Sure, Nagin is yet another hero from your collection and here some facts to consider...
Taro
2 States, 22 Observations:
Things I have noticed while watching media
coverage of the recent
hurricanes:
Texas:
Productive industrious state run by Republicans
Louisiana:
Government dependent welfare state run by
Democrats
Texas:
Residents take responsibility to protect and
evacuate themselves
Louisiana:
Residents wait for government to protect and
evacuate them
Texas:
Local and state officials take responsibility
for protecting their
citizens and property
Louisiana:
Local and state officials blame federal
government for not protecting
their citizens and property
Texas:
Command and control remains in place to preserve
order
Louisiana:
Command and control collapses allowing
lawlessness
Texas:
Law enforcement officers remain on duty to
protect city
Louisiana:
Law enforcement officers desert their posts to
protect themselves
Texas:
Local police watch for looting
Louisiana:
Local police participate in looting
Texas:
Law and order remains in control, 8 looters
tried it, 8 looters arrested
Louisiana:
Anarchy and lawlessness breaks out, looters take
over city, no
arrests, criminals with guns have to be shot by
federal troops
Texas:
Considerable damage caused by hurricane
Louisiana:
Considerable damage caused by looters
Texas:
Flood barriers hold preventing cities from
flooding
Louisiana:
Flood barriers fail due to lack of maintenance
allowing city to flood
Texas:
Orderly evacuation away from threatened areas,
few remain
Louisiana:
25,000 fail to evacuate, are relocated to
another flooded area
Texas:
Citizens evacuate with personal 3 day supply of
food and water
Louisiana:
Citizens fail to evacuate with 3 day supply of
food and water, do
without it for the next 4 days
Texas:
FEMA brings in tons of food and water for
evacuees. State officials
provide accessible distribution points
Louisiana:
FEMA brings in tons of food and water for
evacuees. State officials
prevent citizens from reaching distribution
points and vice versa
Louisiana:
Media focuses on poor blacks in need of
assistance, blames Bush
Texas:
Media can't find poor blacks in need of
assistance, looking for
something else to blame on Bush
Texas:
Coastal cities suffer some infrastructure
damage, Mayors tell
residents to stay away until ready for
repopulation, no interference
from federal officials
Louisiana:
New Orleans is destroyed, Mayor asks residents
to return home as
another hurricane approaches, has to be
overruled by federal officials
Louisiana:
Over 400 killed by storm, flooding and crime
Texas:
24 killed in bus accident on highway during
evacuation, small number
of storm related deaths
Texas:
Jailed prisoners are relocated to other
detention facilities outside
the storm area
Louisiana:
Jailed prisoners are set free to prey on city
shops, residents, and
homes
Texas:
Local and state officials work with FEMA and Red
Cross in recovery
operations
Louisiana:
Local and state officials obstruct FEMA and Red
Cross from aiding in
recovery operations
Texas:
Local and state officials demonstrate leadership
in managing disaster
areas
Louisiana:
Local and state officials fail to demonstrate
leadership, require
federal government to manage disaster areas
Texas:
Fuel deliveries can't keep up with demand, some
run out of gas on
highway, need help from fuel tankers before
storm arrives
Louisiana:
Motorists wait till storm hits and electrical
power fails. Cars run
out of gas at gas stations that cant pump gas.
Gas in underground
tanks mixes with flood waters
Texas:
Mayors move citizens out of danger
Louisiana:
Mayor moves himself and family to Dallas
Texas:
Mayors continue public service announcements and
updates on television
with Governor's backing and support
Louisiana:
Mayor cusses, governor cries, senator threatens
president with
violence on television, none of them have a
clue what went wrong or
who's responsible
Louisiana:
Democratic Senator says FEMA was slow in
responding to 911 calls from
Louisiana citizens
Texas:
Republican Senator says "when you call 911, the
phone doesn't ring in
Washington, it rings here at the local
responders"
What if state and local elected officials were
forced to depend on
themselves and their own resources instead of
calling for help from
the federal government? Texas cities would be
back up and running in a
few days. Louisiana cities would still be under
water next month. |
