FAA: NO HELICOPTERS REPORTED BEING FIRED UPON

[Beam Me Up]

Laura Brown, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman in Washington, said she had no such report.

"We're controlling every single aircraft in that airspace and none of them reported being fired on," she said, adding that the FAA was in contact with the military as well as civilian aircraft.

Earlier Thursday, the first busload of survivors had arrived at the Houston Astrodome, where air conditioning, cots, food and showers awaited them.

Link (at very BOTTOM of the article after talking about WHY rescue services were discontinued!):

http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=1087205

[bklyncowgirl]

1. The looting and shooting problems were very much overestimated

A large force of apparently well disciplined National Guardsmen seem to have taken care of that.

Now why didn't this happen a few days earlier.

[SmokingJacket]

2. If the story is truly false, I hope someone traces it to its source. nt

[Spazito]

3. Pardon my ill-fitting tin foil hat but

could these rumours have been started so they could be used to try and excuse the slow response by FEMA (Homeland Security which means bush)?

[Beam Me Up]

4. No tin foil needed. If you want to go tinfoily along with me, I'd say:

THEY WERE HOPING THIS WOULD BECOME A BLOOD BATH.

But then, I really don't TRUST the people in power at all. Why should I? They've LIED TO US about just about EVERYTHING of any importance for the past FIVE YEARS.

[stillcool]

5. the media sure were quick to pound those talking...

..points home with absolutely zero verification. Why?

[bloom]

9. At the time

I was watching the news - and several of the station's (CNN, MSNBC) anchors were reluctant to assume the rumors were true without verification. They couldn't get anyone to verify it.

[stillcool]

10. ..but that didn't stop them from reporting it...

and create the illusion of anarchy.

[xultar]

6. YEA. Confirmation to a story that even I rumored.

[Beam Me Up]

12. xultar, help me out here!

I'm a white man and I could have easily bought into this HYPED UP story of looting and anarchy in the swamped streets of New Orleans. BUT I DID NOT. And I'll tell you WHY I think I didn't: I NO LONGER WATCH TELEVISION.

In other words, I haven't subjected my psyche to the images of 'gangs' and 'violence' and other stuff that comes via the TV "news" and "entertainment" that OFTEN shows POOR African Americans, inner city African Americans, committing crimes of one sort or another.

I'll add to that: I live in Oakaland California which has a sizeable African American population. Moreover, I live in West Oakland which is (despite recent development efforts) a predominately poor and predominately African American neighborhood. I understand there is a lot of anger in the African American community. As a gay white man, I share some of that anger. Nevertheless, I also understand that in times of grave crisis such as we've seen, what actually comes forward in the overwhelming MAJORITY of people IS THE NEED TO HELP ONE ANOTHER SURVIVE. This is what ACTUALLY happened.

But as we see, THIS WAS NOT THE PERCEPTION THAT WAS CREATED IN THE MINDS OF MOST AMERICANS VIA THE MEDIA.

How can we change this?

[xultar]

13. Welp I lived in New Orleans and there were shots every day in my

neighborhood.

I almost got shot in a restaurant. During a gang confrontation.

That's how I can believe it.

There was shooting for no reason. At least now they have a reason.

[Opusnone]

7. LA Cop this a.m.

on Fox news actually said the reports were mostly rumors. We report, you decide.
Wish I had written down the time, etc. But I didn't maybe someone else did?

[Rainscents]

8. Do you have link to FAA story?

[Beam Me Up]

11. "FAA story"? There is a link in the OP to the ABC report QUOTING the

FAA official. I do not know if there is an "FAA story." I assume the official being quoted WAS RESPONDING TO A QUESTION from an ABC reporter.