First Hand Account from NOLA

[Fergasun]

Hoping we can collect a bunch in this thread. I'm sick of reading all the blame game junk, keep it in another thread. I hope everyone has been following the Interdictor blog, I'm also still following in on the scanners... lot's of good work being done in there.

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My husband and I have an unbelievable story about the situation in New Orleans.

We were stranded tourists that ended up stranded due to Delta canceling our flight on Sunday at 11:25am. That was the beginning of our nightmare.

We were in a city we weren't all that familiar (where are the stores, no local knowledge, no local network) and were unable to leave. I won't spend time discussing having to stay in the midst of a category 4 hurricane (something we would NEVER do, being from Florida and being wise to hurricanes). But what is more upsetting is what happened to us afterwards...........

We were staying in a small hotel 3 blocks off of Canal on Tchopotoulis Street in the Warehouse/Art District. This hotel did not have a generator, nor did it have any provisions for food. We were on our own.

For 2 days, we did our best on the streets trying to scrounge some water and food and tried our best to find out how to get these supplies and more importantly, to get back to the airport when it opened (we were under the false hope that the airport would open and we would somehow fly out when that happened).

Tuesday was the beginning of our delusion fading and the quick realization of what was coming. We saw the looters going into the athletic store on Canal (while Brian Williams was doing a segment for the nightly news) and the police exerted minimal effort to stop this as we came to realize - they had no where to put the looters/criminals. That was probably the first of our realization that those in charge (which still trying to figure out just who is), is not doing anything and planning for anything. There is absolutely NO LEADERSHIP.

But we did our best to endure the heat, no AC, the little food that we could get and talked to as many people as possible to get any information we could. We at least had a hotel room. When ever we asked the National Guard and police where was the help, the water, the food, all they could say was "it is coming" and be happy as we were in the driest part of the city and "the water is coming" (meaning the levy broke).

On Wednesday, we were desperate, out of food, out of water, and could not now flush a toilet. My husband and I set out on our morning walk to Canal Street to see the news media (that was the only way we could learn anything). We realized that there were less people that day. As much as we wanted to leave the media alone to do their job, we were increasingly frustrated as to how they obviously had water and probably food. How come? Where was ours. My husband finally asked one of the crew (no one would even give us eye contact at that point -(Side note - we are in our 40s, white and friendly looking). how they got in - as we were figuring that one of the reasons there was not any support and more supplies was the roads were still down. That guy told us that they drove in from Tampa and they had no problem coming in. Then where are the supplies? Where is the Red Cross?

We were dumfounded, but knew we had to leave as soon as possible - if we had to walk.

We saw some buses at the W Hotel and asked if we could go, we would pay whatever necessary. They were full and were taking guests/families out of the W and the Sheraton hotels. Sorry. What?????? We could not believe this. We ran around and asked the police again when is anyone coming? "They are coming; they are bringing in buses to the Superdome and busing people out to Houston". (We did not go to the Dome as the Mayor said that was for people with special needs and for hotel guests to stay put). But we could now possibly walk there (we still heard there was water up to the dome, but we could go there and wait for buses).

Somewhere around this time, we saw another police person and as a pharmacist I told him I was concerned about the people that were going without meds and I would volunteer to go into the Walgreen’s on Canal (the looters had already broken into the front part for supplies) and if a police personnel was there I could dispense and emergency supply to anyone showing a Rx bottle with maintenance medications. He said the supplies "are coming". I got very angry and said they need to be here NOW. He asked for a suggestion and I said I already told him mine. He said that would take a lot - we would have to get approval from Walgreen’s corporate, yada yada. I said, can't you see out here, this is like a 3rd world country. Walgreen’s won't care; they'd love the publicity (I work for the competitor CVS and I know they would feel the same way). They want patients to have meds. The policeman said even if they could do it, he had no way to get any kind of "approval" for something like that as they all had no communication. What?????????????

We got very annoyed, depressed and made the short trek to the Convention Center to see about any person in charge to see if there was any medical, buses, water, food, etc. We went there and there was NOTHING except for people waiting. We tried to ask for anyone in charge, who knew anything and there was NO ONE. (By the way, the national guardsmen that we had seen earlier that morning, 3 hours later still did not know anything or give us any other information).

We could not believe. But we knew one thing; we were getting out anyway possible. I felt like the people who were going down the steps of the World Trade Center thinking they were really going anywhere when in reality our fate was set and officials had sacrificed all of us left in the city.

