Natural Disasters

when i posted yesterday, i had no idea how bad the situation in new orleans really was. i critiqued the u.s. media for ignoring serious coverage about iraq, and instead focusing on u.s. situations through human interest stories. our media is bad, and servile to the current administration and establishment. we all know that. however, my critique of the media wasn't meant to downplay the seriousness of the situation in new orleans.actually, i'm heartbroken, and have wept as i see pictures of that wonderful city (in my view, the most fun, unique place in this country) and people (mostly poor and black) in such utterly desperate situations. i fear that new orleans is history, and will never be able to be rebuilt. how can it with the cesspool of toxic wastes, human wastes, diseases etc that is swimming around there now? it's a human and ecological nightmare.

this morning i heard on npr that the new orleans newspaper (the picyane, i think it's called) has been writing articles about the levee that broke since last year. many expressed concern (in light of last year's hurricane season) that if a hurricane came their way, the levee may, indeed, break. the newspaper was critical of the u.s. government because money that had been allocated to fortify the levee around new orleans was redirected to the war in iraq and homeland security! we all knew there would be domestic repurcussions for bush's decision to invade iraq, but who knew it would be of such gigantic proportions? it's interesting that when we experienced our other, recent national emergency (sept. 11) that bush was whisked away to louisiana immediately after the first attack on the twin towers. i hear he's going to visit new orleans on thursday to see the disaster first-hand. funny that.

why is the mainstream news so preoccupied with the looting, and the fact that a "renegade" school bus was one of the first to arrive (apparantly hours before expected) at the relief shelter formally known as the houston astrodome? yes, it's unsettling that so many more guns are on the street, and in the hands of desperate people, but who gives a fuck about walmart being looted? it should have opened its doors wide to let people get clean clothes, water, food and other supplies in such an extreme emergency as this one. i hear all the people (including the ones hauling out food and diapers) will eventually be prosectuted. unbelievable.as far as the "renegade" bus goes, who cares that it wasn't a part of the designated fleet that was to take people to houston. this was a school bus that had "orleans parish" on the side, driven by a 20 year old, and chock full of evacuees. if someone commandeered a school bus to take people who had lost their homes and all possessions away from a flooded, toxic waste site, who cares? i'm just glad that the people at the astrodome let them in, although i heard the "authorities" will have lots of questions for that driver and the people on the bus.

there is so much to say about what is happening there - so many ways to interpret this event, and to connect it to other political matters. i just hope those dislocated will receive help, but i don't have a lot of faith in this government to come through - especially with all the billions needed to fund this disgraceful war.