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You are here: Home / And Something I Simply Can Not Understand

And Something I Simply Can Not Understand

by John Cole|  September 1, 20058:16 pm| 41 Comments

This post is in: Outrage

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And one thing about this tragedy (among a list of things) that I simply can not understand, something I simply do not have in me to recognize, is what is motivating the behavior of whatever deranged, subhuman scum is sniping the people attempting to evacuate the hospital.

I simply can not fathom the type of person that does this sort of thing. I just can’t.

*** Update ***

And The Fat Guy and Haley Barbour were right. I was wrong. These deranged bastards did/do need to be dealt with ruthlessly.

*** Update ***

And while this in no way is the equal to the behavior discussed in the rest of this post, I don’t know what makes people think like this:

I’m not going to post the piece I started to write.

My original reaction to the Katrina catastrophe was going to be: “NOT ONE DIME.”

For an hour or so, I contemplated the idea of turning it into a crusade: No-one in the blue states (where the money is) should give one dime of aid to the victims of this hurricane, which devastated Bush-friendly regions.

Why did I flirt with such a callous attitude?

Because it should be obvious to all that this tragedy was not just an act of God. Dubya and his diety conspired to transform mere disaster into an unprecedented mega-catastrophe.

Scientists warn us to expect more Katrinas. Global warming — the existence of which W would prefer to rationalize away — caused the temperature of the sea’s surface to rise in the Gulf of Mexico, thereby transforming what should have been a manageable hurricane into a monster.

The National Guard was off in Iraq stealing oil — and everything else in that nation — all to benefit Haliburton and the oil companies. They could have been in N.O. earlier, building levies, overseeing evacuation.

Bush financially eviscerated the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The money went to his Iraq debacle.

Sure, he didn’t actually write it. Woops- except he did. And the rest ain’t much better. I don’t know how anyone can look at what is happening down there and even THINK like this.

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Reader Interactions

41Comments

  1. 1.

    ppGaz

    September 1, 2005 at 8:20 pm

    He’s crazy. Crazy people do crazy things.

  2. 2.

    BumperStickerist

    September 1, 2005 at 8:24 pm

    Crazy people taking shots is one thing.

    This, taken from near the end of the article, is entirely different:

    Evacuations by boat were halted after armed looters threatened medics and overturned one of their boats

    That’s not crazy, that’s organized evil.

  3. 3.

    capelza

    September 1, 2005 at 8:31 pm

    Evil….evil that was constrained by whatever passed for order in New Orleans. Now that absolute chaos reigns, they are free to be their bad selves, with looted guns and ammo to boot.

    I just had a thought. Why didn’t stores that sold guns not put them out of harm’s way? I’m not playing the blame game, but it is something that just crossed my mind. Were the guns and ammo just left behind the counter?

  4. 4.

    rilkefan

    September 1, 2005 at 8:34 pm

    I’ve seen speculation that some of the people firing guns were trying to to attract rescue workers’ attention.

    Soldiers wonder why this is stopping the rescues.

  5. 5.

    Jim Caputo

    September 1, 2005 at 8:40 pm

    From the article rilkefan linked….

    IT IS A MILITARY HELICOPTER AND YOU ARE PREFORMING A KIND OF MILITARY MISSION AND YOU ARE TAKING FIRE SO WHAT’S THE FUCKING PROBLEM? I heard this from pilots who have served in Iraq. They are really upset right now that it is okay to take fire to liberate Iraqis but it isn’t okay to take fire attempting to rescue and save people in your own country!

    It’s a good point. Why are they stopping the rescue attempts due to gunfire when they don’t give a rat’s ass if our troops get shot in Iraq?

  6. 6.

    John Cole

    September 1, 2005 at 8:41 pm

    They don’t want the people they are rescuing shot.

  7. 7.

    Mike S

    September 1, 2005 at 8:45 pm

    The funny thing is reading the lgf comments from a linked post. Nothing like seeing a bunch of racist people who continually take the opposite extreme of Brad whie about it.

    It’s like hearing Little Sean Hannity complain that people are being dishonest.

  8. 8.

    Trent

    September 1, 2005 at 8:45 pm

    Evil….evil that was constrained by whatever passed for order in New Orleans. Now that absolute chaos reigns, they are free to be their bad selves, with looted guns and ammo to boot.

    More dead enders…

    Freedom makes people do crazy things. Stuff happens.

    Or

    Maybe that how people react when they’ve gone four days without food, water or contact with the outside world? When they feel like they’ve been abandoned to die.

    The random shootings didn’t start right off the bat, they started today. I think things would have been very different if there were much larger and more effective recovery efforts.

  9. 9.

    Tim F

    September 1, 2005 at 8:45 pm

    I remain completely baffled by this phenomenon. The only thing I can imagine is that the shooter is pissed that some other guy is getting rescued and not him. Otherwise, christ.