We called collect to my mother in law and I unleashed a lot of tears of frustration and she told us some obvious: Look for someone in charge - we did that THERE WAS NO ONE (she did not believe) Ask police and national guard - we did that also - no information

She said buses were coming. I said that was not true - there were no buses, there was NO water, NO food, NOTHING, unlike the TV was showing her of all of the relief that was "coming". Where were they?

She told us to hang in there, she was going to stay glued to the TV and we could call her back.

As prayers were being raised for us, about 45 minutes later we saw some people on the street near a few vehicles (we had already asked everyone that morning near a car if we could pay to go with them, never any room). These people took pity on us and allowed us into their hotel shelter. Come to realize this was the hotel the police had been staying in for the last several days. They had food, water, alcohol, generators. We could not believe our luck. We also could not believe what these people were now telling us about the looters. They were afraid. They also had pistols (I have never seen a pistol in my life). They were awaiting a SUV that a person was letting them take as he was not leaving. They promised us if they had enough room they would take us out of the city. We were elated.

At that point 4-5 policeman came back into get the rest of their clothes and belongings and said, we need to get out of there as the looters (gangs of New Orleans) had gotten guns from a store they broke into and they were coming this way. The policeman said he was getting out of there and would not be coming back as there was nothing they could do. He then asked how many weapons we all had, and for about 12 people there were only 3 guns. He gave the men 2 more guns, a shotgun and a pistol and said we would need it.............

I felt like we were in a Hollywood movie. Not that much longer as we awaited the SUV, another vehicle came and we all knew we needed to be ready to go at any moment. We all piled in the vehicle while the guys stood watch with the guns. We were transported then to another hotel about 2 blocks away. We were hurried out and told that we would not be able to fit into the vehicle they were getting but that we needed to get our names on the list that the guy was taking and we would be bused out. That was fine with us. We did that and within 1/2 hour we were on the bus, and heading out of the city.

I won't describe the looks on the faces of those who saw this bus as they knew someone was leaving and they were not. I was horrified for them. I wanted to let them on as they were walking over the bridge.

We asked where we were going and they told us, Baton Rouge. We got a cell signal and called our mother-in-law to tell her to book our flight on Delta to get out of Baton Rouge.

The bus was paid for by the Marriott Corp who was dedicated to getting their associates and guests out of the city. Rumor is the CEO or Mr. Marriott, or someone high up at Marriott got buses ready on Tuesday and had to get special permission from the governor to allow the buses in. They had to make more than one phone call to make that happen, but that is what they did.

They allowed all of us to stay in the ballroom. We decided to go to the airport and sleep there and hopefully get an earlier flight. That is what we did and we got back into Orlando today at 11am.

We had not been able to hear/see any of the news and were flabbergasted to see the Governor and that woman Senator get on TV and talk about all that they were doing. All of that is hogwash. They aren't doing anything for all those poor people there still in the city and nothing to stop the looting. I believe I saw prior to the hurricane that the Governor could go to the highest level and get the military to come in and take the security over and be in charge of such if she declares it to be at that state. Why has she not done?

We just got back from eating with my in-laws and my mother-in-law told us she frantically started calling everyone she could to get us some help in there. She told us something very scary, on Wed when she was calling at about 10:30am, she actually (you have to know her to know that only she could do this) got to talk to a man with the Red Cross with trucks, supplies, etc in their trucks only awaiting the Governor to allow them to get in.

My husband and I are exhausted as we haven't slept in days and are emotionally drained, but can't help but think if it weren't for the Grace of God and a little good timing, we would still have been there. And today is one more day past and NOTHING HAS CHANGED. SOMETHING IS WRONG. There is no reason they don't have church buses that can come in and get these people, let the Red Cross in, let supplies in, etc..........

Please help them. Call us if you want even more details.

Thanks- God Bless- [name withheld]

Senator- My husband and I are absolutely disgusted with how you and your Governor have allowed such disarray to occur. Not to mention how you've left the tourists there for dead. Oh, yea and your own people who are dying in the streets.

There is NO EXCUSE for not getting reinforcements to the National Guard in earlier knowing the gang like undertones of your violence-tending city.

I remember the day when NOLA was not a favorite of travelers as it was considered "dirty and dangerous". My husband and I love NOLA and met there 16 years ago in college at the Sugar Bowl. We are sickened by what we personally went through and we are even more nauseated by what is happening even a day later as no more help has showed up.

