It's All About Choices, People

Well September's here, the water's rising, the race war is heating up and all is apocalyptic with the world....

Are you wondering why the Red Cross wasn't in New Orleans, handing out water and food from their perennial water/food stations generally to be found in any disaster area? Crowbar was wondering too....how did it come to pass, exactly, that the streets of New Orleans were deserted of any disaster personnel, starving people basically had to forage - you heard me, FORAGE, not loot - for food, and parents watched their kids die? Even in earthquakes, tsunamis, floods, and volcano eruptions, the trusty Red Cross shows up to provide potable water and peanut butter sandwiches, but not in New Orleans.

Why?

Well, because the Department of Homeland Security wouldn't ALLOW the Red Cross into the famous jazz city. They insisted if the Red Cross were giving out food and water people wouldn't evacuate and those who had would - get this - come BACK. To an area under chest deep toxic water. They'd come back. That Red Cross must make one helluva sandwich.

So Homeland Security said no, they sealed a perimeter around the city, and kept all food/water aid OUT. For the 100000 people trapped, starving and dehydrating even while drowning, it must have been comforting to know that the Department of Homeland Security wanted to ensure they had enough incentive to evacuate, because we wouldn't want 'em to get too comfortable, right?

So you read that, right? You realize what that said, right? In case you missed it, it says, 'The disaster relief strategy for those too poor to evacuate the city, devised by the ever-so clever Department of Homeland Security, is to starve them out'. Not sure it says that? Read it again.

And hey, don't take my word for it:

http://www.redcross.org/faq/0,1096,0_682_4524,00.html#4524

Disaster FAQs

Hurricane Katrina: Why is the Red Cross not in New Orleans?

"Access to New Orleans is controlled by the National Guard and local authorities and while we are in constant contact with them, we simply cannot enter New Orleans against their orders.

The state Homeland Security Department had requested--and continues to request--that the American Red Cross not come back into New Orleans following the hurricane. Our presence would keep people from evacuating and encourage others to come into the city."

Hmmm. Do you think this would be the strategy if that was, say, Cape Cod floating under water? If those were rich white people sitting on rooftops FOR 5 DAYS without shade, drinking water, food, or medical needs? Do you think they would have sealed them off and left them in there with no civil authority, no aid and no plan to get them out? For 5 days? And then issued shoot to kill orders for those who had the energy and initiative left to scrounge up food or water themselves?

In case you missed what THAT says, it says, "Please sit and starve. Do not attempt to leave the city, or we'll turn you back. Do not attempt to get food or water on your own, or we'll shoot you. Just sit quietly and accept that civic responsibility demands that you and your children die of thirst, even if there are bottles of spring water in that building across the street. You can look at it through the window, but should literally be willing to DIE rather than violate property rights. If you don't die that way, you can go via a bullet from one of our guns if you do decide to attempt to save your life. See, we're giving you choices! We want you to feel empowered, after all."