Surely you don't expect our government to use logic, do you?

Seriously, the tone of pretty much every American I've seen discussing this online seems to be anywhere from heavy annoyance to outright rage at how our government (especially Bush and his cronies) are (mis)handling this catastrophe.

Though you couldn't entirely tell from the news being broadcast in the US. So far, I've seen more coverage of where relief is than where it isn't.

And content concerns water things down a bit as well. NBC (and probably others) have refused to air footage that they think is too strong, which cuts down on the impact of just how bad things are in some areas, particularly when you are carrying lots of rescue and relief coverage.

And I've only heard passing comments as to how the bulk of the National Guard that would have been present beforehand are instead in Iraq, and a lot of the equipment is in Iraq even for the guys that were still in the area. The number doesn't compare to what the government wants in the area, but the government has yet to get near that number yet themselves. Or how some areas haven't seen any government aid (guard, water, anything), and have only gotten aid from volunteer groups. Instead you get pictures of people hugging Bush and Guard troops going through the water.

Heck, I never even heard there were orders to shoot to kill looters on broadcast news.

The Bushies are a bunch of control freaks. They'd rather let people die.

These are also people that are incapable of admitting they are wrong or handling something badly. The Red Cross would undoubtedly get things done, making the feds look bad, because they are understaffed and too many National Guard are in Iraq.

This is incompetence and arrogance at a breathtakingly criminal level.

But in one area at least, Bush has moved swiftly. Halliburton have already been awarded a reconstruction contract.

No, I'm not kidding.

You think maybe the Bush administration has a black tech storm manipulation device they were testing out?

I'm telling you, it was Venezuela. They're out to get us.

How about because there are sufficient people left in New Orleans toting guns for whom 'aid agency' means 'people much safer to shoot at than the army'?

Yeah, because the Red Cross NEVER goes anywhere dangerous.

I'm just trying to empathise with the US government. Personally, were I the president of the richest and most powerful country, leader of the free world, defender of capitalism, democracy, truth, justice, equality and the American dream, I'd be more than a little embarrassed to have to explain Red Cross casualties from hostile action during a civilian relief operation in the middle of my country. I mean, the sniggers from the French alone would be *intolerable*.

I can't begin to fathom the reasoning of the Bush Admin, but that rule may have been made to expidite the evacuation of hold-outs.

Apparently, communication is non-existant in many neighborhoods (who'd have thought?) and there was a misguided belief that the water would subside "any day now." The Red Cross/aid organizations giving these people aid was enabling them to live in biohazard flood waters. So, I guess the reasoning is, that once everyone runs out of food, they will have to leave and get to non-toxic surroundings.

I was listening to NPR coverage of the evacuation, and several families weren't persuaded to leave until they were informed no one would be bringing them any more food.

I have no idea how the evacation plans are proceeding - but NPR made it sound like someone was attempting to get these people out. Maybe they didn't have the means to leave before, but there is some kind of organized effort to get them out now.