What is the problem? We demand to know. You, your officials, your Governor owe us, your own citizens that you've left for dead an apology.

I couldn't believe what you were saying after not seeing/hearing the TV for over 3 days. I just hope the top of this e-mail that we've e-mailed to anyone who will listen will do some help.

If we lived within 6 hours of NOLA we would call all churches, get buses and drive through your barriers just to get these people OUT> All that FEMA can do later will be done. It is NOW that these people need help, or else who cares how many millions you all get donated.

Or, perhaps, is that the purpose? Are you all doing this for a reason and that is to let attrition happen and then there will be fewer victims to divide the money between. SHAMEFUL

[OrangeSkin]

Wow, fascinating. I'd be interested to see more first hand accounts.

[Fergasun]

Rape Threat To Our (Austrailian) Women

Herald Sun (Australia)

AUSTRALIAN survivors of Hurricane Katrina told last night of their dramatic escape from New Orleans and the unfolding civil disaster in city.

The group, joyful at fleeing the nightmare of the Louisiana city, lauded one of its members as a hero. Bud Hopes, of Brisbane, was praised for saving dozens of tourists as the supposed safe haven of the city's Superdome became a hellhole.

"I would have to say that Bud is solely responsible for our evacuation," Vanessa Cullington, 22, of Sydney, told the Sunday Herald Sun by mobile phone from a bus carrying 10 Australians to safety in Dallas, Texas.

"I dread to think what would have happened if we hadn't got out. It's so great to be free."

News of the group's escape came as reports said as many as 10,000 people might have been killed by the hurricane and its aftermath, and President George Bush ordered more troops and an increased aid effort for the stricken Gulf of Mexico states.

As the Australians left the Superdome, food and water were almost non-existent and the stiflingly hot arena was filled with 25,000 people and the stench of human waste. Gangs stalked the tourists and women were threatened with rape.

"Bud took control. He was calm and kept it together the whole time," Ms Cullington said.

Mr Hopes, 32, said: "That was the worst place in the universe. Ninety-eight per cent of the people around the world are good. In that place, 98 per cent of the people were bad.

"Everyone brought their drugs, they brought guns, they brought knives. Soldiers were shot.

"It was like a refugee camp within a prison.

"It was full on. It was the worst thing I have seen in my life. I have never been so frightened."

Realising that foreigners were a target, Mr Hopes and the other Aussies gathered tourists from Europe, South America and elsewhere into one part of the building.

"There were 65 of us, so we were able to look after each other -- especially the girls who were being grabbed and threatened." Mr Hopes said.

He said they had organised escorts for the women when they had gone for food or to the toilet, and rosters to keep guard while others slept.

"We sat through the night just watching each other, not knowing if we would be alive in the morning."

John McNeil, 20, of Brisbane, said the worst point had come after two days when soldiers had told them the power in the dome was failing and there was only 10 minutes worth of gas left.

"I looked at Bud and said, 'That will be the end of us'," Mr McNeil said.

"The gangs . . . knew where we were. If the lights had gone out we would have been in deep trouble. We prayed for a miracle and the lights stayed on."

Mr Hopes said the Australians owed their lives to a National Guard Staff Sgt Garland Ogden, who had broken the rules to get the tourists out of the dome, with 60 people being evacuated to a medical centre.

"We did some shifts at the hospital to help nurse the sick to say thank you. It was a real Aussie thing," he said.

As the bus carrying the Australians crossed the Texan border, spirits were high.

"We've had hotdogs and chips and everyone is laughing," Mr Hopes said.

Later, the bus arrived at Dallas Convention Centre, where the Australians were processed.

Family and friends gathered at the Brisbane home of Mr McNeil's parents, Peter and Mary, where they were joined by Mr Hopes's sister, Debbie Browne.

Mrs McNeil broke down when she saw images of her son leaving New Orleans.

"There have been times during this past week when we didn't know if we would see him again," she said.

Mr McNeil said he could see a change in his son.

"They've been traumatised," he said. "I think they've witnessed several atrocities."

The other Australians on the bus were Emma Hardwick, of Sydney; Simon Wood, of Wyalkatchem, WA; Michael Ryan, of Lithgow, NSW; Yasmin Bright, of Newcastle; Michelle and Lisa van Grinsven, of Sydney; and Elise Sims, Tea Tree Gully, Adelaide.

