Animal Day

This is beyond belief:

Storm victims were raped and beaten, fights and fires broke out, corpses lay out in the open, and rescue helicopters and law enforcement officers were shot at as hurricane-flooded New Orleans descended into anarchy...Tourists are walking in that direction and they are getting preyed upon...looting, carjackings and gunfire...rescuers themselves came under attack...the ambulance service in charge of taking the sick and injured from the Superdome suspended flights after a shot was reported fired at a military helicopter.

Would we do this? Is it Lord of the Flies in action; human nature tearing away civilisation? Or is this what happens if your society is based so absolutely on power, guns and privilege?

The world's police have woefully dropped the ball as tens of thousands starve and rot in one of their greatest cities:

Outside the Convention Center, the sidewalks were packed with people without food, water or medical care, and with no sign of law enforcement...

Terry Ebbert, head of the city's emergency operations, warned that the slow evacuation at the Superdome had become an "incredibly explosive situation," and he bitterly complained that FEMA was not offering enough help. "This is a national emergency. This is a national disgrace," he said. "FEMA has been here three days, yet there is no command and control."

Dubya's helping though, with posturing and rhetoric:

President George Bush will tour the devastated Gulf Coast region tomorrow...

"I think there ought to be zero tolerance of people breaking the law during an emergency such as this - whether it be looting, or price gouging at the gasoline pump, or taking advantage of charitable giving or insurance fraud," Bush said.

Oh good, just so we're clear on what evil is; raping and robbery and, um making false claims against Bush's insurance buddies.

C'mon Orleanos, you've give the world so much, you can pull through this.

Heavy boots for the Orleanos. Heavy boots for the poor Iraqis caught in the stampede. I think both stories managed to squeeze onto the commercial news last night, albeit somewhere below a bomb-scare-that-wasn't and an e-taking model. Glad we aren't inured to the pain of others, hey?!

UPDATE: More 'let them die' from the US Right, this time on FOX:

..people who move into such areas should assume the risk themselves rather than expect help..

(via Jarvis commenting on Surfdom).