OT- No sympathy for Katrina victims? - Page 3  

First I just want to make sure everybody understands, Marshall. The "East Bank" of Jefferson and Orleans Parishes is the whole city of New Orleans. East Bank in NO jargon means everything between the river and the lake which is all of New Orleans proper.

The almost impossible situation they're faced with is it's pitch dark and there is no communication to even let them know what is happening. Those who find out by word of mouth (police on public address) can try to make it to the elevated I-10 Expressway which traverses the city. And some are no doubt being taken out by rescuers. And some will go up in buildings to escape the flood. But I have to imagine that a great many will perish.

The Tulane Medical Center hospital is surrounded by water now and about an hour ago it
lost it's generator power backup. They can no longer evacuate. They have managed to get portable generators up to the wards and they're powering the patient life support systems with those. Personell are siphoning gas of their cars to keep the generators going. The hospital is now in darkness and they're using flashlights.

What a tragedy. I saw a man on CNN today talking about letting his wife go so he could hold on to his children. I can't imagine a human being who could not be moved by this man's story. The fact that it is multiplied hundreds of times across the region only makes the story that much more painful. I know I will be writing a cheque to help my American friends in need.

military bag bombing on a run of multiple craft, in the levee breaks.

Or, that combined with The Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane helicopter bag bombing as well.

The craft to do so are in close enough range to have this done by the morning..

I hope they figure that out soon. It's the only thing I can think of that would work fast enough with enough volume to fill the gap before the water washed it away. Then they can get on to those generators and pumps. If they don't take some tactic similar to this, it's would be like - waiting stupidly.

Or will they be left holding their asses.

They can do this tonight. I'll bet they aren't smart enough to do it. I mean, jeez. Just pick up buses and trucks and drop them in the gaps as well. all you need is mass, and some place to put the bags against. Just seal the goddam hole. Now. The kind of aircraft needed for the operation are relatively useless in rescue, so no waste of aircraft that are best suited for rescue.

Sorry but you are a bit misinformed.

Go to the NY times site and look at the graphics. Have you seen much of the video from N.O.? Most of the people they are evacuating are the poor. If you and your family are living in the projects, where are you gonna evacuate to? Do you think these folks have money lying around just waiting so they can go to a motel for a few days to ride it out? Not likely.

If you know anything about N.O you would know that some of the flooded areas are the poorest areas in AMERICA! And you arent concerned about the people , only the pets?

Really well thought out.

I hope that all here will do what they can to help our fellow citizens.

one other thing that ticked me off a bit.

Brett Favre's family home (where he grew up) was flooded . It probably will have to be demolished. He was rightly concerned about his mom and family. But he's quoted as saying "Why me, Why did this happen to me?" :eek:

Maybe he hasnt seen the destruction, the loss of life. But how anyone with his resources and access could look at the suffering of people who have next to nothing, and who have lost that. And think about himself?


Maybe it was a momentary lapse, but it seemd a bit callous to me.

I think Brett made that remark because is family is dropping off like flies. There has been one thing after another going on in his life. He might be rich and famous but that all means nothing when everyone you love around you is dying. I see your point don't get me wrong, but I see his as well. It's called frustration.


And go easy on Bruce. I'm sure he is frustrated and angry as I'm sure all of us are. I just hope that out of all this misery and diaster, they learn a valuable lesson from all this......DON'T BUILD A CITY BELOW SEA LEVEL, what were those brilliant engineers thinking!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm not misinformed at all. I think I'm more aware of the "living conditions" of people who live in poverty in this country than you are. Before you take on such a righteous tone, make sure you know who you're talking to.

Where are people like you when the U.S. is sending billions of dollars (that they actually have to borrow) to every foreign country and their uncle? How come you only see or talk about the poverty in this country when a disaster comes along? Poverty isn't something that appears with the weather.

Besides, remaining in a trailer or shack during a hurricane does nothing to eliminate poverty, it just causes death. I was referring to the people on the roofs of their shacks who needed to be rescued. They, even if poor, had the opportunity to evacuate to whatever shelters that were designated for the area they were in. I WASN'T talking about going to a "motel room". When was the last time you remained in your home during a hurricane?

I love to hear "professional tevevision watchers" advising others. :rolleyes:

Let me know when you get back from New Orleans, so you can tell me all about what you did to help the poor. ;)

Quit the bickering guys. I think it's clear that there are some people who just couldn't leave for various reasons, whatever they may be. Don't judge them without being in their shoes.

Living in a city that doesn't get much, if any, real devastation...
Disasters like this leave me speechless.


I just have to sit back and roll my eyes at the Russian controversy. :rolleyes:

CMRA, this is not directed at you, just the story. ;)

"The Russians are coming, the Russians are coming". I hope they bring some of that good smooth vodka with em.
In the meantime I'm gonna put on my tin foil hat so they can't brainwash me with their plasma rays. That'll show em. I hope it can block those Art Bell radio waves from getting in too.

I dont have to go to NO to help poor folk. I do my bit right here in Philadelphia.
Every week, let me know when you want to come by and help :) And didnt take a "righteous tone" I was just expressing an opinion.

Personally i felt it a bit callous to value pets above human life. You may disagree. Yes its not the smartest thing in the world to try to ride out the storm at home (they werent really shacks ) or housing projects. However these folks used their judgement, gambled and lost.

Lots of folks gambled and lost, and some paid w/ their lives.

