Shame on you America

talentedbutslow · 17-09-2006, 12:21

A message posted in my MSN groups room.........

I just watched a documentary on New Orleans one year on from 'Katrina'.

It amazes me Mr Bush can afford to send troops to far flung countries to risk their lives but in New Orleans has done ****** all , whole communities have not even been cleaned up, damaged homes and debris litter the whole area, there is no reason they cant at least clean up the mess even if they cant repair the damaged properties.

I cant help but believe this is because New Orleans has a predominatily black population , i cannot fathom any other reason.

Television news reports from the area are rare , but inevitably one year on some news casts were aired, showing us his failed promises.

No bluddy wonder Almonds posts lack the humour and zest they once had , living under such conditions would be so difficult especially knowing the levys are only patched and at any given time may again fail.

We regularly are shown the wonderful times to be had in Florida and California where the US govt seem to fund anything yet leave New Orleans like a rubbish dump.

An absolute disgrace !!

PS:
If anyone has an email addy to contact the relevant authorities i'd like it just to let them know how poorly i believe they have acted.

I,d like that addy too.........Tal

ps Almond is one of my members and lives in New Orleans

WillowTheWhisp · 17-09-2006, 13:52

I'm rather surprised that the USA doesn't view New Orleans as a tourist area too like California and Florida because it had loads of character. Surely it would be an assett to the country to restore it to its former glory.

Busman747 · 17-09-2006, 14:35

I think that this is one for our American members to reply to. All documentaries have a "slant" be it political or otherwise. We (the rest of the World) get to hear the story generally as a sensationally one-sided event.

I am sure racism exists in the USA but the impression that I have is that the black and white population live on equal terms and that the villains are presently the Mexicans who seem to suffer badly with racial hate.

You don't say whether "almond" is living in squallor or not, merely that he/she is depressed and lacks zest You could well be describing the majority of us Brits

If New Orleans is as bad as the Documentary portrays, how about getting Almond to come on to the Accy web and tell us first-hand what it's like to live in N.O. ?

chav1 · 17-09-2006, 15:05

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busman747

how about getting Almond to come on to the Accy web and tell us first-hand what it's like to live in N.O. ?

at a guess i would say pretty damp

Margaret Pilkington · 17-09-2006, 15:05

I'm sure that George Bush would have done more for the devastated area affected by hurricane Katrina if its population had been white americans....but appears that most of the area affected was populated by black people....I'm also covinced that that is the reason that the president was so tardy in getting aid to the area. Black= dispensable.

Margaret Pilkington · 17-09-2006, 15:07

The French Quarter is where most of the tourists go and that is up and running so the tourists are back and spending their dollars.

bullseyebarb · 17-09-2006, 17:46

Good grief, where to begin?!! Lack of funding isn't the problem here. Billions of taxpayer dollars have flowed into the area as have millions more in private donations. Volunteers go down to rebuild homes. The U.S. Corps of Engineers has spent the last year rebuilding the levees around N.O. Let us not forget that Katrina was a storm of Biblical proportions and affected an area about the size of the U.K. Imagine how well you would all cope if Britain went under water. Think you'd do a better job?

The Mississippi Gulf Coast was wiped out by Katrina, yet they are rebuilding steadily but surely. They appear to have a better state government than Louisiana. Ditto Florida during its back-to-back hurricanes in recent years.

New Orleans has a long history of political corruption. It is hardly America's fault if those elected to lead cannot get their act together. The historic districts of New Orleans survived because they are built on slightly higher ground.....such as it exists in that city. Naturally, the city government got the French Quarter up and running as quickly as possible because that is the financial lifeline of New Orleans. In other areas, battles rage on what should be done. Apparently, it's hard to get building permits. Environmentalists are against rebuilding on reclaimed swampland. I don't doubt there are lawsuits.

There are political reasons why race was injected into this tragic event. And the major media was only too happy to fan the flames. It is a terrible thing to see people lose their lives, homes and all they have worked for. But when one chooses to live in a vulnerable area, one must always be prepared for what nature brings.

