I just wanted to say something to all those people out there who have been affected by Katrina in some way or another but I didn't really know where to put it. My heart goes out to you all. I have a friend who lives in Memphis which I know wasn't hit but I still haven't heard anything from her. Does anyone know whats going down there? Have people fled there? I would also like to ask all those British people out there who are not giving any sympathy and slagging Amercans, where is you humanity. Innocnet people have lost their lives, we should all be pulling together.
Actually i think you'll find that the majority of the UK population are extremely sympathetic for the people and the situation, the loss of life, and the terrible things going on. The U.S government asking for help.. donations, aid, 3 days after Katrina and troops start doing something? Also i think the problem is that this is America the largest economy in the world, the biggest super power the world has ever seen, and yet they can't look after their own people, or it seems that way. George Bush, just blatently taking a "laissez faire" view on the whole thing, "It'll be fine" almost patronising when he speaks because he is so bissfully unaware of whats happening in Lousiana and New Orleans. After the 2nd world war, it took 1 year to get all water and electricity working and functioning again as one system through out the WHOLE of the UK. It took 10 years including that year, to rebuild and repair buildings, houses, roads, bridges and things like that. That was over 60 years ago, with the advancement in technology and the size and capability of America and its armed forces, services and economy it shouldnt take longer than 3 months to get New orleans and the effected area back with water / electricity. and a further 2 years till everthing is rebuilt and its a healthy working state again.
Far from it, we know whats happened and no one I know has said anything of the sort about the situation. No have I heard it anywhere else. How can you make this assumption about the whole of Britain?
I know there are people out there like us who give there deepest sympathy and thoughts but I've been listening to the coverage on Radio 5, some of there live talk shows where the public ring up to voice there opinion has been shocking. I was amazed by what I heard. The USA is our most trustworthy and reliable friend in the world. I'm sure they would be the 1st to help us if we needed them, the opinions of people that i've heard talking don't agree. It angers me and I just wanted to get it off my chest.
If you are 25, i am shocked by that, i'm not trying to offend, but the Americans make a song and dance about interfering with everyone else's ****, which yes is usually appreciated, but its their way of replacing tradition with westernisation, always on about how fantastic their country is, how powerful and mobile their armed forces are, how prepared they are. The american government over the recent years has paid way to much attention on improving other people's lively hoods and making the world a "safer" place, what a load of bollocks, the war in iraq as everyone now knows because of the "Sexed up" Dossier (independent report on the motives, proof and aims of the american & british governments intentions in iraq). George Bush is the most powerful man in the world, he controls the biggest super power the world has ever seen, with the largest army in the world, if you compare that to his intelligence.. it makes him the most dangerous and stupid man in the world. I realise all presidents, priministers and governments will always no matter how good they are come under fire and be critisised heavily, but its part of the job, if you hold such a huge responsiblity, and you are the voice & in the end the actions of the people of your country - millions of people, then its not suprising. Everyone in the UK no matter how small or large holds some sympathy towards the american people and the victims, in natural disasters things can Always go smoother, better planned and faster, you COULD have done something better.. but u can say that about anything in life, are greatest flaw god gave us was Free Will. Alot of it is way way to polotically correct, but the way the Americans have responded to helping those still in New Orleans is pathetic if you take into account the size and capabities of the American people. Did no owners of a coach company think.. ****.. i really should stick every single coach or bus i have and get down their, or offer my services? Did no manufacturer or baby products think.. **** i think we really should send aload of stuff down.. did no one think ****.. we really should have done a **** lot more than we did? In the end, i have huge amounts of sympathy for those in the situation their in, but the way the American people AND the American government (those who were not directly effected by Katrina) handled the disaster and the time taken, and the size of the now on going relief effort is appauling considering who and what America are capable of by themselves, I personally think George Bushes reactions must be breaking EU human rights laws.