Meanwhile, three Australian couples were safe in Los Angeles, awaiting flights home after being rescued from New Orleans by a Channel 7 news crew.

Tim and Joanne Miller, of Rockhampton, Garry and Cynthia Jones, of Brisbane, and Jack and Gloria Slinger, of Perth, crammed into a four-wheel-drive vehicle with reporter Mike Amor and two colleagues for the early morning dash.

The crew had arranged to pick up two couples from the building where they were holed up and found the Slingers on the streets.

"They were very wary about about coming out of the building. It was a pretty frightening scene -- bodies, shootings, looters," Amor said.

A phone call in the middle of the night gave hope to relatives of Brisbane's Fiona Seidel and her sister-in-law, Katie Maclean.

Mrs Maclean's husband, Andrew, was contacted by a New Orleans police officer who said he had seen the pair get on a bus.

[Fergasun]

French Quarter Holdouts Create Tribes

In the absence of information and outside assistance, groups of rich and poor banded together in the French Quarter, forming "tribes" and dividing up the labor.

As some went down to the river to do the wash, others remained behind to protect property. In a bar, a bartender put near-perfect stitches into the torn ear of a robbery victim.

While mold and contagion grew in the muck that engulfed most of the city, something else sprouted in this most decadent of American neighborhoods _ humanity.

"Some people became animals," Vasilioas Tryphonas said Sunday morning as he sipped a hot beer in Johnny White's Sports Bar on Bourbon Street. "We became more civilized."

While hundreds of thousands fled the below-sea-level city before the storm, many refused to leave the Vieux Carre, or old quarter. Built on some of the highest ground around and equipped with underground power lines, residents considered it about the safest place to be.

Katrina blew off roof slates and knocked down some already-unstable buildings but otherwise left the 18th and 19th century homes with their trademark iron balconies intact. Even without water and power, most preferred it to the squalor and death in the emergency shelters set up at the Superdome and Convention Center.

But what had at first been a refuge soon became an ornate prison.

Police came through commandeering drivable vehicles and siphoning gas. Officials took over a hotel and ejected the guests.

An officer pumped his shotgun at a group trying to return to their hotel on Chartres Street.

"This is our block," he said, pointing the gun down a side street. "Go that way."

Jack Jones, a retired oil rig worker, bought a huge generator and stocked up on gasoline. But after hearing automatic gunfire on the next block one night, he became too afraid to use it _ for fear of drawing attention.

Still, he continues to boil his clothes in vinegar and dip water out of neighbors' pools for toilet flushing and bathing.

"They may have to shoot me to get me out of here," he said. "I'm much better off here than anyplace they might take me."

Many in outlying areas consider the Quarter a playground for the rich and complain that the place gets special attention.

Yes, wealthy people feasted on steak and quaffed warm champagne in the days after the storm. But many who stayed behind were the working poor _ residents of the cramped spaces above the restaurants and shops.

Tired of waiting for trucks to come with food and water, residents turned to each other.

Johnny White's is famous for never closing, even during a hurricane. The doors don't even have locks.

Since the storm, it has become more than a bar. Along with the warm beer and shots, the bartenders passed out scrounged military Meals Ready to Eat and bottled water to the people who drive the mule carts, bus the tables and hawk the T-shirts that keep the Quarter's economy humming.

"It's our community center," said Marcie Ramsey, 33, whom Katrina promoted from graveyard shift bartender to acting manager.

For some, the bar has also become a hospital.

Tryphonas, who restores buildings in the Quarter, left the neighborhood briefly Saturday. Someone hit him in the head with a 2- by-4 and stole his last $5.

When Tryphonas showed up at Johnny White's with his left ear split in two, Joseph Bellomy _ a customer pressed into service as a bartender _ put a wooden spoon between Tryphonas' teeth and used a needle and thread to sew it up. Military medics who later looked at Bellomy's handiwork decided to simply bandage the ear.

"That's my savior," Tryphonas said, raising his beer in salute to the former Air Force medical assistant.

A few blocks away, a dozen people in three houses got together and divided the labor. One group went to the Mississippi River to haul water, one cooked, one washed the dishes.

"We're the tribe of 12," 76-year-old Carolyn Krack said as she sat on the sidewalk with a cup of coffee, a packet of cigarettes and a box of pralines.

The tribe, whose members included a doctor, a merchant and a store clerk, improvised survival tactics. Krack, for example, brushed her dentures with antibacterial dish soap.

