Helicopters get shot at every day in Iraq. I can't believe they

[onecent]

have suspended picking these poor innocent people up and taking them to safety.

[Misunderestimator]

1. And the troops that are picking them up should be prepared for fire...

just as they are in Iraq. But they would rather let thousands more people die than defend themselves against one lone asshole with a gun (IF the reports of a gunshot are even true). Unbelievable.

[DemBones DemBones]

Yes, but the chopper they shot at in NO was an ambulance service

chopper. The ambulance service decided not to put its pilots at further risk.

Read nola.com

[Misunderestimator]

3. And that's horrible... but where are the national guard copters?

Where are the troops that should be evacuating them? Are they incapable of handling any amount of gunfire?

[DemBones DemBones]

6. The National Guard are there and continued evacuating people

from the Superdome.

"The Superdome, where some 25,000 people were being evacuated by bus to the Houston Astrodome, descended into chaos.

Huge crowds, hoping to finally escape the stifling confines of the stadium, jammed the main concourse outside the dome, spilling out over the ramp to the Hyatt hotel next door — a seething sea of tense, unhappy, people packed shoulder-to-shoulder up to the barricades where heavily armed National Guardsmen stood.

Fights broke out. A fire erupted in a trash chute inside the dome, but a National Guard commander said it did not affect the evacuation."

http://www.nola.com/newsflash/weather/index.ssf?/base/news-18/1125581340216341.xml&storylist=hurricane


It's not clear from the article whether this was going on at the same time the ambulance chopper was shot at. Nor does it say what they'll do about the sick who need to be evacuated by ambulance, but if they can get buses close to the Dome, they can get ambulances there, I'd think.

I don't know why the Guardsmen didn't shoot at whoever shot at the copter BUT if they had shot someone, it might have caused a riot. It's all a terrible mess. Ultimately, I think the blame is on Bush* for cutting the funding to the Army Corps of Engineers SELA project that was shoring up levees and working to prepare NOLA to withstand such a storm. It's like not being prepared for a major earthquake in CA.
Or a terrorist attack anywhere in the country. And I fear they're not prepared for any massive event. Look how badly they handled 9/11, allowing people to live and work there, breathing toxic fumes. If the water in NO isn't already that toxic, I'm afraid it soon will be.

[Misunderestimator]

7. Apparently they don't have enough Guard there to maintain ANY order.

And you're right... this proves that we are not prepared for anything. :(

[DemBones DemBones]

10. The article says 28, 000 troops "dedicated to the effort"

but that's probably over all four states and who knows if they're there yet.

It's reminiscent of NORAD not being able to scramble fighter jets. . .

[leveymg]

5. Is it just this one private company that's suspended search-rescue?

I read they were suspending ops at a major air field.

[DemBones DemBones]

8. Don't know about the air field. . . the mayor,

as you probably know, has refocused the police on keeping order so that the armed gangs can't break into more nursing homes, hospitals, etc. I would guess that they also feel that there will not be many more people to rescue, that most of those who have been stranded without food and water for days will be dead or beyong saving by now -- but that's just my guess, that it's a triage sort of decision to save those who are in the shelters, etc., and get them out of the city ASAP. They needed a lot more people and a lot more equipment there from the get-go, like, for instance, all the LA Guardsmen that are in Iraq, and all the equipment they took with them. Over 200 ordinary people have shown up in their fishing boats and helped in the search -- why not thousands of troops and government boats?

[SammyWinstonJack]

2. Save your own skin?

:shrug: Atleast drop some water! :argh:

[Bluerthanblue]

4. just said the same thing on another thread- I SO agree- WTF???

....
Rescue work is DANGEROUS!!!!- and who is to say that one bullet came from the 'bad guys'????

[DemBones DemBones]

11. Private ambulance services don't usually do that

sort of work, I guess.

[mondo joe]

13. Sure - lose an ambulance and workers so they can't help anyone

ELSE?

I don't think getting shot at counts as the sort of danger rescue workers are supposed to buck up and take.

There's been PLENTY of incompetence and neglect but I don't think the rescue workers should be blamed for trying to do their jobs AND protect their own lives.

[Bluerthanblue]

14. The helicopter (civilian) may stop if it is too dangerous, but

where is the Guard???
And why the fuck yes FUCK did the cops stop loading busses with people ??? THEY can't say they aren't equiped to deal with chaos- ????
WHERE IS THE NATIONAL GUARD????-

oh i forgot, 'exporting freedom' in the form of death to the world at large......

Face it- the buss load of assholes who came into Crawford chanting 'we don't care' were the only folks on 'the other side' to speak the truth in a LONG time- and they meant it.........

[mondo joe]

17. Yes - now THAT really is the problerm. The Guard has been

exported so they can't provide for their real function.

And what I pray the MSM will start to note is this: what if it were a terrorist attack rather than a Hurricane? Is this the best our federal government can do?

[Media_Lies_Daily]

9. Thay wouldn't have been shot at if they had arrived three days ago.

[librechik]

12. the Columbine Defense

they let people die there becasue they were afraid to go where the shooters might be.

There are still lawsuits unfolding over that behavior here.

It's their job to go where the shooters are.

[Bluerthanblue]

16. geez.... that's a hideously true comparison.... and

there is no excuse....

[muwriter]

15. Helicopters in Iraq are armored. Coast Guard choppers are not.

[sandnsea]

18. I agree, that's what military is FOR

If they can't sacrifice their lives for OUR OWN PEOPLE, then we're a pretty fucked up country.