    The guest blogger at Brad Blog probably isn’t getting invited back. That post runs at the level of a subpar Kos diary.

  10. 10.

    Mike S

    September 1, 2005 at 8:46 pm

    The random shootings didn’t start right off the bat, they started today. I think things would have been very different if there were much larger and more effective recovery efforts.

    They are causing more deaths. There is no excuse for what they are doing.

  11. 11.

    ppGaz

    September 1, 2005 at 8:50 pm

    That’s not crazy, that’s organized evil.

    Chuckle. Organized evil? That would be the Mafia, or Al Qaeda. Charles Manson. Tim McVeigh.

    What you referred to is a bunch of crazed, pissed off, dehydrated, sun baked people who have been crapping in the street and going hungry and watching their neighbors die and maybe getting into some looted beer. That’s not “organized evil”. That’s just a small riot. Self-destructive, criminal behavior ….. but “organized evil?”

    No. Not unless we are going to reinvent language just because we are having a shitty week.

  12. 12.

    KC

    September 1, 2005 at 8:56 pm

    Totally agree. There is not a single god-damned excuse for sniping at anyone. When I went over to my girlfriend’s house after work and saw that hospital thing, I felt disgusted to my core. As for that other rant, that’s the most idiotic and stupid thing I’ve ever seen written. I think Bush has bumbled some of this hurricane response–I just heard what’s-his-name Brown from the Dept. of Homeland Sec. on Paula Zahn say he didn’t know people were at the Super Dome before today!–there’s no excuse for that kind of garbage writing. It’s beyond ignorant, moronic, idiotic, and insensitive.

  13. 13.

    John Cole

    September 1, 2005 at 8:59 pm

    Not Superdome, the Convention Center. Different site. There were multiple sites.

  14. 14.

    Bob

    September 1, 2005 at 9:09 pm

    I would like to see a study on anarchy in situations where law and order breaks down. I expect you could find similar reasoning among those who looted Baghdad during its emancipation and New Orleans after it was submerged.

    Don’t get me wrong. Looting is one thing. Shooting at people who are rescuing you is another. Unless you don’t believe they are rescuing you. Of course, there are still people in Baghdad who don’t think they were liberated.

    Nevertheless, more troops on the ground, more rescuers, more supplies, more medicine, more water. All of that would alleviate the problems.

  15. 15.

    Anderson

    September 1, 2005 at 9:15 pm

    On the helicopter thing, I forget my source, but I *think* that the “military helicopter” was being used or flown by that ambulance service, and the head of that service said he wouldn’t put his people in danger. Understandable for a civilian to make that call. So it wasn’t a military crew being forced to wimp out.

    (If I’m wrong, please correct me, preferably with a link.)

  16. 16.

    Vladi G

    September 1, 2005 at 9:19 pm

    These deranged bastards did/do need to be dealt with ruthlessly.

    Well, the sniper does. The looters don’t. The taking of a life is never justified in defense of property. That’s why you can’t make a self-defense claim when your person isn’t in danger.

  17. 17.

    Vladi G

    September 1, 2005 at 9:20 pm

    Which isn’t to say they shouldn’t be dealt with to some extent. Just not to the extent of taking lives.

  18. 18.

    Vladi G

    September 1, 2005 at 9:21 pm

    Sorry for three straight, but obviously I’m talking about your run of the mill, non-threatening with weapons looters.

  19. 19.

    BumperStickerist

    September 1, 2005 at 9:22 pm

    Chuckle. Organized evil? That would be the Mafia, or Al Qaeda. Charles Manson. Tim McVeigh.

    What you referred to is a bunch of crazed, pissed off, dehydrated, sun baked people who have been crapping in the street and going hungry and watching their neighbors die and maybe getting into some looted beer. That’s not “organized evil”. That’s just a small riot. Self-destructive, criminal behavior ….. but “organized evil?”

    No. Not unless we are going to reinvent language just because we are having a shitty week.

    Ummmm, pp, step back from the Mafia, McVeigh – a single person taking potshots at a hospital – crazy person.

    Group of people acting in concert to upend a boat with medics … some level of organization is involved and the act is evil.

    and, fwiw, riots rarely take place in water deep enough to require rescue boats

  20. 20.

    ppGaz

    September 1, 2005 at 9:29 pm

    Group of people acting in concert to upend a boat with medics … some level of organization is involved and the act is evil.

    Did they all wear jeans? Then why not call it “Levi Evil.”

    Sort of an anagram.

    Sorry, this little outburst does not qualify as “organized evil.” But, please, keep the kangaroos in court today, obviously they have nothing else to do at the moment.

  21. 21.

    jg

    September 1, 2005 at 9:35 pm

    I think the people shooting at helicopters and ambulances aren’t regular people all pissed off. Its gang members and escaped criminals acting out the ‘the man is gone’ fantasy. They rule the city right now, in their minds, and their exerting their influence. Lets not forget there is a portion of the US population that has no respect for authority. Right now there is no authority.

