Posted on 09/01/2005 2:49:12 PM PDT by Fitzcarraldo
The New Orleans police chief says 15-thousand people are trapped in the city's convention center. And he says some are being raped and beaten.
Chief Eddie Compass says displaced tourists are "walking in that direction and they are getting preyed upon."
Compass said he sent eight eleven-man teams into the convention center. But as soon as the first team arrived, he said, "they were beaten back within 30 feet of the entrance."
Earlier, the city's mayor issued a "desperate SOS" on behalf of the thousands who are stranded at the convention center.
He also gave the go-ahead for them to march across a bridge to a dry area of the city and look for whatever relief they could find.
Little Jeremiah, the ticking time bomb is drinking water in New Orleans. A lot of those babies are already dead.
"...Once civil order disintigrates and anarchy reigns, it's damn tough to regain control. The animals need to see concrete examples of an iron fist in action..."
Nothing cools a mob like hot lead.
"However, I just heard a National Guard commander on tv say "we don't shoot people for stealing televisions in this country.""
And it shows.
Only a few are dead compared to the millions.
I'm not sure what your point is. Do you think I'm being hard hearted?
The ticking time bomb is that fatherless babies born to mothers who can't raise them right easily turn into the thugs who are looting, raping and creating a hell on earth. Or they become helpless and irresponsible.
Children need and deserve a father and mother who are married to each other. When a huge segment of the population are raised without that, we get what we see here and it will only get worse.
I agree, let's line up the guard outside the markets and kill all those water and bread thieves. Then we won't have to worry about the jewelry stores. They will have got the message by then.
Little jeremiah, my point is that people are dying right now and it's useless to delve into sociological matters. Not right now. So, yes, I guess I do think you're a bit hard-hearted at the moment. Let's save these people before we tell them how and when to procreate.
You are wrong if you think I am hard hearted. It is short sighted not to consider what got people into this mess in the first place.
I am all for saving peoples' lives. If you click my name and read my recent comments on this and other threads you'll see. I am disgusted beyond belief at the criminal incompetence of the governor, mayor and other Louisiana officials whose job it was to prepare for this exact disaster. They screwed up and people have died and will die directly because of these selfish idiots who should never be in public office.
If a real mandatory evacuation had been ordered on Friday morning instead of Sunday morning we wouldn't be seeing any of this.
They didn't order it because they are spineless, dickless, clueless, heartless and brainless. Bush declared it a national disaster (or whatever the exact phraseology is) before the hurricane even hit. Supplies and people started for LA before Katrina made landfall. But without any direction locally, it turned into mayhem.
And not shooting looters when they started their looting has led directly to the crime spree. I can hardly believe the criminal incompetence that is now resulting in terrible suffering and death.
BTW, I've read at least two articles within the last couple of years on FR about New Orleans and what would happen with a big hurricane. Exactly what did happen. So the officials whose job it was to prepare for exactly this disaster knew what would happen - as far as the natural destruction. They could have prepared; they could have gotten people out earlier, they could have taken care of those who couldn't get themselves out, they could have stocked water, food, porta potties and so on for the few that couldn't make it out, they could have made sure communications systems were in synch, they could have secured stores with firearms in them so looters couldn't get them, and on and on.
And more people could have left the city.
When this is dissected later on, the local government's failture is going to be so glaring that I would not be surprised if some are indicted and some even commit suicide. The mayor and governor and director of emergency planning are basically murderers.
Yes, the tourists are getting a real "New Orleans experience" they never expected.
Thanks for the info, all but the shotgun already set-up (I do have a 9mm w/ammo but a shotgun makes more sense for an urban survival situtation). But I would also like to hone my wilderness skills esp since all my training and experience is in the hardwood forests of the Northeast, and I am stuck out here in California with a very different environment.
And also in case the bad situation is longer than a week.
I agree with you about the incompetence, but I'm willing to pass the buck all the way to Washington for cutting the funding for levee improvement and a slow response once the storm was over. I hope to see heads roll and lessons learned.
