They are SURVIVORS, not refugees.

[elehhhhna]

THX.

[texpatriot2004]

1. They are Americans not refugees. n/t

[malta blue]

2. Thank you

I am so tired of seeing them referred to as such. Under international law, they are internally displaced people. The difference between IDP and refugee is that IDP are still in their own country. Although, the use of the term refugee does reflect how third world-esqe the response has been.

[fooj]

3. We can't emphasize that enough! Thank you for the post!

Peace.

[fooj]

4. Don't forget to call your elected officials!

We, at DU are calling for the immediate resignation of the
current administration. We are demanding accountability and
calling our elected representatives starting 8 am tomorrow
morning (Tues 9-6) in Washington D. C. and asking them to do
their jobs by representing the voices of the people. If they
do not honor their obligation to their constituents, we will
hold them accountable, as well.

Please let the people know that tomorrow is ACCOUNTABILITY
DAY!


Peace.

[LostinVA]

5. Oprah hammered this home on her show today

Very good show -- watch it even if you don't like Oprah.

[fooj]

6. Excellent...thanks for the heads-up!

Peace.

[LostinVA]

7. There are certain shows Oprah still does very well

And this is one of them. Like Clinton, she is very charismatic and approachable to "ordinary" people.

[Tyranny_R_US]

12. Thanks for the heads up it will air in 5 hours on the west coast

[ProfessorGAC]

8. Eric Zorn Disagrees

Eric Zorn, Chicago Tribune columnist, has a column TODAY that suggestst that survivor isn't strong enough. He like refugees because they just didn't survive it. They are on the run from the damage and absolutely CAN'T, in many cases, go back. It's closer to being a refugee than merely surviving a storm or flood. (I've done both and what my wife and i went through isn't remotely close to what's happened in N.O.)

It's a really good column. You should take a read.
The Professor

[seabeyond]

9. survivors. as trivial aS THIS SOUNDS. i didnt like victim

didnt want refugee. survivor is perfect. thank you

[demo dutch]

10. Refugees are foreigners, They're evacuees

[Generic Other]

11. Victims of Bush administration incompetence

and survivors.

[mmonk]

14. Yes, the word, "victims"

covers all bases.

[katinmn]

13. * must be reading DU! I just heard him say

"They're Americans not refugees."

Seriously, somebody must be hollering besides us and so Rove promised him a cookie to say it.

[craigolemiss]

15. "Refugees"---Is NOT a bad word to use---Please Read for FACTS

8-27 rich people in Naples Fla--described as "Refugees"

OK once again let's get this straight --- arguing over "refugee" is on par with arguing over about calling it soda, coke, or pop. refugee is a word REGULARLY used to describe people displaced by a storm. For example I give you a Pre-New Orleans Katrina story from Naples Florida:

http://www.naplesnews.com/npdn/news/article/0,2071,NPDN_14940_4036176,00.html

This story examines the horrible disruption of a couple of days without power and people forced into local hotels to drink Pina Coladas in the sun. These people probably were not black, and probably were not poor, but guess what ---they got called ---wait for it--- refugees----

whoever started the "they aren't refugees" stuff needs a dictionary, as it is OBVIOUS that the word refugee has been used OFTEN to descibe people displaced by a weather event.

East Coast residents relax in Collier after fleeing mess left by Katrina
August 28, 2005

Too bad pina coladas aren't tax-deductible.

Gladys Fernandez was sipping one Saturday afternoon at the Vanderbilt Inn pool in north Collier County when her mother-in-law called to remind her to save receipts.

The federal government may help with expenses for her Collier County weekend after Hurricane Katrina beat up her surburban Miami neighborhood.

"I asked her, 'What about the pina coladas?' She said, 'Well, no, you better hide those,' " chuckled Fernandez, 37, who escaped to join friends after about 35 hours without power.

----SNIP----

Throughout the day, the east coast refugees at the Vanderbilt Inn called to check if the power was back or phones restored on the east coast.

Nope, but no worries. They went back to sunbathing and their drinks.

----SNIP----

[Igel]

16. We use words to express meanings that we need to.

There are many survivors still in NOLA, S. LA, and Mississippi, that (obviously) were not evacuated, nor fled on their own. And many of those that survived will still be survivors of Katrina in 35 years, long after they return home and start work again.

There are many evacuees that need no assistance: they went from NOLA (etc.) to their permanent homes.

There are many people that fled and need help, but which were not evacuated; they have only survived bad traffic and cheap hotels. I saw a bunch of them with their SUVs today.

There are many survivors who are not American citizens, just as there are people that fled and need help but who are not Americans.

I want a term to express the set of people that fled or were taken from NOLA and other areas affected by Katrina, to cover the time that they remain in need of help: it must include non-Americans, those that experienced no life-threatening danger from Katrina. It must exclude people that survived life-threatening danger and were evacuated, but which need no assistance simply because they went home afterwards. It must not include people that fled NOLA once they have returned: it must be a temporary condition.

I used to have one. But somebody apparently decided that it has a racist meaning, even though much more than a third of the people that it applies to are white.

I dislike "IDP", because it has the whiff of bureaucratese about it, and I prefer not to subordinate my day-to-day language usage to unelected bureaucrats who are good at their job, but at little else. I find it dehumanizing, as I do all things bureaucratic. Otherwise it would do.

In fact, I tend to find that it reflects a sort of tiresome power game resulting to academic urban legends dating to the '50s and '60s.

[RaleighNCDUer]

17. How are they not refugees? The are seeking refuge.

What other definition is there?