And this is the greatest country in the world?

[GiGo]

Americans just are not used to walking anywhere.

When I was in LA recently I was asking someone directions and said "is it walkable from here?". To which the reply was "You wanna WHAT?". Turned out to be only 10 minutes walk away.

[Not So Wise]

ist das normal ?

they seem to build their wooden houses on sand...

For them yes, entire gulf coast is like that, whenever i have gone down there always asked why so many trailers, wood house's and house's on the beach in a area that gets so many hurricanes? Never got a sensible answer yet....though always found it funny that most would be terrorfied of living in california due to it's earthquakes....

I tell you this -- if was in situation when my family needed food and water to survive then I would not hesitate to loot store.

Nor would i, but if you watch the reports you will notice that is not the only stores that are getting looted. It's the electronic stores for TV's/VCR and jewlery stores and such....in a city that has no electricity?!?! Thats not people looking to live, it's people just stealing for potencial profit

As to the general lawless's, expect it only to get worse, think of all the druggies and alcoholics who have run out of their substance of choice by now

IMO it seems to me that USA's response to disaster is rather slow -- they should have dropped teams of National Guard to control situation on day 1, not now.

Bush is getting massacred over the poor response

[AtW]

Nor would i, but if you watch the reports you will notice that is not the only stores that are getting looted. It's the electronic stores for TV's/VCR and jewlery stores and such....in a city that has no electricity?!?! Thats not people looking to live, it's people just stealing for potencial profit

Should have paradropped the military and declare martial law -- anybody noticed looting get shot at. In this sort of situation brutal force is the only thing that works.

Bush is indeed in hot water, and quiet rightly -- I think they could not get that many National Guards because most of them are in Iraq. And Iraq cost already more than Vietnam (even inflation adjusted) -- over $600 bln, or 30 Katrinas.

[Lucifer Box]

Perhaps they should just wall it off and turn it into a penal colony like in Escape From New York?

[AtW]

Perhaps they should just wall it off and turn it into a penal colony like in Escape From New York?

They need court decisions to put people in the first place -- they have to be rescured first.

It seems to me that there will be lots of fatalities, not from KAtrina per se, but from huge delay in time before help came.

[n5gooner]

Perhaps they should just wall it off and turn it into a penal colony like in Escape From New York?

Thats funny - great minds etc. we were just saying that today!

[OwlHoot]

Perhaps they should just wall it off and turn it into a penal colony like in Escape From New York?

and if they re-site it, the new city will have to be called New New Orleans.

[sappatz]

new orleans

who got the bright idea to build a whole city under sea level ? those levees were not even doubled, this was a disaster waiting to happen !
apparenlty the old french quarter is the only place not under sea level

[Lucifer Box]

They need court decisions to put people in the first place -- they have to be rescured first.

It seems to me that there will be lots of fatalities, not from KAtrina per se, but from huge delay in time before help came.

Not really, just declare them enemy combatants or get Charlie Clarke to slap a control order on them. No courts are needed in this brave new world of western democracy you know.

[Lucifer Box]

Thats funny - great minds etc. we were just saying that today!

Of course, it would have to be like in Escape From New York, not like the poor sequel Escape from LA.

In that case, why don't the Yanks just send in Kurt Russell with a bomb in his head? He'd sort out that urban anarchy in no time.