A pissed American and what I think of it.

I received the following letter via email today. It sparked a myriad of thoughts, and frankly, made me feel a whole lot better. As a person with extremely cynical tendencies, I have been trying hard to keep such thoughts to myself. But, I have them none-the-less. [At least now I know that I'm not alone in my opinions.] I can't help but cry over the touching stories of those whose lives were washed away, but there is another side that no one seems to be considering.
I AM ONE PISSED OFF AMERICAN BECAUSE: The media has failed to remind the entire world that when the city of New Orleans was ordered to be evacuated it offered transportation to the sick, the weak, the elderly, the poor and the frail. Why doesn't the media remind the world of this fact?
The people who remained behind MADE A BAD DECISION. But it was THEIR DECISION. Personal responsibility involves accepting the consequences of your actions. THE MAYOR OF NEW ORLEANS ISSUED THE EVACUATION ORDER not some pasty faced white guy with nothing better to do than try to inform, educate and mobilize an entire city. THE PEOPLE OF NEW ORLEANS FAILED TO LISTEN TO "ONE OF THEIR OWN". Every individual has a personal responsibility to protect themselves in times of danger. I live in a hurricane prone area. DUH.
If the local authorities tell me to evacuate and I choose to ignore the order then my a** DESERVES to be perched on top of a building after the storm because I was a moronic a**hole for failing to heed LOGICAL, WELL THOUGHT OUT ADVICE FROM THE EXPERTS! The mayor of New Orleans is first in line to protect his city. Why isn't anyone angry at HIM for not "doing more" prior to the storm?
Why weren't local authorities put into place BEFORE the storm hit? Why weren't emergency services strategically located throughout New Orleans earlier? Why didn't the mayor do more to work with the Office of Management and Budget and the Army Corps of Engineers to reinforce the levee before disaster struck? Why haven't the BLACK LEADERS, those currently criticizing our government, done more to help their people?
What about a better effort from the COMMUNITY to uplift and educate their people so they aren't poor, undereducated and dependent on welfare and a "government that forsakes them in a time of crisis." Any individual can make a PERSONAL CHOICE to work hard in school, to learn and to become educated and gainfully employed. No matter how humble or sad your beginnings, you can overcome the odds IF YOU CHOOSE TO...Gee,Oprah Winfrey comes to mind. She never let her race, her socio-economic background or family dysfunction stop her from succeeding in a HUGE WAY. The woman is a billionaire!
According to the liberal media and the liberals in Washington, D.C. she should have never succeeded because the odds were against her. Those same folks would label her a "victim that (white) society had failed". Well, screw that crap! She has showed the world that one can accomplish anything with some guts, dignity, pride and integrity.
I don't want to hear one more storm refugee or media moron discuss how "they were taken by surprise with the storm". GIVE ME A BREAK! A category 4 storm doesn't drop out of the sky. It forms off the coast of western Africa and the world knows about it for weeks! New Orleans is a geographical bowl that had been protected by a levee system DECADES OLD! And it was never designed to withstand the flooding and surge from a CAT 4 storm. So let's go back in history and figure out who made the brilliant decision to design the levee to stand up to a CAT 2 or 3 storm. If you live below sea level and there is massive flooding, you are SCREWED. That is just the law of nature. THAT is why when your local government tells you to evacuate, YOU EVACUATE.
The government is not ignoring the people in New Orleans because they are black and poor. How friggin' dumb do you have to be to believe that? And if you believe, deep down in your heart, that is true....pack your bags and move to Canada, Cuba, Mexico or some other country. If this country is such a hell hole to live in, if our government is so screwed up, then I have one thing to say: "GET THE HELL OUT! GOODBYE, GOOD RIDDANCE AND LEAVE YOUR AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP AT THE BORDER AND LIVE IN A SOCIALIST COUNTRY OR A COMMUNIST COUNTRY WHERE EVERYTHING IS JUST SO DAMN PEACHY." - Maggie, 3 Sep. 2005

As the “pissed off American” states in her letter, most of the people who were 'caught in the middle of the storm' CHOSE to be subjected to its wrath.

Despite the inability to function in New Orleans as it stands today, there are still people who refuse to leave. Dead bodies float around them, disease covers everything, they have no running water, and not much food. Yet they expect the government will continue to provide food, water, and other necessities.

I suppose I might have lost a chunk of my heart somewhere, but I have never had much sympathy for people who are hurt, maimed, or killed by disasters when they were adequately warned of their coming.

Furthermore, I think in this colossal version of the Blame Game, American's have lost perspective. Everyone points to the person higher up the on food chain. Logic seems to have little to do with the accusations, either. I am baffled at the distortion of thought that is needed to even follow what's being tossed around right now.

Surely there is plenty of reason to question why it took FEMA so long to arrive on the scene. But to point at President Bush is just ridiculous. It was FEMA's job to handle the rescue of and providing for the evacuees. That's what it's there for. The president's job description does not entail micromanaging all of his subordinates. Oddly enough, President Bush is the only person willing to accept responsibility for this tragedy. In a statement made today, the president said “And to the extent that the federal government didn't fully do its job right, I take responsibility. I want to know what went right and what went wrong.” Coming from a man who seems unable to admit any possible mistakes, this is truly amusing.

I doubt that I will ever hear the esteemed Mayor of New Orleans remind us of the fact that approximately 3 years ago his city was warned by Washington that the levees were in desperate need of upgrade. Nor will I probably ever hear him admit that he squandered government grants that could have been used to make such upgrades to, instead, build new golf courses and improve other miscellaneous tourist attractions.

Please don't think I'm completely heartless. A very dear friend of mine lives/lived in New Orleans with her husband and 11 month old daughter. I have not been able to find out anything about where she is or even if they made it out of the city alive. Perhaps it is because of my feeling of being helpless to help Gina and her family that I plan to go through our garage this week to find anything that might be of use to those who have been relocated to the Springfield area (about 700 people). I am also encouraging others around me to do the same. Those who were affected by this storm lost everything, regardless of when they left the city. I feel inclined to do whatever I can to help them get back on their feet.