And this is the greatest country in the world?

[darmstadt]

"They have M-16s and are locked and loaded. These troops know how to shoot and kill and I expect they will."

The deployment came as the thousands stranded in New Orleans endured another hot, fearful night.

People made homeless by the flooding have grown increasingly desperate, with outbreaks of shootings, carjackings and thefts.

Horrific reports have emerged from the Louisiana Superdome, where up to 20,000 people have been corralled, mainly without power and sanitation, since Hurricane Katrina struck.

"People were raped in there. People were killed in there. We had multiple riots," one police officer told the AFP news agency.

Do you think the UN should send in the peacekeeping forces?

[Bovvered]

Re:

It's all a terrible shame. I've been lucky enough to visit New Orleans and it is (was) a fantastic city. And now you have people getting raped in the superdrome, the army with shoot to kill orders - not withstanding the American trigger happy mentality, and a whole host of rare American culture washed into a lake.

I for one will miss the Big Easy.

[planetit]

What I don’t understand is this:

New Orleans is apparently the size of Sheffield. One can walk (and I have) from one side of Sheffield to the other in a few hours. So instead of hanging around the Super Dome waiting of busses, with no food or water and people killing and raping each other, why don’t the fit and healthy WALK out of the city?

My plan would be to get on one of the undamaged bit of levee, and WALK.

[milanbenes]

they're fecking septics man, they don't think, they're awaiting instructions from their president !

Milan.

[Lucifer Box]

Walking is an alien concept to many Americans. I have been told far too many times by Americans that the nearest restaurant / bar / cinema / whatever is "too far to walk", only to find out that it is two or three blocks away.

[BoredBloke]

I always wanted to go to New Orleans. Maybe it should be New Venice now.

[milanbenes]

well if they will insist on building their houses out of chip-board I don't know what else they should expect

perhaps they should re-read the story of the three little pigs

it's not rocket science

Milan.

[BoredBloke]

Pretty much all of their houses take their building tips from the first two littel pigs., but the best part is that they then place their flimsy shaks or worse worse still, their trailer, in places called things like Tornado Alley. Hmmm wonder why they call it that.

Hey luk Doreeen there goes a trayler jus like orrrs

[Lucifer Box]

There was an interview on the radio yesterday with some slack-jawed Billy Bob type who said he and his family had moved to New Orleans from Florida in order to "get away them ther hurricins". Still, he'd probably qualify for an A-level in meteorology these days.

[Not So Wise]

What I don’t understand is this:

New Orleans is apparently the size of Sheffield. One can walk (and I have) from one side of Sheffield to the other in a few hours. So instead of hanging around the Super Dome waiting of busses, with no food or water and people killing and raping each other, why don’t the fit and healthy WALK out of the city?

My plan would be to get on one of the undamaged bit of levee, and WALK.

4 reasons: First off because the goverment is constantly telling them "help is on the way and will be there shortly"
second, Just getting out of the city helps nothing, even once you get out of the disaster area you are still not ok as everywhere around is just packed with people sitting in their cars (now out of gass) in the exact same situation
Three: It is bloody hot
and four: Americans just are not used to walking anywhere.