Since I was out all day today and building my bed this evening, I didn't get a chance to look at the news until just now (after posting that last entry). And now my previous post seems callously cheerful.
What is wrong with the world? The hurricane wasn't as bad as it could have been. Then the flooding started. Now the violence.
This doesn't seem real. Too much like the plot to a bad sci-fi movie.
I can't come up with words right now, but I am feeling queasy thinking of the inhumanity to which the scarcity of food, fresh water and other resources has driven New Orleans.
Posted by silsby at September 1, 2005 11:03 PMI have had very similar feelings. Seems like the class/racial revolution has begun in an especially ugly way. The poor, old, very young, and the infirm seem to have been expendable in the overall planning, in the evacuation, in the rescue operations. I haven't checked today, but last time I heard the report of corporation which have donated money, goods, or services to the relief effort, there was a noticable absence of oil companies.
Posted by silsbyjoe at September 2, 2005 05:04 PMAlthough oil company stocks did fall today based on failed promise of aid from oil companies, they are up for the week.
So someone is making money off of this tragedy.
(And they are returning some of it... but how much did Exxon make on the rise in stock value versus the $1 million they are donating?)
Posted by silsby at September 2, 2005 06:30 PMI concur. It makes one wonder about human nature and about us as a society. It could be (and has been) argued that in such situations people become desperate and succumb to mob mentality which results in looting places for food, etc. Not that it's excusable, but at least one can understand the reasons behind it. But the raping? Shooting at police helicopters and sabotaging rescue attempts? That's just despicable.
And don't get me started on the oil companies....