Finally i wasnt advising, just talking. I know very well that poverty exists every day. Some folks make it worse w/ their own choices and judgements. I just wont condemn them for it at times like this.

The most entertaining thing about that radio show is what a yes man George Noory is. No matter how outlandish and implausible the claim, old George is right in there with it and hyping the sales of it's books and pamphlets and tapes and videos like a modern day P. T. Barnum.
Proving Barnum was correct when he said a sucker is born every minute. Except today it's more like every ten seconds.

Interesting to watch this threads topic turn into fighting between members

Now, it's morning. Did they seal the gap in the levees?? And start draining? Did they do the right thing, take on a 'total war' mentality and 'do it right'? Did they make any effort at all, to try and save over $25 billion in city and infrastructure??

Or, did they do as I suspect they will - wait it out, let the damage reach a maximum through their seeming paralysis..and the current Fedreal administration does what it has wanted to do for quite some time.. which is to mount a full scale 'test' on a large scale platform.. of 'martial law' on US soil?

You should drive down there and show them how it's suppose to be done

But I will find a way to put a boot up your sorry ass. I've stayed out of any sort of discussion or valuation of your particular efficacy, raster. But now that you have addressed me directly, it is becoming clear that your membership might be in need of revoking..as you are clearly provoking members...and apparently have some sort of intense dickweed complex.

Boys, boys. Don't fight or you'll all have to go to the principal's office.

They have been trying to sandbag the leaks. They apparently got their finger in one of the dike's holes. But the big hole is still open.

They're about to start busing 25,000 people from the Superdome to the Astrodome.
Unfrickinbelievable!!

Ill tell you ken, adding certian people to your IGNORE list adds bundles to your forum enjoyment.


It has for me :)

Well President Bush cut short his vacation by 2DAYS!!! :eek:

What more do you want!?!?

My sympathies to all the Katrina victims but there's one thing that's pissing me off. Where are all the international aid, most especially from the countries complaining of the US not giving as much funds as these countries would like to the recent tsunami disaster? When disaster strikes them I hope this country tells them they're on their on. :rolleyes:

This just in. Seven oil drilling platforms are now floating in the Gulf. And one of them
washed ashore and is now sitting on Dauphin Island, Alabama (a barrier island beach resort off the coast below Mobile).

The people who knew the storm was coming and decided to stay did so of their own volition. I don't know how much water the "they are poor" argument holds. In other countries, truly poor people often walk hundreds of miles carrying their belongings on their backs to get away from armies, weather etc. I'm sorry for these people and at the same time want to yell "what were you thinking!!!".

The poor pets trapped in these houses are not there by choice, and I feel for them.

What gets me is that a flood has been expected in New Orleans for years. It's hard to believe more couldn't have been done to prepare.

To quote the Tragically Hip:


Bourbon blues on the street loose and complete
Under skies all smoky blue-green
I can forsake the dixie dead shake
So we dance the sidewalk clean
My memory is muddy what's this river I'm in
New Orleans is sinking and I don't want to swim

The problem is, the situation is immediate in terms of needs,and mounting a group in a given country to help, can only be done afeter the need is assessed..the people and specifically..the equipment is gathered, and the whole convoluted mess brought into the area. That can and usually does take a week, at best. 4-5 days is likely to be the best case scenario. I Suspect that some will arrive in the next 48 hours, which is incredibly fast.

The thing is, the military hardware and such to attack the breach in the levees is far closer, and the access is immediate, relatively speaking.

Just use some skycranes,and drop in 53 foot trucking tailers, the flatbeds. No voids full of air, solid steel, and sqaurish in nature. They are very unlikely to be pulled by the current, due to their mass and shape. Drop in a few dozen..and sandbag the holes. If the gaps are smaller and the water flow is less turbulent and fast than I imagine, then there are less dreastic measures. I'd go big, myself, personally. A few overdone drops of heavy steel assures success, instead of feeble attempts. Flatbed trailers dropped from the sky may seem radical, but in reality it is pretty straightforward, and stands a very high chance of being sucessful. And cheap. And immediate.

Well Ken, I have to agree with raster on this one. You're very critical of our efforts during an unprecedented national disaster. Who do think running the show down there, the Three Stooges? Who, other than you, decided you're the world's best expert on EVERYTHING?

There was some talk about filling shipping containers with sand and dropping them into the breach. But apparently it has not been attempted as of yet. I imagine it poses a pretty big logistics problem to get all that in place. But maybe it will happen at some point.

The gulf may not be the only victims of this storm. I just heard an energy consultant speaking about oil prices. He expects Gasoline prices to escalate by 65c to 1.10 per gallon by THIS WEEKEND. :eek: :eek: :eek:

Basically 8 oil refineries. 10% of the us capacity . Is currently underwater. Theres no power to get the refinries above water. Theres no measure (yet) ofhow much oil has been lost.


Prior to the last recession, oil &gas prices tripled. Kicking off the recession.

Chew on this number, in 1992 wholesale gas prices per gallon was .52c per.
today wholesale gas is selling @ about 2.58 per gallon. 5 times the price of 92!

This guy basically said oil supply is so tight that if you went to the garage and spilled a quart of oil gas prices would rise!

Its funny now but its not gonna be if he's right.

Word on the radio here is that several South American countries have pledged/are sending aid.

That hurricane could be the trigger of an economic Armegeddon. We may all end up living in tents before it's over.
I wonder if a tent can be made to ceiling mount my AmPro.