coast before the hurricane, then that supplies would have been destroyed along with the rest of the area...You cant just send in supplies before a disaster such as a hurricane hits because all of that supplies would have been lost and those sent to help people would risk their own lives while the hurricane passes. They had to wait out the storm and then they started making their way to New Orelans. If you havent noticed, the hurricane knocked down trees and shut off power in numerous cities from New Orleans to Jackson Mississippi...Those supply trucks had to go from one city to another through the damage...You try driving a vehicle over a tree, it doesnt work. They had to clear roads and actually had to organize a place for the refugees to gather before they just paraded into the city to help people. A rescue effort has to be planned, that takes time. If they just rushed in their then they would have been doing more harm than good. But hey, Revelate, you know what you are talking about all the way in Ireland. I am sure you have seen a lot. And you are calling me a bigot? Revelate, I know that other countries are helping out, the reason I did not mention that is because they had nothing to do with all of these bashings of the AMERICAN government. Why mention other countries when this argument was based around Bush and America? Plus, half of my family is from France...the other half lives in New Iberia Lousiana, where the majority of the people are French and speak the language. I am very thankful for foreign aid. Half of my family is now scattered across the country because there homes were destroyed...They have been watching the news and they think it is absolutely ridiculous than anyone would bash the government because they have seen how much progress is being made. Two of my cousins were rescued by GOVERNMENT appointed rescuers and were taken to a GOVERNMENT appointed aid station and treated and fed by FEDERAL dollars. They were not too happy about having to wait days to be evacuated, but they realize that the severity of the damage and all of the road blocks is the reason they could not leave immediately. They were driven to Memphis, Tennessee two days ago to stay at a refugee camp. Thankfully, my mother lives in Memphis and was able to locate them and bring them to her house. I mean seriously Revelate, how do you think you know more about this situation than I do all the way across the Atlantic Ocean? You are ridiculous and are just using this catastrophe to bash Bush and the American government...You are the chauvinist my friend. Grow up and quit watching so much television. The fact that you are going to try and tell me the facts when I have over ten family member directly affected by this and have lived in New Orelans myself, while you are sitting at your computer all the way in Ireland is insane.

[Gatsby]

i never once claimed i knew more about the situation!?!?... nor was my post a 20 minute reply... yes i may be sitting behind a "computer in ireland" but i still have my opinions on the matter... and you can be as narrow minded about your own opinions as you want but i have a right to voice mine....

i never once said that they should have sent in supplies before the disaster? where did you get that from?
i did say that the relief took a long time in coming. How were tv crews able to fly by helicopter into the disaster zone and talk to people who were waiting in **** infested holes where there house once was... Yet no relief or food was able to get to them?

Yes bush acted well and cleaned up the mess but how long did it take for him to actually do it was my point. Once he knew that he was in jepardy himself is when he worried and used the media himself to make him look like a saint...

You can give me another lengthy reply about your family and how im sitting behind a computer all the way over the atlantic ocean but to be honest. Everyone is affected by this... Maybe not me physically or any of my family but i have a right to feel angry. I have my right to view my opinion and thats something you cant bully or argue about...

[#Ian#]

Originally Posted by Mankman

Surely much of New Orleans is primarily a Democratic State? Isn't the whole underlying Republican message that of a sort of racism (im talking of the neo-cons here.) ?

Nope, red-state all the way.

[Cali]

to andrew:

first of all, i'm sorry for your family in mississippi and louisiana, i know i can't possibly imagine what is like to lose everything.

your points are fair enough. we just disagree but that's alright. but i do have to say that i don't trust american media either, most of the news i get comes from international media

[Henry]

Originally Posted by Andrew

Quote by Henry

"No one could've predicted the disaster? I'm sorry...but that is extremely incorrect. Read that article and check out the publication date. They saw this coming for New Orleans since four years ago, down to the tinyest of the smallest of details! No one can say this "couldn't have been forseen." Such bull. And it's not like this hurricane appeared from nowhere and hit New Orleans without anyone knowing about it's soon arrival beforehand, either. Everyone saw it hit Florida and then position itself onto the gulf for days. They saw this huge storm coming. How can they NOT have been prepared?"

