chaos reigns.

...i'm aghast

09.01.05

It's absolutely amazing to me that one horrible natural disaster has plunged part of our nation into Third World conditions.

And even more amazing to me is that the government seems unable or unwilling to help.

Tens of thousands of people in New Orleans are starving to death and dying of thirst in the streets, assaulted by extremely heat and humidity. Anarchy reigns -- with no authorities, refugees (I never thought I'd ever have to call Americans in America that name) are robbing and raping each other.

It is mostly because of private and corporate support that anything is being done at all, and that's truly little enough.

This is a disgrace.

I am sorry for the people outside of New Orleans, that have lost their homes, returning to find cement slabs where their houses used to be.

But at least they aren't trapped in a watery hell.

The ill lack basic medical treatment. The lucky ones in hospitals are being airlifted out and triaged. The ones on the street don't have insulin, chemo, drug cocktails, etc.

Outside the convention center, among the refuse piles, the dead are left outside the doors, covered in sheets or blankets.

I'm terrified that with the standing water, the general health of the public, and insanely unsanitary conditions that cholera and typhoid and hepatitis will break out among the crowds.

Buses and other forms of transport for the victims have been promised, days ago. And very few have arrived. Many of the drivers are frankly terrified of being killed in a stampede of people trying to escape the city, and refuse to go anywhere near the place.

Ironically, now that the people at the gathering sites are too weak to leave the places where they've been told to go for safety, and to walk somewhere else for rescuing, that's precisely what they're being told to do.

National Guard troops have been deployed en masse, solely to keep the peace. Not to help, but to prevent looting, rioting, and killing.

Where are the concerned celebrities now, drumming up a huge relief effort to aid our tsunami victims? They were swift enough to help other countries, but haven't leapt to attention for their fellow nationals.

The President will be touring tomorrow, and I'm sure he'll be watered and fed.

And the people are still standing and sitting in the streets, weakly chanting, "WE NEED HELP!"