It had been a tribe of 13, but a member died Wednesday of a drug overdose. After some negotiating, the police carried the body out on the trunk of a car.

The neighbors knew the man only as Jersey.

Tribe member Dave Rabalais, a clothing store owner, said he thinks the authorities could restore utilities to the Quarter. But he knows that would only bring "resentment and the riffraff."

"The French Quarter is the blood line of New Orleans," he said. "They can't let anything happen to this."

On Sunday, the tribe of 12 became a tribe of eight.

Four white tour buses rolled into the Quarter under Humvee escort. National Guardsmen told residents they had one hour to gather their belongings and get a ride out. Four of the tribe members decided to leave.

"Hallelujah!" Teresa Lawson shouted as she dragged her suitcase down the road. "Thank you, Jesus!"

For Mark Rowland, the leaving was bittersweet.

"I'm heart-broken to leave the city that I love," Rowland said as he sat in the air-conditioned splendor of the bus. "It didn't have to be this way."

[Fergasun]

Our Terrifying Ordeal

UK Times Online

TWO words on the boarding pass that secured Will Nelson a club-class seat on a flight from Dallas to Gatwick tell everything about the last week of his summer in America.

Alongside the flight details is stamped: “Hurricane Evacuee”.

Mr Nelson, and other Britons returning from New Orleans yesterday, will keep the boarding passes as souvenirs of the most frightening experience of their lives, being trapped in the city’s Superdome stadium.

As the first Britons caught by Hurricane Katrina returned home, the US authorities said that all 240,000 residents of New Orleans would have to leave before it could be rebuilt.

The death toll is likely to run into thousands and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said that 131 Britons were still unaccounted for. However it emphasised that many are likely to be safe and could have left the disaster area days ago.

During seemingly endless days and sleepless nights, the British survivors’ fear of the hurricane’s destructive force was transformed into terror of the other survivors.

Mr Nelson, 21, and Jane Wheeldon, 20, told The Times how they and some 50 other foreigners — many of them British backpackers — were ordered by the US Army to gather together to protect themselves from resentful locals.

“The army told us to stick in a group and for the women to sit in the middle with the men around the outside and to be ready to defend ourselves,” Mr Nelson, from Epsom, Surrey, said. “Their urgency scared us. I sat on the outside, really scared by this point, sitting waiting for God knows what. We waited and waited, I didn’t sleep. A lot of the girls had been groped.”

Miss Wheeldon, from Carmarthen, South Wales, said that being inside the Superdome was terrifying and that she had been sexually harassed.

“The atmosphere was extremely intimidating,” the Lancaster University student said. “People stared at us all the time and men would come up to me and stroke my stomach and bottom. They would also say horrible, suggestive things. The worst time came when there was a rumour that a white man had raped a black woman. We were scared that we would be raped, robbed, or both. People were arguing, fighting and being arrested all the time.”

The “internationals”, as the army labelled the stranded tourists, were among the few white people in the stadium. Marked out by their skin colour and unfamiliar accents, they were verbally abused, while their luggage made them targets for robbery.

Mr Nelson said that local people also noticed that they received preferential treatment from the guards who gave them ration packs and water to help them to avoid food queues.

Mr Nelson, who graduated from Loughborough University in June, said: “The queues for the rations got more and more crazy. People were desperate.

“The physical conditions were horrible. It was stiflingly hot, you were sweating constantly. The smell was awful, a mix of sweat, faeces, urine — just a horrible, horrible smell.

“When the water stopped and the toilets packed up, it just got worse and worse. I can still smell it; it makes me gag.”

Miss Wheeldon said: “The sights we saw you wouldn’t want anyone to see. The filth and smell were unbelievable.” The threat came from a minor-ity — mainly young men. “The majority of the people of New Orleans are absolutely lovely,” she said. “Some families were ready to give us their food even though they had nothing.”

One of the most dangerous periods came on Wednesday when the military decided that the internationals should be removed for their own safety.

Officers told them to organise themselves in groups of five and make their way to an exit. The leaders were given a blue wristband and made accountable for the others. Mr Nelson’s was still on his arm yesterday.

He said: “The people around us were suspicious and resentful. They asked where we were going and we lied. We said that we were going to sit somewhere else. I walked off, head down, tunnel vision, I didn’t stop to think. I felt guilty but there was also a tremendous sense of relief that I was getting out of there.”

