How would we deal with Disaster ?

[farmers_son]

Good comments again FarmRanger, and again I say we can thank our lucky stars that we aren't dealing with a disaster in this country. I am pleased that we have offered as much assistance as possible, it is the right thing to do when peoples lives have been turned upside down . I doubt if any one of the people who are suffering the worst in this disaster had anything to do with our cattle crossing the border. Why any thinking person would try and equate or even allude to the two in the same breath just boggles my mind !!!
I hope our country never has to deal with anything of this magnitude .

[farmers_son]

Well emrald1, you are entitled to your opinion, as I am I. The basis of my comments is that the disaster in New Orleans had a whole lot less to do with the Hurricane which did not hit New Orleans directly (center hit Biloxi 60 miles to the east) rather a lack of funding for safety measures which should have been a priority in a city that is as much as 20 feet below sea level played a significant role in the disaster. Societal problems are making the situation worse.

I guess one could make the argument that the situation was bad luck, but that would ignore that bad planning played a role as well. One would think that if a city was built below sea level that the levee system would be a high priority. The evidence shows that in the United States military spending was a higher priority.

Emrald1, you said in an earlier post “I would assume that some of the looting was in desperation not because of a real criminal intent.” Certainly some of the looting was in desperation, but every gun store in New Orleans was completely looted. People do not eat guns. It is not possible to ignore the likelihood that some of dead in New Orleans died as a result of gunfire. Time and time again rescue efforts were delayed because the areas needed to be secured first. The evacuation of the Superdome was halted because people were firing at military helicopters. After the hurricane New Orleans was characterized more by urban warfare than by disaster relief. Mayor Nagin told a Mississippi television station that a police officer was shot and wounded when he surprised a looter Tuesday, but the officer was expected to recover.

For pictures see:

http://www.nppa.org/news_and_events/news/2005/09/hurricane2.html

In 1974 a cyclone destroyed the city of Darwin Australia. I have not been able to find similar evidence of urban warfare in Darwin, or for that matter evidence of any violence, as we see in New Orleans. While such violence may be expected in a third world country, in the first world countries I would say this kind of urban warfare after a weather crisis would be unique to the United States.

I am glad to see the support of nations like Canada. And while I am also glad we do not have a disaster in this country does any Canadian believe we would see violence and shooting like we see in New Orleans? It is not all a matter of bad luck. New Orleans is 10 days into the disaster and the violence is just starting to be under control. What we see in New Orleans has less to do with a hurricane and more to do with a society that has rot at its core.

[farmers_son]

I read this opinion piece in the Star Tribune that says it better than I could.

“Has the obsession with terrorism (which might happen but might be prevented) robbed funding from planning for natural disasters, which we know will happen?”

Jefferson Parish President [Mayor] Aaron Broussard's statement is to the point: "Bureaucracy has murdered people in the greater New Orleans area. And bureaucracy needs to stand trial before Congress today. So I'm asking Congress, please investigate this now. Take whatever idiot they have at the top of whatever agency and give me a better idiot. Give me a caring idiot. Give me a sensitive idiot. Just don't give me the same idiot." And let's find out what really went wrong; don't give us a whitewash that exonerates everyone in charge. We all saw the pictures and we're not buying it, not this time.

For the full article please see:

http://www.startribune.com/stories/1519/5606440.html

[silverback]

Why don't you quit posting all the anti-american articles you can find f_s, and go down to New Orleans and help the people that are victims of the evil bullies that form the American Gov't? You don't seem to have any other work to do these days other than look for articles and data.

And let me guess, your response will be "I am only repeating what many Americans are already saying".

What happened down there is awful, period. Nobody really thinks this kind of thing could happen, but it did.

And by the way, many out here could argue very successfully that there is a much more rotten core in the Canadian gov't than there is in Washington. Most countries in the world would not stand for the rot and corruption coming from the Liberal gov't and their beaurocrats. But I know you do f_s.

[FarmRanger]

Ok, we get it f_s, you think all of America’s ills are caused by American military spending.
So, if it just takes more money to make problems go away, why is it that Canada’s native reserves are such a disgrace? We throw pots of money in that direction, but poverty and suicide is still rampant. Check out the proportions of Canada’s natives in prisons, and then tell me we in Canada are morally superior in our handling of societies problems. This self aggrandizing arrogance is sickening and we wouldn’t tolerate it in others.