President Bush has not forgotten New Orleans or the Gulf. I know you all love to criticize him because it's been pounded into your heads what a dreadful man he is. There are no quick fixes for that region. Full restoration is going to be a long time coming. At the end of the day, I believe private initiative and citizens at large will get the job done.

chav1 · 17-09-2006, 17:52

my friend in calafornia has had his fish farm destroyed on 2 occasions by hurricanes and had NO hand outs from the govenment , i assume that because he is white this is also a racist thing

oh hang on no it wasnt a racist thing why he didnt get a government hand out it was because he had the brains with living in an area prone to hurricanes to take out INSURANCE no matter how much it was due to the area he lived in

its bad enough when the race card is played but its even worse when its teh whites play it for them because as usual in these cases the blacks probably dont even think of teh racism issue they just want to rebuild their lives but theres always the do gooders in this world who will play teh race card for them on their behalf even though they arnt asked too

the UK has spent millions on sending soldiers to iraq etc and we have homless on our streets

shame on teh UK too then eh

andrewb · 17-09-2006, 18:23

When you say 'Bush' .. why would he give them money? Wouldn't that be the state... I thought each state delt with their own tax system..

WillowTheWhisp · 17-09-2006, 18:32

Thank you for your views on the subject Bullseyebarb. It must be a horrendous job and something that will inevitably take time. On a minute scale by comparison I remember how long it took our insurance company to sort things out when we had a very small flood in the house.

Ianto.W. · 17-09-2006, 18:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Margaret Pilkington

I'm sure that George Bush would have done more for the devastated area affected by hurricane Katrina if its population had been white americans....but appears that most of the area affected was populated by black people....I'm also covinced that that is the reason that the president was so tardy in getting aid to the area. Black= dispensable.

:engsmil: Rubbish Margaret I hope you dont mind,
and the man (or woman) heaven forbid that I appear "sexist".
They that buildeth on sand shall be destroyed by sand, they that build on
rock shall inherit the earth. Most residents of the bayous have gone, what
you see is what the media want you to see, anti american propeganda,
if this had been in Africa you wouldn't have looked twice, (be honest)

chav1 · 17-09-2006, 18:58

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ianto.W.

:engsmil: Rubbish Margaret I hope you dont mind,
and the man (or woman) heaven forbid that I appear "sexist".
They that buildeth on sand shall be destroyed by sand, they that build on
rock shall inherit the earth. Most residents of the bayous have gone, what
you see is what the media want you to see, anti american propeganda,
if this had been in Africa you wouldn't have looked twice, (be honest)

wouldnt africa be glad of the water ?

or am i thinking of the wrong place

bullseyebarb · 17-09-2006, 19:24

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cyfr

When you say 'Bush' .. why would he give them money? Wouldn't that be the state... I thought each state delt with their own tax system..

FEMA, the federal agency created to assist in post-disaster areas, ladles out the dough to assist with clean-up and rebuilding. This never used to be the case. Individual states and localities took responsibility for themselves. There was no federal aid in 1906 when San Francisco was wiped out by an earthquake and subsequent fire. Nor was there any for Galveston, Texas at the turn of the last century when it was hit by a tidal wave. Massive devastation and loss of life. There are other examples, but I shall not list more here. Both of these cities immediately formulated a plan and went to work to rebuild and restore. In the case of Galveston, it took them 60 years to complete the job.

Americans are amazing when it comes to helping others in distress. In a disaster situation, we will raise all kinds of money and volunteers will pour into the affected area with expertise, muscle power and just plain old- fashioned kindness, without being asked. Things seem to work out better that way and always end up costing a lot less money.

Margaret Pilkington · 17-09-2006, 19:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ianto.W.

:engsmil: Rubbish Margaret I hope you dont mind,
and the man (or woman) heaven forbid that I appear "sexist".
They that buildeth on sand shall be destroyed by sand, they that build on
rock shall inherit the earth. Most residents of the bayous have gone, what
you see is what the media want you to see, anti american propeganda,
if this had been in Africa you wouldn't have looked twice, (be honest)

I don't mind Ianto.W. I defend your right to have an opinion which is different to mine. I have no other way of knowing what is going on other than what the media tells us. It is the same with all these disaster stories. I do however, feel that the help would have been speedier if the population had been white americans.I think it is wrong to put the blame on the American people...but maybe the corrupt politicians should be taking the blame. And yes I would look twice if it was Africa.
Take the Sudan situation......Tony Blair says that it is at the top of his agenda....but the problem in Darfur has been in existence for years and no-one wants to do anything about it......pretty soon we are going to be seeing some horrendous outcomes. So the question should be 'Are we any better?'

Wynonie Harris · 17-09-2006, 19:42

Quote:

Originally Posted by Busman747

I am sure racism exists in the USA but the impression that I have is that the black and white population live on equal terms and that the villains are presently the Mexicans who seem to suffer badly with racial hate.

Go to the States with a hispanic partner, and you find out how bad they really are!