Surivors reveal Superdrome horror, found via Boing Boing.

This is America, the land of hope, oppurtunity, tolerance, and accountability. In recent times, this statement becomes more and more idealistic and further away from the truth.

The disaster in New Orleans is horrendous enough. Why does it take a tragedy like this to bring out the worst in people? Who is to blame here?

The kneejerk reaction might be to point the finger at the poor, because they don’t know any better, or because they are only trying to survive. Bullshit. The scenario down there was controllable after the weather died down, and the organizers and leaders made mistakes. Logistical errors were made, miscommunications are abound, and thousands upon thousands of people watched their lives worsen every day, even now, six days after the hurricane made landfall in New Orleans.

Rape, looting, pillaging, and violence are not tolerable. Neither is violent retaliation against these egregious acts. Army units are being brought in from Iraq, where they have little to no accountability for their actions against what the media has so popularly named the insurgency. This does not insinuate that they will treat the citizens of New Orleans as if they were a threat to the well-being of America, but one must wonder about the validity of the choices being made by American armed forces. Not only did help arrive much too late, but the organization of aid to Louisiana has been lacking to say the least.

Numerous stories pour in throughout the day regarding the limit of supplies and manpower. The choice to make available all resources to all areas is not a hard one to make. The fact that a man was killed trying to flag down help says it all. What about the dozens of pirate bus drivers that risk incarceration to go where official rescue operations dare not.

People’s lives should not be governed by red tape. Getting the help in there is only half the battle. Using manpower and resources responsibly and effectively are key to helping resolve this situation.