http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050903/ap_en_ot/katrina_grisham

http://www.rebuildthecoastfund.org/

Hear, hear!

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050903/ap_en_ot/katrina_grisham

http://www.rebuildthecoastfund.org/

Hear, hear!

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One can only applaud any financial contributions to help in this event- so long as it does not deflect from the official fundamental inadequacies of the state and federal reactions to this disaster.

The United States has a liberal (I mean this as an opposite to Communist) system of federal and state taxes and payments, both direct and indirect, that has long been displayed as the best system for providing the best infrastructure in the world.

This disaster has demonstrated that this is untrue.

Something most be done to put this right.

Otherwise pontificating on bringing democracy to regions of the world really will be nothing more than the hollow wailings of straw men.

There must be opportunities for well-connected companies to participate in rebuilding contracts.

Buy Halliburton stock.

The United States has a liberal (I mean this as an opposite to Communist) system of federal and state taxes and payments, both direct and indirect, that has long been displayed as the best system for providing the best infrastructure in the world.

This disaster has demonstrated that this is untrue.

Something most be done to put this right.

Otherwise pontificating on bringing democracy to regions of the world really will be nothing more than the hollow wailings of straw men.

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Why don't you quit pontificating yourself first?

How has this hurricane disaster demonstrated that the US infrastructure is not the best in the world?

Which if any, are better and why?

If you believe something is wrong, then what do you think is wrong and how would you make it better?

Why don't you quit pontificating yourself first?

tommy merton , pontificating ????? , never !!!

shurely shome mishtake !!!

The United States has a liberal (I mean this as an opposite to Communist) system of federal and state taxes and payments, both direct and indirect, that has long been displayed as the best system for providing the best infrastructure in the world.

This disaster has demonstrated that this is untrue.

Something most be done to put this right.

Otherwise pontificating on bringing democracy to regions of the world really will be nothing more than the hollow wailings of straw men.

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Why don't you quit pontificating yourself first?

Pots and kettles. Who has started two threads whose only function appears to collect support for the US administration - why did you not just contribute to the existing thread?

How has this hurricane disaster demonstrated that the US infrastructure is not the best in the world?

Do you think that five days waiting time for a response demonstrates otherwise?

Which if any, are better and why?

I've written this elsewhere. I'll repeat it here:

I have worked for the Red Cross most of my life, either as a volunteer or employed by the ICRC or the Danish Red Cross.

In all that time only once did I work on relief to a natural disaster (that is, if you don't call famine a natural disaster).

That was my first job as a volunteer, still at school, in 1963 in Skopje the capital of Macedonia (then in Yugoslavia). The city was hit by an earthquake killing 1000's and making hundreds of thousands homeless.

Skopje is/was in a relative remote mountainous area in a communist state, completely cut off as a result of this disaster.

The Red Cross and other relief agencies, from all over Europe (non-communist states as well as communist states), were on the ground and running within 24 hours.

If you believe something is wrong, then what do you think is wrong and how would you make it better?

This is a matter for the citizens and voters in the USA. They will make their judgement.

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http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050903/ap_en_ot/katrina_grisham

http://www.rebuildthecoastfund.org/

Hear, hear!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

One can only applaud any financial contributions to help in this event- so long as it does not deflect from the official fundamental inadequacies of the state and federal reactions to this disaster.

The United States has a liberal (I mean this as an opposite to Communist) system of federal and state taxes and payments, both direct and indirect, that has long been displayed as the best system for providing the best infrastructure in the world.

This disaster has demonstrated that this is untrue.

Something most be done to put this right.

Otherwise pontificating on bringing democracy to regions of the world really will be nothing more than the hollow wailings of straw men.

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Ok, Mr. Merton....its getting late now....I'm going to wheel you inside and get you cleaned up and ready for bed.....would you like a glass of warm milk and your medications now or after I clean you up? What's that? No, I don't think people will take Mr. Bush's attempts to bring democracy to the world any more seriously if there is another hurricane and they do better in that one? What's that? Oh, yes indeed. Your dog will be right by your bed when you wake up in the morning...don't worry!!!

Why don't you quit pontificating yourself first?

tommy merton , pontificating ????? , never !!!

shurely shome mishtake !!!

