Ahem.
I stopped posting and just watched the nightly news.
The cables are ONLY concentrating on the bad stuff; mostly in New Orleans.
They like it. They are stirring the pot, playing the race card, and, IMO, inciting this hatred and blame game.
If you watch the regular news, the NG is there, the water and food IS getting there; they ARE moving people out on buses to Houston.
In the outlying areas, help IS there. The people are NOT rioting; the people are NOT standing around waiting for somebody to help them; they are helping each other and working together; they are THANKFUL to be alive and thankful for the help they are getting.
If you watched the nightly news, you would have seen the story about the OTHER people in NO who have stayed in ther homes (or have found other places to stay, even squatting) and who have banded together to await help and rescue; they said that they think they could make it five more days WITH water they are finding. Yes, they are going through other homes for food and water, but they are NOT in the streets; they are living on the roofs of buildings, sleeping inside at night, because THEY are scared of the people in the street.
My point? We're WAY too hung up on the crap CNN, MSNBC, and NBC are feeding us. People in outer areas are COPING, people; they know this was a storm of gigantic proportions.
Now, two other personal opinions of mine (and scream if you want to, I'm beyond caring now)
First, as a prediction: when the buses arrive in Houston, Dallas, wherever, we are going to see the SAME things going on there that we are seeing in NO right now.
And, secondly, I am so furious about the reporters and the ingrates who are screaming on TV and who are driving this HATEFUL "Who is to blame" that I wanted to hire the Goodyear blimp and fly it over New Orleans and scream to them all
If ever there was a time to unite...
and what do we get from the lamebrain media?
Thanks for the info!
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Never shelve an agenda before you completely bore folks to death and they surrender out of fatigue.
Amen to your post. I'm mad as hell the media is painting the worst possible picture.
BTTT!
Anyway, my buddy is a licensed pilot. He is going to do an Indiana Jones stunt to get his FIL out. He's rented a plane and he's going to land on the levee (it has a cement top), hope he's not attacked by the criminal element, run down the levee and grab the old man and hightail it out of there.
It may have already happened, I don't know. He wasn't at the office today.
Well who'd have ever thought I'd have to consider watching the regular news instead of the growing competition between Shep, Cooper, Harrigan et al to see who can paint the bleakest picture. I'm actually watching Matthews on MSNBC (and by so doing have doubled his normal viewership) and have to say his coverage at least tonight has been pretty reasonable. Anything is better than hearing Shep say for the thousendth time "...and NOBODY is telling them where to go or what to do".
You are so right about the hype on cable. There is much good stuff going on but we are only getting the worst news. I want to throw something at Shep every now and then, up on the bridge, saying there is no water, yet there are people behind him holding big bottles of water. Plus if no one had water for three days in that heat, they would be dropping all around him. And so far, he has only shown us one such case.
Help is on the way; we are doing everything possible. We will see some uplifting stories and grateful people eventually.
I would call for the resignation of the LA governor except the LT. Gov is Sen. Mary Landrau's brother!!!
I agree!
I believe the cable newsers are playing it their way to entice the audience to tune in to gruesome 24/7, while ABCCBSNBC are back to their regular programming.
I've stirred the pot around here plenty by saying the news reporters should have been hauled out of there two days ago...while other FReepers are demanding to see dead bodies.
Some of the most amazing reporting posts I've seen on these threads the past couple of days has been from the scanner and local streaming feeds - imo.
I don't doubt the fed gov't is working as fast as it can, but I can't help but wish it could be faster. I know that the shear size of the storm has made the process all the more difficult, so I don't blame anyone personally.
You said it all Howlin, you and PD hit homeruns today.
As I've posted earlier, this is not the case 40 miles outside New Orleans. Got a phone call that refugees/Americans were being dumped off in store parking lots, not given food nor water. Looting stores, private homes. Carjackings. Neighborhoods not affected by the hurricance are being looted and trashed. No food left in stores -- all looted. Neighbors starting/wanting to organize in order to protect themselves. There appears to be NO planning in the evaucation of many, many people -- even if they're able to be plucked from a housetop or fortunate to get on a bus -- no planning as to where these people should be placed. Texas can handle 50,000 evidently -- but there are so many more. According to caller, no law and order -- no national guard presence. His employer told him and his co-workers to go home and protect families.
Great post!
Well said Howlin. My sentiments exactly. Eagles Up.