Blog-IT-o ergo sum

	9/1/2005

Off Key Observations on New Orleans Tragedy

1) I fully realize there is a lot of destruction and water lying around but has anybody noticed the irony of the private sector being able to move 80,000 people in AND out of the Super Dome in a single day and yet, the fully mobilzed efforts of GovCo across all levels can't move even a fraction of that many people in one direction in 3 days? Had the New Orleans Saints played a special benefit game in the Super Dome on Wednesday all those people would be out of there by now.

2) Judging from the CNN footage, it appears that all the white people have escaped New Orleans. It also appears that while TV news departments have made noticable EEO program advances behind their news desks, this success has not been duplicated in the field reporter staffs. Purely unscientific of course, but I also think I see most of the white surviors of Katrina in the beach and gambling resorts of Mississippi. In the video clips, these same areas seem to have a significantly higher on-the-ground law enforcement/national guard to survivor ratio than New Orleans as well.

The SOS e-mail from the Mayor of New Orleans read on CNN an hour ago asking anybody for help to save those in the convention area inspired this message. This was a particularly ominous message given that moments later in seperate statements Mr. Chertoff and Mr. Bush assured everyone that "help is coming" and they are working quickly to get things under control. The CNN shots of dead bodies lying around the convention area unfortunately support the assessment of the local Mayor over the out of town commanders.

While the layers of government slowly undulate in responding to this terrible situation, I look forward to the reports of people in and around the area successfully taking things into their own hands.

3:48:03 PM

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