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Cheers, hic

Great prospects for shares in oil companies will mean some good comes from this disaster.

Another source of good will be a rapprochement between black and white communities in USA as a result of this suffering.

Buy oil stocks.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050903/ap_en_ot/katrina_grisham

http://www.rebuildthecoastfund.org/

Hear, hear!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

One can only applaud any financial contributions to help in this event- so long as it does not deflect from the official fundamental inadequacies of the state and federal reactions to this disaster.

The United States has a liberal (I mean this as an opposite to Communist) system of federal and state taxes and payments, both direct and indirect, that has long been displayed as the best system for providing the best infrastructure in the world.

This disaster has demonstrated that this is untrue.

Something most be done to put this right.

Otherwise pontificating on bringing democracy to regions of the world really will be nothing more than the hollow wailings of straw men.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Ok, Mr. Merton....its getting late now....I'm going to wheel you inside and get you cleaned up and ready for bed.....would you like a glass of warm milk and your medications now or after I clean you up? What's that? No, I don't think people will take Mr. Bush's attempts to bring democracy to the world any more seriously if there is another hurricane and they do better in that one? What's that? Oh, yes indeed. Your dog will be right by your bed when you wake up in the morning...don't worry!!!

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Ch, Ch, Ch...Chowner, its only lunchtime here.

It was the reverse I was implying.

One can only applaud any financial contributions to help in this event- so long as it does not deflect from the official fundamental inadequacies of the state and federal reactions to this disaster.

The United States has a liberal (I mean this as an opposite to Communist) system of federal and state taxes and payments, both direct and indirect, that has long been displayed as the best system for providing the best infrastructure in the world.

This disaster has demonstrated that this is untrue.

Something most be done to put this right.

Otherwise pontificating on bringing democracy to regions of the world really will be nothing more than the hollow wailings of straw men.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dude, you are only demonstrating one more time your extreme naivity (your anti-terrorism solution being another example)

A country that size and that complex in its organization can only crumble onto itself. The Soviet Union fell for those same reasons, why do you think the US should be an exception ? Communism didn't kill the Soviet Union, bureaucracy did.

A small disaster, and see cahos. They are giants with clay feet.

One can only applaud any financial contributions to help in this event- so long as it does not deflect from the official fundamental inadequacies of the state and federal reactions to this disaster.

The United States has a liberal (I mean this as an opposite to Communist) system of federal and state taxes and payments, both direct and indirect, that has long been displayed as the best system for providing the best infrastructure in the world.

This disaster has demonstrated that this is untrue.

Something most be done to put this right.

Otherwise pontificating on bringing democracy to regions of the world really will be nothing more than the hollow wailings of straw men.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Dude, you are only demonstrating one more time your extreme naivity (your anti-terrorism solution being another example)

A country that size and that complex in its organization can only crumble onto itself. The Soviet Union fell for those same reasons, why do you think the US should be an exception ? Communism didn't kill the Soviet Union, bureaucracy did.

A small disaster, and see cahos. They are giants with clay feet.

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I'm just wondering how is it that any time a view is expressed that does not agree with your description of the world, you automatically judge it naive.

Surely true naivety is to be found in those who believe there is only one way.

Well, we seem to have done this topic to death.

I think i'm bored now.

You lot carry on if you feel like automatically gainsaying each other ad infinitum.

I'm unable to come up with even one positive as a result of this disaster.

On a personal level, it really sucks as the New Orleans Airport is now closed to commercial traffic until November at the earliest...

No comment either....

One can only applaud any financial contributions to help in this event- so long as it does not deflect from the official fundamental inadequacies of the state and federal reactions to this disaster

quote..

According to AFP news agency Afghanistan has offered $100,000 in disaster relief to the victims of the Hurricane in the U.S.

(The Times sept 5th )

The Red Cross doesn't compare to the combined effort and coordination of the US Army, Navy and AirForce when it comes to disaster relief. No brag just fact.

The Red Cross doesn't  compare to the combined effort and coordination of the US Army, Navy and AirForce when it comes to disaster relief. No brag just fact.

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Quite true.

The Red Cross is there, on the ground, within 24 hours.