Now this is only my oppinions, but some of those people who died, who were able to get out of the city and did not and stayed, well its there fault that they die then, whats more important?, your business/home or your life?, if i knew a giant hurricane was heading my way, i wouldent stay just becouse i dont want to loose my house. like on the news there was a man that finally realized he had ot leave his house or he proberbly would die, buty he had to leave his cats so he opend all the food for the cats, he knew he would never see his cats again, he was sensibly, he did not want to leave his pets or his house, but he knew if he did not he would risk his life, and he knew his life was more important than his house or cats. i think there was 95 brittish ppl missing in new orleans, but i dont know if it was on about the same thing, well if 95 brittish people thats a tragedy, it is kind of a tragedy all thsoe americans died, but i dont really want to think about it, just get on with our lifes. Also, when was the last time the usa helped us out?
I am not getting in to a political debate with you or be patronised by you, I was mereley getting the anger off my chest at the opinions of some self centrered people. The question asked by the radio sation was "will you be donating to a tsunami style relief fund for Katrina victims". 9 out of 10 people said no, let America help themselves. No human should be denied aid by fellow humans no matter what race, religion or belief or what leader they have. We are all human. Getting back to my original post, does anyone know if anything is happening in Memphis?
oh.... well i too will not be giving aid as well i cant afford it, and well america have plenty of money, they suck money form all over the world, the uk is practically owned by them, yes if the uk had a disaster and i lived in the usa i would give aid as the uk would not be able to cope with comthing like that. i am not trying to patronise you, i am entitles to MY oppinions once in a while.
Tsunami relief a lot of people donated, in places like Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Indonesia where the government may not have the capability to offer enough financial and physical aid to all those hit in their countries the donations were much needed. But the time comes when the USA is hit by a natural disaster, and supposedly the most powerful and largest country in the world can't deal with it fast enough? They have the resources to got to war at the drop of a hat, but people are still surviving there without a clean water supply etc..
That was not aimed at you willhub, it was for ProcalX. USA may be a very wealthy county and I also can not afford to give aid but my taxes I pay will hopefully go towards aid if the very easily led Mr Blair decides to help. As for the USA being able to afford to help themselves, why has it taken so long for the aid to get to one of the poorest areas? I'm sure if it was one of the richer states aid would have been sent within hours. If President Bush doesn't send aid until its too late is the rest of the world supposed sit back and watch them suffer until aid is sent too late?
This isn't a question of capability, but whether Bush decides to do enough. The poorer states should have as much aid as its the government's responsibility for the well being of its citizens. At the end of the day its the US government's fault and problem if it can't help the people. They shouldn't be in charge of country that large and not be able to handle emergencies. In my case I'll keep the money. I'd rather donate it to cancer research etc.
oh, use Quote's then. also its taken them so long to get aid coz they have bieng so botherd with iraq. yea, i would rather save the money and donate it to some pet charatie.
Do you know what it would be like to see everything you have ever worked for destroyed? Or fear for someone who may have been hurt or killed by it? I'm not adding to this discussion now as it is going no where, I know every one is entitled to their own opinion, I would really like to hear an Americans opinion after they have read all these comments. Again I ask, does anyone know what is going on in Memphis?
Honestly the government must already plowing money into it. Thats what they do. Do you really think however, that the extra money is going to get people aid faster? Maybe its physical problems thats stopping them, but I don't think money is what they need. They need real help not extra money the goverment already have. No not heard anything about that. Edit: there are a few people in the USA on these forums, and they like everyone else feels sympathy for the people affected. We're not slagging off Americans, we're criticising the American government and George Bush.
if i was one of those americand in new orleans, i would be thankfull i was still alive, i would not care about loosing my stuff, as being alive is lucky enought.
