Perspective from a frequent visitor, from Germany

[Kali]

Hi,
this is a desaster what is going on in your country
right now!!! I am crying when I see these pictures on
TV. People in Bangladesh are getting better help and
are better organized during situations like that than
what the world has to see in the richest and "most
modern" country of the world. This is soooo!
miserable, bad and ..... - I am missing the words to
describe my feelings and I can just not understand why
all these poor people were not evacuated BEFORE this
thing came through. Just telling the rich "better
leave the area if you can" and just ignoring all the
poor, old and helpless... (and not even having a plan
for the worst scenario!)
The rich left in their cars and the poor's lifes where
up to the game - "you're either lucky or you have to
die" - am I seeing this right or is our press and
media just biased? Very critical comments around here
in the newspapers and on TV. The storm was one thing,
but what is going on there now is the worst scenario
one can think of. And Bush is not even taking the help
offered by other countries that have obviously better
experience with helping FAST in human (political)
tragedies like this!
I cannot blame the people for stealing and taking what
they can to save their naked lives...
One of our neighbor is a Jazz muscician - I heard him
playing at the open window yesterday evening. Usually
one never hears him. Yesterday he was playing loud at
the open window with his Saxophone and all the
neighborhood was able to hear his long ballad and I
bet everybody elso too was thinking of New Orleans in
these moments because I bet it was the ballad of dying
New Orleans. I never heard him playing like this.
I better start working something. I am so glad my
father did not have to witness that, it would have
broke his heart too.

[Drum]

1. Thursday in NYC

I was walking to the subway at 57th St & 7th Ave, and on the sidewalk was a jazz trio playing a somber "When the Saints Go Marching In," and it struck me with such sadness, poignancy. So much lost, even before our government compounded the tragedy. Our culture truly is breaking away on the edges.

[Arugula Latte]

2. The brutality on the underside of America has been exposed to the world

Those of us who have been against this government can only rail with anger and cry.

Remember that song: "This is not America"

Well, This is America.

Thank you for your thoughts.

[Arugula Latte]

3. Let me just add...

I thought I had reached my cynicism limit, but never did I dream that a response to a PREDICTED natural disaster would have been this atrocious. I thought if nothing else, this country would be competent at rescuing as many people as possible quickly and efficiently. It is ASTOUNDING to us here -- even those of us who didn't think BushCo. could stoop any lower -- how horribly this administration failed the people of New Orleans.

[understandinglife]

5. Well, he tortures, murders, destroys civilizations, .... why would ..

....anyone, anywhere be surprised about what he sat and watched happen to New Orleans. It's not cynicism to state these facts. It's just simply stating the facts.

"We The People .... Have No Clothes" -- we have all had access to the truth ever since Dec 9 2000 when Scalia perpetrated the first traitorous act ever committed by a member of the Supreme Court, and it has been nothing but an expanding cesspool of lies, excuses, avarice, murder, torture, imperialism and enviromental savaging ever since.

"We The People .... have no excuses." We must make a simple decision - do we allow Bush and the neoconsters to continue to murder, to torture, to lie, to steal and destroy or do we rebuild the Republic as we rebuild New Orleans; do we restore meaning to our Constitution and Bill of Rights as we nurture the impoverished citizens of New Orleans and America, or do we continue pretending it isn't happening.

Time to make a decision my fellow citizens. No where to hide, no point in running, the whole world is watching each, every one of US.


Peace.

[Karenina]

8. Errrraaa...

[Wheezy]

4. thanks kali

this is poetry.

just when I think I can't cry any more...

[Kali]

6. Just realized some might think I wrote that -

it's from a very good friend of mine. Yeah, made me cry too. Her father was much enamored with the US. He had a huge Jazz collection and was a member of a club that met once a month or so to lecture each other and listen and appreciate the "American" music. He was in tears last year as well when that asshole stole the election I think I posted something at the time as well. - A good man who passed last year. I only met him once but had a delightful time in his company. He loved the music.

My friend will visit in October and we will have deep German type philosophical conversations while we drink wine and eat steaks.

It is good for us to see ourselves from other perspectives. I sure wish the assholes in charge could do some self-examination.

[spooky3]

7. Thanks to your friend for her compassion and in answer

to her question..."am I seeing this right or is our press and
media just biased?"

Your press and media are telling you the truth. If only ours would do the same on a consistent basis from now on.

(on edit to adjust for the info Kali just provided)