The tourists were taken to an emergency medical centre where many volunteered to help. “There were very few medics and we were able to help with feeding people, carrying stretchers and just talking to people who had lost their whole lives,” said Mr Nelson. “That night we saw a soldier brought in from the dome who had been shot in the leg.”

The Britons were taken on to Dallas the following day, seeing for the first time the full devastation caused by the hurricane.

Mr Nelson said: “I knew I was going home eventually, I knew I had a family home to go to and I knew where my family was and that they were safe. I realised just how lucky I was compared to many of the people we had left behind.”

Mr Nelson had been working as a lifeguard with Camp America, which organised his flight home. But during nine hours in the air, he could not sleep. “I couldn’t wait to get home, to see my parents, my sisters and my friends and be back somewhere I knew I would be safe.”

At Gatwick, Mr Nelson and Miss Wheeldon had tearful reunions with their families. Other survivors are expected back in Britain today.

------------------

FOUR DAYS INSIDE

Will Nelson’s journal

Sunday 28th

Entering the Superdome:

“I was in a bit of a state and rang home to tell them what was happening . . . the electricity was set to go off.”

Monday 29th

The storm hits:

“I began shaking as everyone around us was screaming and running up the stairs . . . I thought that the dome would flood and we would all die in it like a big fish bowl.”

Tuesday 30th:

“We heard stories of girls being raped and people getting stabbed . . . A few of us ventured up to the next level in desperate search of a toilet. It really was like walking through a neighbourhood, all the different camps. We kept our eyes to the ground.”

The Army advises ‘internationals’ to sit together:

“Their urgency scared us senseless.”

Wednesday 31st:

The ‘internationals’ are moved out of the dome:

“As we walked out the locals shouted insults at us and began causing trouble. I kept my eyes down.”

[JimboDaMan]

On the topic of horrible, this one pretty much takes the cake.

The strain was apparent in other ways. Aaron Broussard, president of Jefferson Parish, dropped his head and cried on NBC's ``Meet the Press.''

``The guy who runs this building I'm in, emergency management, he's responsible for everything. His mother was trapped in St. Bernard nursing home, and every day she called him and said, `Are you coming, son? Is somebody coming?' And he said, `And yeah, Momma, somebody's coming to get you. Somebody's coming to get you on Tuesday. Somebody's coming to get you on Wednesday. Somebody's coming to get you Thursday. Somebody's coming to get you on Friday' - and she drowned Friday night. She drowned on Friday night,'' Broussard said.

``Nobody's coming to get her, nobody's coming to get her. The secretary's promise, everybody's promise. They've had press conferences - I'm sick of the press conferences. For God's sakes, shut up and send us somebody.''

[Dexter's Better]

I want the Mayor and the Governor charged for being completely inept and failing to execute the plans that were created to evacuate that city. Then those sons of ------ blame the federal government...... talk about balls.

[Johnny Punani2]

I want the Mayor and the Governor charged for being completely inept and failing to execute the plans that were created to evacuate that city. Then those sons of ------ blame the federal government...... talk about balls.

The Mayor and the Governor should resign for what has happend. It's painfully obvious that they have no idea what they are doing. The Mayor is a real POS to be honest. I heard him on Foxnews before the hurricane talking about how it wasn't going to be that bad and NO wouldn't flood. He was in total denial.

After the cluster %#%*, he gets on a local radio station and blames the Feds and asks "why they haven't done anything?". The guy is a real scumbag...

[twa]

The Mayor and the Governor should resign for what has happend. It's painfully obvious that they have no idea what they are doing. The Mayor is a real POS to be honest. I heard him on Foxnews before the hurricane talking about how it wasn't going to be that bad and NO wouldn't flood. He was in total denial.

After the cluster %#%*, he gets on a local radio station and blames the Feds and asks "why they haven't done anything?". The guy is a real scumbag...

Well it is louisiana after all

Lord knows they have had some real winners for leaders.

[Ancalagon the Black]

Did anyone catch this little gem in the first account?

(Side note - we are in our 40s, white and friendly looking).

Their experience was horrific, but the fact that they think they're entitled to a "nicer" response because of their whiteness is just tragic.

[chomerics]

Hoping we can collect a bunch in this thread. I'm sick of reading all the blame game junk, keep it in another thread. I hope everyone has been following the Interdictor blog, I'm also still following in on the scanners... lot's of good work being done in there.