If the Super Dome is a designated evacuation center, why isn't there a stockpile of water and MREs avaiable to supply it on 24hour notice?
Skipping in a few rounds of 00 buck always moves the crowd back, it never fails.
What it really is...is Blackhawk Down, Dawn of The Dead, Independance Day and The Road Warrior, all rolled into one movie.
This is a perfect example of why an unarmed community is a community of victims. 10,000 unarmed vitims being held at bay by gangs of 50 to 100 members.
I just hope those left alive after this tragedy understand, they for gave thier 2nd amendment rights long ago, and have only themselves to blame.
Guns taken from the peaceful, give the criminals another advantage.
"I'm a proud son of the south. Your snide comment really deserved no response. I know not where you reside, nor do I care. If you've not been to the south, you've no idea what southern hospitality is.
I resent pompous asses with provincial views regarding the south.
Your comment was not funny, so don't go on the circuit."
____________________________________________________________
You'll get over it.
I wasn't necessarily advocating shooting people right off the bat...just "a highly visible show of force." The South Korean riot police are masters at this sort of thing, and I watched them practice it time and again for three years. Of course, hindsight is 20/20 (and usually means the person is talking out of their a$$). The NOPD would have had to expected looting in the aftermath and should have had their riot control gear already prepped. As they reconsolidated after the storm they should have deployed around the high value targets in 3-10 man teams (depending on available manpower) with CS (tear gas) dispersers, riot batons, working dogs, etc....highly visible indicators that they were ready to do business. Just the visual cues alone, and suggestion that the cops were somewhat organized would probably have kept some of the numbers down.
A few arrests made right from the get go would have further demotivated some of the participants. Likewise, even one who has never been trained in any law-enforcement capacity can fairly easily ID the leaders and key agitators in a mob. Target them, and consolidate the police teams as needed to isolate and remove them.
Of course the NO authorities have let it deteriorate past this point. They should have been prepared Monday to begin executing something akin to the above. Even if, ESPECIALLY if, communications had not been reestablished, a plan should have been in order for police to be on the streets as soon as possible after the hurricane had passed. The looting was to be expected, every bit as much a certainty as sunrise. The breakdown and loss of control are the result of a conscious decision on the part of NO authorities to be reactive instead of proactive, and must be ascribed to either laziness or incompetence. A lot of the shooting that has ensued and will continue could have been prevented with a few wooden shampoos properly administered by the cops on the front side.
But at least the cops scored a few DVDs for themselves, and I guess that's the important thing.
Wasn't the levee funding cut like a couple of months ago? That didn't affect things on iota.
Additionally, I've read on these many threads somewhere that funds and equipment meant for fixing the levees was not where it was supposed to be nor used properly. All the money in DC won't help when the local guys are a bunch of (politically speaking) inbred criminals.
Bush declared a national disaster BEFORE Katrina hit and men and equipment was rolling to Louisiana before too. If the local guys are running around with their heads cut off, how can the feds take control easily. They have to work in concert with the local guys and if the local guys are freaking irresponsible idiots (to put a nice face on it), it makes the feds job incalculably more difficult.
The fault lies primarily with the local guys. And the people who could have left and didn't. How many able bodied people could have left, could have informed themselves about the hurricane, and didn't take it seriously? Obviously not everyone could have left on their own - the feeble, sick, old, and those caring for them. ANd the local govt sure as hell should have declared mandaotry evac two days before and used every single vehicle in the city to get people out. As well as vehcicles from around the state.
I knew what would happen when a severe hurricane would strike NO and I live 2 thousand miles away, and I'm not PhD. Why didn't the people who lived there what to speak of in charge supposedly not take it seriously?
And last but not least - the local guys for not stopping the looters in the beginning. That was totally insane and now they've got a tragedy on their hands they could have for the most part prevented.
More seriously, if you don't know that the National Guard is already badly overextended because of Iraq deployment, I don't know what more I can tell you.
You are the one that needs to "get over it."
Don't respond, I have no time to waste on mental midgets.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.