Look, people can try and predict catastophic disasters all day long. If a major city lies on a fault line then they are going to predict what will happen if a earthquake occured. A perfect example of this is the city of Memphis, Tennessee...its lies on one of the largest, but also most unactive, fault lines in the United States. People have been predicting for years that Memphis is going to be destroyed. They say its going to happen sometime in the next fifty years and that most of the city will be leveled due to little preperation. Someone could say "hey, we have proof that a huge 6.0 earthquake is going to occur in six months, start preparing." I guarantee you half of the city would stay put just because a major earthquake has not hit the memphis area for a decades. The same goes for New Orleans. People knew what would happen if a huge hurricane hit...for countless hurricane seasons since Camille, hurricanes have been close to hitting directly but they usually miss. Well if everyone is saying "hey, a huge hurricane is on its way, leave your house and job," how many people do you think would do that after so many false alarms? Not many...No one can predict if a hurricane will weaken or strengthen before it hits a specific target. No one can predict if it will suddenly change course at the last minute. Even if everyone in New Orleans knew it would be a direct hit, I am sure very few would actually be certain it would flood the majority of the city and result in such a horrendous after effect. Yeah, people can see if a hurricane is coming thanks to radar, but no one can predict or brace themselves for a disaster like Katrina because seriously, how often have you seen something like that happening in the United States? Its true, people in the US probably did not think something like that could happen, but it can, it did, and the government is doing its best to help those affected. A prediction is just that...its someone trying to guess what will occure in the future. Its quite hard and I dont think the news was saying "hey, your whole city is going to be destroyed...if you dont get out you are going to be shoved into a sports arena with a bunch of dying people...don't go out on the streets because you risk being shot at by lootes and raving gang members." So thats what I mean when I say its impossible to predict the severity of a disaster such as Katrina. The article from your link was highly accurate, but do you think the media is going to warn people about something that might or might not occur during their life time? There is no way they want to cause mass panic because they do not know for certain when something like that would actually occur. Its like trying to tell a city that a fire is going to happen or a terrorist attack will happen on this date...If everything was 100% accurately predicted then everyone would probably stay clear from cities that risk a huge disaster, but thats the thing, no one can predict it. there are similar articles about what is going to happen to memphis when an eartquake hits, and I promise you it will be worse than any hurricane if it actually happens...you better start warning CNN because I bet everyone in Memphis will pack up their things and leave knowing an earthquake will destroy their city in the next fifty years (sarcasim). Anyway, I am just saying no one is going to take the kind of predicitions from your link seriously even though they are extremely accurate because for years it has not happened. No one can predict when something like this will happen even if they know it will occur within a given amount of time. It just impossible to predict how bad the after effect of a disaster like this could be. Its also impossible to predict the exact time of a disaster so basically no one knows wether to beleive the media or obscure science articles. No one is going to react until its down to the last minute. Its human nature, not government error.

Andrew, I'm just telling you that this was indeed known and predicted, and Bush and his administration decided to do nothing. Do you live in the U.S? Because if you did, you'd be paying 3+ Dollars a gallon for gas unnecessarily. Something unheard of here and that Americans in general, are not used to. I'm sure you know, Louisiana is a very important state due to 1/3 of our gas being stored there, it's the government's job to do anything necessary to fix that state in case of a large hurricane, not the people's job. LA is a state that gets affected by any hurricane that comes through in the Gulf. Hurricane season takes up almost half a year. Hurricanes are more frequent now because of the times we live in. Do the math. Why not take care of this earlier?

But hell, since that wasn't done, why not deliver aid in time at least? This government is doing a lot now, I can't deny that. But why not earlier? Why did so many people had to die before they took action? Fire fighters and police are committing suicide and turning in their badges because they can't take the pressure of keeping New Orleans together. That shows that it's too much too late. Too many corpses, too many looters. Poorer countries got far better resonses with similar catastrophies. 9/11 got better reaction. I just don't understand.. why so slow?

The best thing is hearing people who voted for Bush say that it was the wrong choice. Hell yeah, it was.