Where? Not a challange but where was it reported?
Posted on 09/02/2005 8:04:20 AM PDT by finnman69
LONDON (Reuters) - The world has watched amazed as the planet's only superpower struggles with the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, with some saying the chaos has exposed flaws and deep divisions in American society.
World leaders and ordinary citizens have expressed sympathy with the people of the southern United States whose lives were devastated by the hurricane and the flooding that followed.
But many have also been shocked by the images of disorder beamed around the world -- looters roaming the debris-strewn streets and thousands of people gathered in New Orleans waiting for the authorities to provide food, water and other aid.
"Anarchy in the USA" declared Britain's best-selling newspaper The Sun.
"Apocalypse Now" headlined Germany's Handelsblatt daily.
The pictures of the catastrophe -- which has killed hundreds and possibly thousands -- have evoked memories of crises in the world's poorest nations such as last year's tsunami in Asia, which left more than 230,000 people dead or missing.
But some view the response to those disasters more favorably than the lawless aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.
"I am absolutely disgusted. After the tsunami our people, even the ones who lost everything, wanted to help the others who were suffering," said Sajeewa Chinthaka, 36, as he watched a cricket match in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
"Not a single tourist caught in the tsunami was mugged. Now with all this happening in the U.S. we can easily see where the civilized part of the world's population is."
SINKING INTO ANARCHY
Many newspapers highlighted criticism of local and state authorities and of President Bush. Some compared the sputtering relief effort with the massive amounts of money and resources poured into the war in Iraq.
"A modern metropolis sinking in water and into anarchy -- it is a really cruel spectacle for a champion of security like Bush," France's left-leaning Liberation newspaper said.
"(Al Qaeda leader Osama) bin Laden, nice and dry in his hideaway, must be killing himself laughing."
A female employee at a multinational firm in South Korea said it may have been no accident the U.S. was hit.
"Maybe it was punishment for what it did to Iraq, which has a man-made disaster, not a natural disaster," said the woman, who did not want to be named as she has an American manager.
"A lot of the people I work with think this way. We spoke about it just the other day," she said.
Commentators noted the victims of the hurricane were overwhelmingly African Americans, too poor to flee the region as the hurricane loomed unlike some of their white neighbors.
New Orleans ranks fifth in the United States in terms of African American population and 67 percent of the city's residents are black.
"In one of the poorest states in the country, where black people earn half as much as white people, this has taken on a racial dimension," said a report in Britain's Guardian daily.
Luxembourg Foreign Minister Jean Asselborn, in a veiled criticism of U.S. political thought, said the disaster showed the need for a strong state that could help poor people.
"You see in this example that even in the 21st century you need the state, a good functioning state, and I hope that for all these people, these poor people, that the Americans will do their best," he told reporters at a European Union meeting in Newport, Wales.
David Fordham, 33, a hospital anesthetist speaking at a London underground rail station, said he had spent time in America and was not surprised the country had struggled to cope.
"Maybe they just thought they could sit it out and everything would be okay," he said.
"It's unbelievable though -- the TV images -- and your heart goes out to them."
>>Just what did all our Fed Tax dollars buy after 9-11? Where is the disaster relief plans they got millions to equip and plan for? The contingency planning with the other 49 States NGs?
These are the same questions I have been asking myself as I've seen this unfold. Time to plan for a lot longer before any state NG help arrives should there be a terrorist attack because it appears that all the coordination problems between agencies exposed after 9/11 have still NOT been fixed.
"You see in this example that even in the 21st century you need the state, a good functioning state, and I hope that for all these people, these poor people, that the Americans will do their best," he told reporters at a European Union meeting in Newport, Wales.
Really? Isn't the problem with these parasites who have been taught to leech off of the state? This shows that what we need is rugged individualism, self reliance, personal freedom, individual responsibility, courage, leadership, compassion, NOT THE FREEKIN STATE!!
I bet there are people in Slidell thanking God that there is a lake between them and the people in NO.
The French lose 10,000 seniors during a heat wave.
REember CNN is a news wire service, their video is what is going out into the world.
CNN hates america.
CNN is marketing video to countries that hate america.
It is only logical CNN would push video which makes america look bad.
There will be no CNN news crews in AL or Miss.
Actually, I think it's a good example of why it's bad to depend so much on 'the state'.
"We need to take a breath and remind the world that NO is the exception. You are not hearing about outbreak of looting and violence in Mississippi and Alabama."
"We have a federal system and we WANT it that way. All systems have strengths and weaknesses. My heart goes out to those suffering in NO, but I don't WANT a federal police force. And I want local law enforcement to remain separate from the duties of our military."
"The world laughs at us now. But wait until they have a major disaster and then they will look to us for help."
"This isn't Bewitched where President Bush blinks his nose and fixes everything."
My thoughts in your words.
Why? If you believe the MSM nothing is being done. In point of fact, FEMA is conducting one of the most massive relief efforts in history. People have unreasonable expectations after just four days into this disaster.
Completely agree. Sadly I live in another 'Rat area, so I fully expect similar lack of planning. And I am sure my veal calf neighbors are likewise without foresight.
Where? Not a challange but where was it reported?
CNN....The Cancerous News Network. At any rate, perhaps we are spending too much time worrying what some French idiot thinks of us. It serves no purpose other than to feed their ego if we let them believe that what they think of us, affects us.
I was hit by two of them and Floridians behaved ourselves
Local and State governmental authorities. Let's have the same sort of catastrophe hit Vancouver, BC then we will see just how competent YOUR officials are on day 5.
"I bet there are people in Slidell thanking God that there is a lake between them and the people in NO."
Uh oh. Boat people.
I'm talking about how badly some of the victims are behaving, the looting, the whining by the MSM, the whining by the Mayor, the governor etc.
That is what I meant by different levels.
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