Welcome to NO-man's Land

[Horse with no Name]

New Orleans has now become NO-man's land. It was attacked by the forces of nature initially, with an underlying stealth attack by the Federal government. People are being left to die, abandoned in their homes and in the toxic streets.
They have figured out the game now. Animal instincts have taken over.
If there is a boat, they will take it. If there is food, they will take it. Whatever they need, they will take. But even though man has an inherent lust for survival, man also has an inherent lust for greed.
The easier it gets to take things to survive, the easier it will get to take things for desire.
This ultimately will include human lives.
Their government has told them they don't matter by their actions.
They aren't aware because of lack of communication that their Mayor and Governor are fighting for them. All they know is that there isn't any immediate help. They are hungry. They are wet. They are frustrated.
All they know is that people are taking pictures of them wading through a toxic cesspool...yet not offering to help them out and take them to safety. They are ALL they have left.
They will fight to stay alive. At this point, their is no humanity. It is a jungle and the rule is survival of the fittest.
Desperate people do desperate things. There isn't anything you can take away from a man who has nothing to lose.

[uppityperson]

1. Oh hell.

Are you sure this isn't just a bad movie? Just checking because it seems like it should be. How the hell, what the hell, why the hell, why why why why why?

[Horse with no Name]

2. I wish it was my friend

but we haven't seen the depths of desperation yet.
Today, however, I fear we will.

[uppityperson]

6. soldier shot at superdome

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4543770
gunfire by kids hospital, swat team secured. shit shit shit shit shit

edited to say please forgive my profanity but shit

[Borgnine]

3. Interesting.

This is reminding me, of all things, a Batman story from a few years back when an earthquake devestates Gotham City and turns it into a no man's land. The reason this is reminding me of it is that all the things we're hearing about (seizes on children hospitals, poor people with no way out, shootings and lootings) all happened there. It's chilling that this isn't fiction too. The only problem? There's no Batman to help the poor people in this story.

[uppityperson]

8. This is why we have these stories, to not do it for real

we have these stories to learn what not to do and here we are.

[Bluesplayer]

4. It's just about 3 full days now

since this started in NO.

I can only imagine what I'd be willing to do for my family if I was in this horrible situation.

[phish420]

5. "taking pictures...but not helping"...

I was thinking that today, watching a guy wave at a news helicopter for help...I was thinking 'he doesn't even know its the news, he is just thinking why wont they get me?' He feels abandoned.

[earth mom]

7. Very well put. Nominated! eom

[expatriate]

9. I have feared this from the beginning

particularly when it became so obvious that services were terrible and practically non-existent, and that there was no federal assistance in sight.

I love New Orleans, but the city has always had some very big warts on it - and one thing has always been poverty. Decades, centuries of entrenched poverty. The housing projects in New Orleans are so dangerous that the police won't go into them at night. There are some very dangerous people in the city. At one time, it was the murder capital of the USA. It's a beautiful and friendly city, but it was always important to remember that this element existed, and take care.

Add desperation in people in an emergency situation to that core of dangerous people and you have what is happening now. When looting starts, most people only take what they need, but that so rapidly disintegrates into just taking something, anything - and as the fear of imminent death gets stronger, people become less concerned with anything but their own survival. And it's been seen time and time again in wars and disasters - most people will do anything to survive. Though crises often bring out the best in some people, more often, they bring out the worst in people. Ask anyone who deals regularly with people in crisis. Funeral directors and hospital staff can tell endless horror stories of people who are probably decent folk normally who become monsters when under pressure in a life and death situation. All you have to do to realize that civilization is paper thin on the human animal is to subject that human animal to a life or death situation.

And if someone appears to be strong as a leader, people will follow them and do what they say - and some of those dangerous people would come across in a time of great devastation as strong leaders.

It makes me sick. It could have been prevented, but what would have prevented it needed to happen three days ago.