If Bush’s administration was caught illegally diverting millions of taxpayer’s dollars into Republican re-election coffers, we’d hear such an uproar it would be deafening. If it happens in Canada, we re-elect the crooks and smugly declare our moral superiority to our neighbors.
If the B.C. lower mainland sunk into the ocean, would we handle it better than we’ve seen in New Orleans? Let’s hope we never find out.

[FarmRanger]

farmers_son the fact of the matter is that of course there is more crime in the US compared to Canada, their damn population is ten times ours for gosh sake !!!

Perhaps you weren't aware of the riot on Whyte Avenue in Edmonton on Canada Day a few years ago, since that time the place is crawling with law enforement officers every Canada Day. What does that say for our society ???

If the US chooses to spend money on the military that is none of our business, and has nothing to do with families that are suffering due to a hurricane that I doubt was Bush's fault !!!

Who did you blame the flooding in Alberta in June on ? Was it the fault of government spending priorities or Mother Nature ??????

[farmers_son]

You are right when you say that if the American government decides to spend money on the military instead of public safety it is none of our business. Emrald1, it was you that started this thread comparing Canada’s reaction to disasters to Americans so please do take exception if I make the comparisons. I do take exception to suggestions that if a similar disaster were to occur in Canada that we would act the same as the Americans. I do not believe there would be shooting in the streets. I have no way to be sure but I would expect our emergency forces to be better organized and prepared. And I have every confidence that our public safety is a higher priority in Canada than I see in the southern United States. No way to be sure but that is what I believe. My opinion.

If you say the hurricane in the Gulf coast is a disaster, I would agree with you. If you suggest that Canadians would act in the same disgraceful manner as the Americans, I respectfully disagree. Disagreement is still allowed isn’t it?

If we are to compare violent crime between the U.S. and Canada, the murder rate in Canada is not about the same as the United States. On a per capita basis, the United States murder rate is 300% of Canada’s. We may dress the same and talk the same as the Americans but Canada is a different society. Yes we have problems as every society does but one does not see the same level of violence here as south of the border.

[farmers_son]

Obviously, I meant to say "it was you that started this thread comparing Canada’s reaction to disasters to Americans so please do not take exception..."

[farmers_son]

And my last comment on this matter...
Anyone wishing to donate or volunteer could check out:

http://myyahoo.volunteermatch.org/volunteers/resources/hurricane.jsp

[silverback]

Thank God.

[blackjack]

...farmrangers post is exactly what my wife and I were discussing just this morning...both nations treating of the poor is basically one big job maker for govt...instead of helping the poor to be independent individuals the taxpayer pays for them to be dependent on govt from one generation to the next...since govt knows best right...not...

[cowman]

I do believe blackjack has hit the nail right on the head?
You can't expect anyone to stand up and be a responsible human being if you treat them like a dog...whether as an abused dog or a pampered dog!
The whole concept of society owes you a living is so basically flawed? The only person on this earth that owes you anything...is you!
Government has created this huge "industry" that thrives on meting out the dole for all manner of people. Is this working?
In this country we are constantly short of skilled laborers, but rather than spend a few bucks to train our own we import them...while our poor continue to live a miserable life on the dole or working for starvation wages!
I remember a few years ago talking to a supervisor on a pipeline. He had two single mothers welding for him and he said they were his best two workers and he'd got them through a government training program. His theory why they were such good workers? "When I get a cat to catch mice, I want a momma who has to feed her kittens!"
In most cases they put these little welfare mommas back in school where they learn garbage like Shakespeare and get them a high school diploma. Which is real nice...they can be oh so proud when they are working at MacDonalds! Quite frankly Macdonalds just doesn't cut it! Get these girls into the trades where they can make a decent living.
Our education system is geared to producing a whole bunch of highly useless people! People who think they have a right to a living just because they went to some idiot school. Unfortunately so many of them are so flawed that about the only place they are fit to work is for the government!
We need a return to a good solid work ethic and the belief if you don't work you don't eat!