The US Army, Navy and AirForce take 5 days to gas up.

....shift their asses into gear, you mean.

....shift their asses into gear, you mean.

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Would I use such language?

Any way the instruction manual says quite clearly "put the gas nozzle in the hole"...oh....duh....it means the hole in the truck, doesn't it?

Did anyone tell the boys in the red white and blue?

The Red Cross doesn't  compare to the combined effort and coordination of the US Army, Navy and AirForce when it comes to disaster relief. No brag just fact.

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Yes we gathered that much from the unfortunate aftermath, ineptitude and distasterously poor response time are two words that come to mind.

Instead of trying to defend the indefensible wouldn't it be more constructive to try and form better contingency plans for the next inevitable collapse?

We all make mistakes , America is still a young country and some things will only come from experience. Taking London's emergency services as one such example , they have had years of &lt;deleted&gt; from our lovely mates from Sinn Fein , out of those no marks the Emergency services probably saved a few extra dozen lives in the recent debacle.

Why do people have to take constructive criticism so personally when they have no way of defending it?

The awfulness of this terrible disaster is not only to be measured in the suffering of the citizens or the procrastination of an administration that appeared not to care when it mattered most to fellow Americans, but also in the ineptitude of those responsible for protecting the vulnerable from these natural disasters.

Knowledge of the impending doom of the city of New Orleans and the fragile defences of the Louisiana coastline has been known for some time:

"The Louisiana bayou, hardest working marsh in America, is in big trouble—with dire consequences for residents, the nearby city of New Orleans, and seafood lovers everywhere."

From an excellant article Gone with the Water published in the National Geographic Magazine October 2004.

If there's anything positive that I've seen in the last week, other than some amazing displays of heroism among some of the people, and rescue personel, it was that the levees didn't breach during the storm, but afterwards. Had all that water in the city been whipped up by 145mph winds there would be few houses left, and probably no survivours to pluck from their roofs.

cv

From an excellant article Gone with the Water published in the National Geographic Magazine October 2004.

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Great article TM!

Used to do a lot of work in Morgan City LA, and have been up and down the Atchafalaya River dozens of times. If not for the current disaster, those would be fond memories. Now I know why there are 20ft concrete storm walls along the rivers of these bayou towns.

It's sometimes very difficult to measure the successes of the Army Corps of Engineers and the major land changes that they've done. Sometimes the effects aren't seen or known for decades or generations.

Given that NO and surrounding areas used to get flooded all the time from the might Miss, one would have to conclude that the levee system has been a success. I guess the hard part is accepting the risk that everyone knew full well that the levee system was only design to withstand a Category 3 hurricane.

No doubt the face of the delta bayou region has changed forever and will never be like it once was.

I posted in another thread it was a massive storm and a massive new untested bureaucracy. Mistakes were made but not well beyond the capability of being corrected within the present economic and political system of the US. No need to give up and try an antiquated system that Merton clings to.

The United States has a liberal (I mean this as an opposite to Communist) system of federal and state taxes and payments, both direct and indirect, that has long been displayed as the best system for providing the best infrastructure in the world.

This disaster has demonstrated that this is untrue.

Something most be done to put this right.

Otherwise pontificating on bringing democracy to regions of the world really will be nothing more than the hollow wailings of straw men

I posted in another thread it was a massive storm and a  massive new untested bureaucracy. Mistakes were made but not well beyond the capability of being corrected within the present economic and political system of the US.  No need to give up and try an antiquated system that Merton  clings to. 

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And what might that be, pray tell?

You're not Red? I know you go on about Christianity but i still pegged you for Red.

You're not Red? I know you go on about Christianity but i still pegged you for Red.

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Sometimes I doubt we talk the same language?

What do you mean by "red"?

What do you mean by "liberal"?

What do you mean by "Christianity"?

I am quite sure your preconceptions and definitions are not the same as mine.

It is rather interesting, because only last week a member accused me of being an arch-conservative.

Is this topic about hurricanes or Thomas?

Is this topic about hurricanes or Thomas?

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Your right.

Start another thread (or PM me), aughie, if you have any interest in what I really think.

Otherwise, c'est la vie.