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First, this was from the Free Republic and a freeper poster.

Should I get some first hand accounts from the Democratic Underground? I don't think that would go over to well.

A little FYI, no what gave it away? All the blame being placed on the gov. of La. No mention of why troops were not there on Wednesday, our federal military troops.

[chomerics]

After the cluster %#%*, he gets on a local radio station and blames the Feds and asks "why they haven't done anything?". The guy is a real scumbag...

Maybe because the problem was bigger then he or the governor could handle. Those "scumbags" were trying to do all they could, while the guy you are defending was playing guitar, riding a bike and cutting a cake at a fundraise.

[chomerics]

Did anyone catch this little gem in the first account?

Their experience was horrific, but the fact that they think they're entitled to a "nicer" response because of their whiteness is just tragic.

AtB, it was from the FreeRepublic message board, I really doubt this was a true story.

No wonder why there wasn't a source link.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1475936/posts

[DeaconBlue]

Did anyone catch this little gem in the first account?

Their experience was horrific, but the fact that they think they're entitled to a "nicer" response because of their whiteness is just tragic.

C'mon AtB I know you're smarter than that. They didn't think they were entitled to nicer treatment because of there race.They were describing themselves to indicate that they would have appeared non-threatening. Given the events transpiring at that moment its not a bad observation. Read it again. I think you'll see what i mean.

[Fergasun]

AtB, it was from the FreeRepublic message board, I really doubt this was a true story.

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOGFRIDAYNIGHT.54fff589.html

1:20 P.M. - Marriott spokesman: There are still guests at the hotel, and that the Marriot is trying to get a bus from the St. Louis area down to New Orleans to get to the guests. There has been much looting at the hotel.

I was inclined to remove the first post but after reading the information from Marriott I'm inclined to think the story is true enough to stay... albeit it as spurious hearsay.

[chomerics]

http://www.wwltv.com/local/stories/WWLBLOGFRIDAYNIGHT.54fff589.html

I was inclined to remove the first post but after reading the information from Marriott I'm inclined to think the story is true enough to stay... albeit it as spurious hearsay.

Fair enough, as long as you admit it is spurrious at best.

I've read way to many articles like this, and I am a pretty good spot for a BS piece The language used was the giveaway. Like Michael Moore, they go to far. The entire

Side note - we are in our 40s, white and friendly looking

bit is the give away. Who writes like that? Seriously, who would bother to put that they are white? Who else ignores the fact that they were tourists who obviously had a car, and decided to stay, even though they were from Florida. It didn't sound kosher to me to begin with.

I haven't read your other articles, but if I think they are BS as well, don't worry, I'll voice my opinion

Nice try though

[chomerics]

C'mon AtB I know you're smarter than that. They didn't think they were entitled to nicer treatment because of there race.They were describing themselves to indicate that they would have appeared non-threatening. Given the events transpiring at that moment its not a bad observation. Read it again. I think you'll see what i mean.

Again, who writes like that? Only somebody who wants to make SURE the person reading KNOWS they are not black. AtB is smarter then that, and he saw right through the BS.

[Fergasun]

But I bet those Aussies and Brits were/are as white as the moon.

[DeaconBlue]

Fair enough, as long as you admit it is spurrious at best.

I've read way to many articles like this, and I am a pretty good spot for a BS piece The language used was the giveaway. Like Michael Moore, they go to far. The entire

bit is the give away. Who writes like that? Seriously, who would bother to put that they are white? Who else ignores the fact that they were tourists who obviously had a car, and decided to stay, even though they were from Florida. It didn't sound kosher to me to begin with.

I haven't read your other articles, but if I think they are BS as well, don't worry, I'll voice my opinion

Nice try though

All right then pop quiz einstein. Why would tourists planing to fly back "obviously" have a car? And based on the story if anything they "decided" that their airline cancel thier flight. I don't even think you really read the thing.

[chomerics]

All right then pop quiz einstein. Why would tourists planing to fly back "obviously" have a car? And based on the story if anything they "decided" that their airline cancel thier flight. I don't even think you really read the thing.

Who goes ANYWHERE on a tourist visit wothout renting a car? Seriously, who? I know of absolutely nobody in their 40's who would travel for a vacation and NOT rent a car.

[Ghost of]

Did anyone catch this little gem in the first account?

Their experience was horrific, but the fact that they think they're entitled to a "nicer" response because of their whiteness is just tragic.

