You do realize that Clarkson is a satirical writer? And let’s not forget that our own media was saying the same things including plenty of FReepers who were pimping the same.
Including me. Americans ARE stupid. When you know that a wall of water is coming and you don’t haul ass outta there - that’s stupid. When there’s help for the asking and you don’t ask - that’s stupid. When you abuse your authority to keep rescuers at bay - that’s stupid. When it is commonly accepted that Katrina was somehow Bush’s fault - that’s monumentally stupid.