Willhub, I think you're underestimating the predicament that these people are in. It's not simply a case of "losing their stuff", these people have lost everything. It's not just some furniture and a few computers, rather try to imagine this: Your house is under water - stagnant, polluted water at that. That means that everything in that house is likely to be irretrievably destroyed by water damage. What isn't prone to water damage is likely to be looted before you get the chance to salvage it. Your neighbourhood is gone, all the people you knew are now scattered around the neighbouring states, if they are alive at all, many of them you'll probably never see again. If you owned a business, maybe a shop or a garage, that's gone. Maybe it was a family business that you inherited and hard to work hard to make a success, all that work has now been wasted. If you didn't then you worked somewhere and put in a lifetimes effort into the job trying to make enough to give yourself and your family the best you could provide, that's now gone and all the fruits of your effort along with it. Your town is gone, maybe it was the place you grew up in and have lived in all your life. If so you probably have a lot of friends and family there, as above they're now gone. Even if there still alive you may never see many of them again. It will be months at best before the town becomes inhabitable again but many of the people you once knew may decide that it's not worth going back and will move elsewhere. You have no money whatsoever, no posessions, no source of income. For the forseeable future you will be homeless and peniless, relying on the good will of others for bare survival. Even if you were fairly well off and had a good job you will have a difficult time getting a new job. You have no paperwork at all. The last place you worked no longer exists so proving your credentials will be very difficult indeed. Even if you had a bank account how are you going to prove your identity? Consider also that most of the people affected are poor or low-income families and you're looking at a living hell. The rich people, as usual, will get off fairly lightly. While they were packing up all their credit cards and heading for the hills the people who were too poor to afford the bus fare out and who didn't have a second home somewhere or rich friends they could move in with were left to fend for themselves. Right now they have NOTHING, no home, no posessions, no life, no future. Quite frankly if I had been in that position I think I'd take my chances with the storm, the looters, the pollution, the anarchy, the disease, the food shortage, and everything else that the people who are refusing to leave are having to deal with and cling onto what little I have left of my life. As for financial aid, yes, I'm all for it. However let's not forget what country we're dealing with here. I reckon that it the top execs at Microsoft, Wal-Mart, McDonalds, Starbucks, etc were to chuck the loose change lying around on the dashboard of their Ferraris into a kitty bag then they would raise enough cash to rebuild the whole city with enough leftover for a signinigant compensation package. However, whatever our opinions are of the people that run the country, that should not prevent people from showing basic human decency to the people affected by this disaster.
Bush is not a moron, although people try to blame him for it. Facts: -There was a plan in place before going to war, and although not every thing may have seemed to have gone according to, there was a plan there. There has been contingency plans in place for a long time. -There was also a contingency plan for New Orleans. The mayor and the NO officials ignored this protocol. That was their responsibility, not Bush's. -The military needs to have a plan in place before acting and putting troops there. Without a plan, they'd have no orders on how they should deal with the situation. -The barrier was for a level 3 hurricane, but the one that hit was level 5. This was in place long before Bush was in office. -The looters who are taking things outside of the bare necessities are making the situation that much harder. In my opinion they should be shot if they are caught and don't drop the stuff right away if it's TV's and VCR's. If it's food, let them be. -The people who had the opportunity to leave and actually could, but didn't, that's a little tough. For the people that really couldn't get out, they do have my sympathy. Yes, America is a fairly solid country, but the fact is, mobilizing a few hours afterwords isn't possible. Getting people, supplies and a plan going for such a large effort doesn't happen overnight. This type of massive disaster doesn't happen like this all the time (thankfully).
don't forget that all the water is contaminated. everything stored in people's garages, paints, stains, fertilizers, household cleaners, everything's in the water. Even sewage. A local oregon highschool has cleared their gymnasium and setup sleeping bags with small beds for relief. Also oregon has been collecting local donations of personal hygeine such as toothpastes, toothbrushes, deodorants, floss, mothwash, soaps, toiletries and such. We're doing what we can may not be much but it's a start. Only question I have is why they're coming all the way here when neighboring states could shelter them.
From the footage on tv i've also seen dead bodies floating around in the contaminated water. I've heard really horrible stories too about the people who had taken cover in the superdome about murders and rapes, sounds like a complete nightmare. Am I right in saying many of the town around there have also set if refuges for people?
