I find the events surrounding hurricane Katrina very disturbing on many fronts.
There are many innocents who have been caught up on the tragedy -- their homes have been destroyed. They have no jobs. They have no where to go. Taking care of these people has become a logistical challenge to say the least. Of course it will take months and probably longer to clean up the mess and get lives back in some semblance of order. People are starting to mobilize to help these citizens. But in the mean time, look at what is happening:
Looters broke into any store they could. Some got food. But many stole household items, guns, ammo, and anything else of value.
Vandals have smashed in the windows of many cars. Large fires have broken out, spreading building to building. Arsonists? Probably.
Armed gangs began roaming about. Gunfire has been heard. Snipers. What the heck?
Reporters are playing up every sad tale of woe. They are there creating drama, hoping to win a Pulitzer prize. Most of the good things happening there are not mentioned. For example, my guess is that there are organized efforts going on to feed the masses of people there on a regular basis. Doctors are donating their time helping the sick and injured. Massive amounts of work is being done to repair levies, help people, and working to restore some infrastructure. These efforts are given nary a mention.
Rumors are rampant. Inaccurate and misleading stories are being spread as if they were true. From Randall Robinson: "It is reported that black hurricane victims in New Orleans have begun eating corpses to survive." It is reported? What the heck does that mean? What a racially charged bucket of horse manure.
Political activists are having a heyday. At an NBC fundraiser, rapper Kanye West blurts out "George Bush doesn't care about black people". It's all about how The Man is suppressing the poor blacks. About how president Bush is inept. About the rich vs the poor. Blah blah blah.
Gasoline prices have skyrocketed. This one really gets me. Who is pocketing the extra dollar per gallon we are paying now, compared to last year? What percentage of the gross national consumption of gasoline was provided by oil rigs in the gulf? My guess is that it was not enough to justify the unreasonable rise in prices. This is nothing more than oil executives accellerating the on-going search for the highest amount people are willing to pay. Yes, it is a simple matter of supply and demand. But without meaningful competition, we are being held hostage to the very few who control the supply. I say it's time to look much more seriously at alternative energy sources. I'll have more to say about this on a future post.
I dunno. Sometimes my faith in humanity waivers. I think I just need to ignore the media and do my part in my little corner of the world. And hope that there are others out there who also strive to see through all the crap and try to see the real, bigger picture.