Sep. 1st, 2005 03:25 pm
Morbid thoughts
I've been meaning to post something entertaining for a while now, but when I'm at work I can't help obsessively skimming the latest news until I'm too depressed to be glib. I've come around to what
niemandsrose and
bitterlawngnome have been saying; the vast majority of those stuck in NOLA do seem to be the poorest of the poor, those with the least means and options for evacuation. Late yesterday, I found a report that the Greyhound bus station had been shut down on Saturday, so even those who could've scraped together the funds for a ticket out had no opportunity to buy one. (It should come as a surprise to nobody that airline passengers were much better served, with additional personnel flown in from out of state so the locals could see to their own evacuation preparations.)
The looting angers me, but not as much as the vitriolic response to it. Over the past couple days, I've read too many kneejerk comments about shooting them on sight. It's just stuff! Stuff is not as important as people! But those who are hijacking emergency vehicles, taking potshots at rescue workers, and trying to ransack hospitals? Someone needs to dissuade them--if need be, with deadly force.
The more I read, the more disgusted I am by the lack of a coordinated response from the authorities. By all reports, internal communication among the police force has completely broken down and many have fled the city or deserted. This is the kind of situation where only a military force could restore order, but National Guard reinforcements are just now arriving and not necessarily in large enough numbers to do the job. The evacuation of Charity Hospital came to a halt when the guardsmen came under sniper fire. Those at the Superdome seem to be doing a poor job of communicating with the growing crowds, contributing to frustration, hostility, and desperation. I thought Mayor Nagin was being hyperbolic when he spoke of "thousands dead" yesterday; I'm increasingly afraid he might've been right.
It all makes me ask the selfish question: Would Chicago do any better in such a crisis? Fortunately, are chances of a natural disaster on this scale are small, but a signficant terrorist attack (dirty bomb, anyone?) would have a similar impact. What would I do? Will I have any faith that law enforcement will do a better job of staving off chaos?
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The looting angers me, but not as much as the vitriolic response to it. Over the past couple days, I've read too many kneejerk comments about shooting them on sight. It's just stuff! Stuff is not as important as people! But those who are hijacking emergency vehicles, taking potshots at rescue workers, and trying to ransack hospitals? Someone needs to dissuade them--if need be, with deadly force.
The more I read, the more disgusted I am by the lack of a coordinated response from the authorities. By all reports, internal communication among the police force has completely broken down and many have fled the city or deserted. This is the kind of situation where only a military force could restore order, but National Guard reinforcements are just now arriving and not necessarily in large enough numbers to do the job. The evacuation of Charity Hospital came to a halt when the guardsmen came under sniper fire. Those at the Superdome seem to be doing a poor job of communicating with the growing crowds, contributing to frustration, hostility, and desperation. I thought Mayor Nagin was being hyperbolic when he spoke of "thousands dead" yesterday; I'm increasingly afraid he might've been right.
It all makes me ask the selfish question: Would Chicago do any better in such a crisis? Fortunately, are chances of a natural disaster on this scale are small, but a signficant terrorist attack (dirty bomb, anyone?) would have a similar impact. What would I do? Will I have any faith that law enforcement will do a better job of staving off chaos?