New Orleans Bush Bashing

First, let me say how horrifying Katrina's devastation is. Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims. This article is in no way directed at them in this terrible hour. It's written in response to Van Jones' editorial Bush's Role in the Drowning of New Orleans on Huffington Post. Lots of people are so quick to blame the federal government for everything bad that happens in America. In this case, most of that blame actually belongs to others. And the pundits can't see that all this bashing helps to divide the nation instead of pulling us together to aid those who so desperately need our help.

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Everybody's so quick to blame "W" for all of this. In your article you blame him for the flooding because he diverted money. We were in the middle of a war. Should we have said, hmmm, let's leave our servicemen more ill-equipped and pour money into something that might happen years down the road? I imagine if he'd had a crystal ball things might have been a little different. "Experts" have been warning us of disaster for years. I don't know a state or city that has completely prepared for anything. You gonna blame that on W too?

New Orleans has known about the problem for how long? If you want to blame someone, blame the city fathers for not doing more about the situation and protecting their citizens. Blame the city planners for building below sea level in the middle of lakes and next to a gulf, and putting the city in a bowl with no drainage. Blame the CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) who should have stepped right in with a plan developed years ago. Community first, then state, then federal. That's how it works.

You forget that when they ran a mock flood several years ago, 1/3 of the citizens said they'd refuse to evacuate no matter what the government said, even if it was a hurricane. If I were given 3 days warning of an approaching hurricane and I couldn't drive my family out, by hell I'd walk them out! I wouldn't just sit there and blame everyone for making it happen and not rescuing me fast enough.

Another thing... you just have to play the RACE CARD, don't you. Take a natural disaster and turn it into whites hating blacks. I think color was the LEAST of anyone's worries as they tried to get out. It's true that most of NO's survivors are poor and black, which was also true of the community before the flood. That doesn't make it a race issue. It means that New Orleans had a large number of PEOPLE who were poor, under educated and stuck in a rut. Blame the city for not working hard enough to train and motivate them. Blame the welfare system for making it too easy to live on checks and stamps. Blame the people for not having the balls to stand up and change their own lives. Blame bleeding hearts like you who find it easier to complain about it than to dig in and help people improve their lives.

Better yet, stop blaming. There are far too many who need our help, and they need it NOW. Put down the poisoned pen and either start writing checks or handing out food and water. The way to insure America's survival is to help each other instead of tearing each other down.