Putting aside that part, the articles from the Aussie and Brit papers seem to illustrate some threat to whites and/or foreigners on the part of many 'refugees' in New Orleans.

Some have brought up the racial angles to this disaster, but in a narrow context regarding the prompt delivery of relief or plans and preparation. I'd say that the stories indicate that there is another angle, one less comfortable for the de rigeur PC journalism that predominates. Or, perhaps it was as simple as some of the worst elements being housed in the Superdome with some of the poorest or unluckiest(tourists, for instance.) There was probably a greater criminal-to-basically innocent ratio there than in most places in the country aside from jails and prisons.

I asked a question in another thread--would this level of looting and violence be taking place in Minneapolis or even Seattle? (though I wonder about here, we have lots of transients and addicts--so it might jump off like that if they all got housed in one area)

Also, I'd say I've heard "rumors" of all types regarding the aftermath, many not true(racial or no.) But I don't doubt that some whites found themselves an easy target. It's that was in a lot of cities that didn't just experience a disaster that destroyed infrastructure and civil society.

[Ancalagon the Black]

C'mon AtB I know you're smarter than that. They didn't think they were entitled to nicer treatment because of there race.They were describing themselves to indicate that they would have appeared non-threatening. Given the events transpiring at that moment its not a bad observation. Read it again. I think you'll see what i mean.

Yeah, I got that. Now tell me: why would white people be considered nonthreatening and black people threatening? After all, they had described themselves as in their forties and friendly-looking. What is the motivation for bringing race into it?

[chomerics]

I asked a question in another thread--would this level of looting and violence be taking place in Minneapolis or even Seattle? (though I wonder about here, we have lots of transients and addicts--so it might jump off like that if they all got housed in one area)

Also, I'd say I've heard "rumors" of all types regarding the aftermath, many not true(racial or no.) But I don't doubt that some whites found themselves an easy target. It's that was in a lot of cities that didn't just experience a disaster that destroyed infrastructure and civil society.

Great question and it's a tough one.

Personally, if people went that long without food or water, then yes, I think society would break down. Now, the gang element of NO was one of the main culprits for a lot of the savagery, and they may not be present in say Minneapolis, but society would still break down. Watching a baby die of dehydration can cause a bunch of people to go insane for a while, and they saw some crap I wouldn't want my worst enemy to see, so it added to the fear and distress.

I'd like to think if I was ever in this type of a situation, I would be able to get a handle of the situation, and lead the people. Unfortunately, in htis instance, the mayor was powerless, and lacked the strength needed to be the person he needed to be. The gangs, which are used to using people as pawns, were the ones to rise up.

[Ancalagon the Black]

Putting aside that part, the articles from the Aussie and Brit papers seem to illustrate some threat to whites and/or foreigners on the part of many 'refugees' in New Orleans.

[...]

I asked a question in another thread--would this level of looting and violence be taking place in Minneapolis or even Seattle? (though I wonder about here, we have lots of transients and addicts--so it might jump off like that if they all got housed in one area)

Also, I'd say I've heard "rumors" of all types regarding the aftermath, many not true(racial or no.) But I don't doubt that some whites found themselves an easy target. It's that was in a lot of cities that didn't just experience a disaster that destroyed infrastructure and civil society.

I don't think we disagree at all here. I definitely think that the "minorities" were targeted by those who wielded the power here--in this case, predominately black gangs. I wouldn't want to be an Aussie tourist in the Superdome. (Of course, the Aussie tourists got their individual stories plastered all over the media and are now celebrities here.)

Would it happen in Minny or Seattle? Maybe, maybe not. Those are both far more affluent towns than New Orleans, with (I hope) less corrupt governments.

[Ghost of]

Yeah, I got that. Now tell me: why would white people be considered nonthreatening and black people threatening? After all, they had described themselves as in their forties and friendly-looking. What is the motivation for bringing race into it?

Because like it or not, if a bunch of white people in their forties(the 'friendly' thin being a qualification excluding 40 somethign Hells Angels, I assume) walks down a street at night, I'm not fearful like I might be with a group of 20 year olds(of any race, frankly.) Even Jesse Jackson said something to that effect. I assume the mention of race had to do with their belief about the perceptions of their audience and those who threatened them.

There are host of observations I've made in the last few years, that while being based on the 'aggregate,' I've found to be true. It saddens me but living in Seattle, oddly enough, has cemented things that I used to view as mere 'impressions.'