Ok.  I don’t usually make political statement.  My societal
statement are usually limited to rants about life in IT.  Today
I’m going to veer from the norm (like any of you think I’m normal
anyways).

Unless you’ve been all caught up in your LISP programming lately, I’m
sure that you know something about the state of the US Gulf
Coast.  Katrina has laid a kickin’ to one of the poorer parts of
North America.  So I have two statements that I’m going to
make. 

First, I understand that there are people who were financially,
medically and transportationally challenged.  Those folks ended up
in a couple of hell holes (the convention center and the Superdome) and
have suffered, and some died, while doing what was recommended. 
What I’m pissed about is the overwhelming media (and I understand that
the media perhaps doesn’t represent the real feelings of the people)
sympathy for the idiots who knew days in advance that this was going to
be a big one, and they still decided to “ride it out.”  Let em
ride it out if you ask me.  Don’t take them water or food. 
Call it Darwinian if you’d like, but if you’re stupid enough to stay
through the storm, then stay when the flooding started, well, may the
strong survive….on their own.

Second.  The cops had a tough go of it in the first couple of
days.  They had no power, they had no backup, they had masses of
people to help and, worst of all, they had to do it all while knowing
that their places were probably destroyed, flooded or damaged.  I
have also read reports that there have been suicides and mass quitting
from their ranks.  Can you really blame them?  Do you think
that you would do better emotionally?  Probably not.  In the
last few days (over the weekend let’s say) masses of military support
have arrived to assist and relieve the NOPD and others in the
area.  Tell me if I wasn’t surprised to see this news clip (link no longer working) tonight
on the tube?  So you’re supposed to be stopping the looting,
establishing law and order, rescuing people and doing other things that
we like to put cops on the pedastle for.  Instead?  Well, you
lie to a reporter saying that “I’m here to arrest looters”, when
they’re running all around you and you’re not even paying attention to
them.  You accuse the reporter of looting himself (cause he’s
obviously stealing that air in his hands).  You walk quickly away
from your partner, who, conincidentally, is pushing a shopping cart
full of….wait….wait…childrens clothing?  What the
heck?  Are you confiscating them for police business?

This is the other story (link no longer working)
that caught my attention.  We as Canadians are indifferent to the
plight of these people.  The main reasons are disgust with the US
policy of war in the Middle East and the fact that the US regularly
proclaims its superiority in finances and technology.  Can’t say I
argue with that.  So we don’t give them money.  We don’t give
them free stuff.  But at least we could send them hands.  Put
people on the ground to use that technology and money that the US can
tend to flaunt.  I’ve read that the Canadian Forces are primed and
ready to go if they’re wanted.  I’m guessing that the US would
never let a foreign armed forces to set foot on it’s soil in a
humanitarian way.

Another thing that is blindingly astonishing, is that politicians,
media and other people of influence (what’s a disaster without a token
sports or movie personality anyways?) are asking that you don’t refer
to these people as refugees.  Instead we should refer to them as
displaced.  Hmmm….from Dictionary.com….One who flees in search
of refuge.  Would seem to fit for me.  But then again, I’ve never been good with dictionaries.