  22. 22.

    Luke's Dad

    September 1, 2005 at 9:45 pm

    I’m sure there will be those who will now bestow upon New Orleans the quagmire moniker. And yet when folks are taking pot-shots at rescuers, no amount of pre-staging, or pre-planning, or pre-provisioning is going to deter such people.

    The fact is, there are nasty people out there, just waiting for an opportunity to satiate their particular lust.

    I understand, but dont agree with the sentiment to understand, and treat these folks, the majority of this country dictates that we act thusly, and I’ll acquiese. But in times of war and national emergency those that advocate placating these animals are just fucking clueless, or worse.

    Far too many are far too indroctrinated (or intoxicated) by the ACLU-mindset, that everybody, in any situation, deserves our understanding and compassion.

    “ooh, I’m so glad my mother died as she was being evacuated from the hospital because the FBI understood the shooters needs, and felt it was wrong to violate his rights, and take him out”

    Hypothertical to absurd, yet too often those who are telling us what we ought to think are not afflicted by reality.

    (Question to the DKos kids populating this site lately, if this happens in our cities, why do you cling to the illusion that such folks in Iraq are motivated, and behaving differently?)

  23. 23.

    demimondian

    September 1, 2005 at 9:46 pm

    [T]his little outburst does not qualify as “organized evil.”

    I’m not there, so I don’t know how “little” it is. As far as I know, it’s a single psychopath, or maybe a small gang of psychopaths. If they were out “having some fun”, then, no it isn’t “organized evil” — and I hope the perpetrators die painfully soon, so that the innocent can be rescued.

    If, however, the guys with the guns intended to stop the evacuation, then, yes, that would constitute organized evil. I find that tin-foil-hat-improbable, but…I’ve seen awful things in my time. I can’t rule it out.

  24. 24.

    Luke's Dad

    September 1, 2005 at 9:51 pm

    OOOh, but it’s a reveloution, a protest against the occupational forces…

    yeah, the occupational forces of nature – H2O.

  25. 25.

    Mike S

    September 1, 2005 at 9:54 pm

    OOOh, but it’s a reveloution, a protest against the occupational forces…

    yeah, the occupational forces of nature – H2O.

    I feel very sorry for Luke.

  26. 26.

    Andrei

    September 1, 2005 at 9:55 pm

    A must read. Flushing out the ugly truth.

    If you don’t have a Salon.com membership, I highly recommend getting one just to read this article.

  27. 27.

    Luke's Dad

    September 1, 2005 at 9:57 pm

    Riklefan says:

    I’ve seen speculation that some of the people firing guns were trying to to attract rescue workers’ attention.

    ..

    Yea, and some folks are aiming at, and killing, other surviviors.

  28. 28.

    Luke's Dad

    September 1, 2005 at 10:00 pm

    You should.

    He may be in New Orleans…

  29. 29.

    rkrider

    September 1, 2005 at 10:04 pm

    Your smart enough to know that post was a metaphor. It’s pretty chickenshit of you not to admit that and us it to get your knuckledraggers all riled up.

  30. 30.

    rkrider

    September 1, 2005 at 10:05 pm

    doh!…us = use

  31. 31.

    jobiuspublius

    September 1, 2005 at 10:20 pm

    Somebody needs to fly in there in a gunship or harrier or something, with a bull horn and say something. I don’t know what. I’d probably piss off the whole city and they’d come after me. I’m not the expert.

    Roughly, I guess the message would be, “Stop shooting. We are trying to set up a landing zone here to bring you food, water, and medicine and get you out of here. Back away. Stop shooting. ….” If there is a shooter and they can target him, then … Hopefully there are no hostages.

  32. 32.

    ppGaz

    September 1, 2005 at 10:42 pm

    If this has already been seen here, my apologies.

    The link is courtesy of DKos. If there is any doubt that our current disaster was forseen, this should clear the matter up.

    National Geographic Sees the Future?

    The water crept to the top of the massive berm that holds back the lake and then spilled over. Nearly 80 percent of New Orleans lies below sea level—more than eight feet below in places—so the water poured in. A liquid brown wall washed over the brick ranch homes of Gentilly, over the clapboard houses of the Ninth Ward, over the white-columned porches of the Garden District, until it raced through the bars and strip joints on Bourbon Street like the pale rider of the Apocalypse. As it reached 25 feet (eight meters) over parts of the city, people climbed onto roofs to escape it.

    Thousands drowned in the murky brew that was soon contaminated by sewage and industrial waste. Thousands more who survived the flood later perished from dehydration and disease as they waited to be rescued. It took two months to pump the city dry, and by then the Big Easy was buried under a blanket of putrid sediment, a million people were homeless, and 50,000 were dead. It was the worst natural disaster in the history of the United States.

    When did this calamity happen? It hasn’t—yet. But the doomsday scenario is not far-fetched. The Federal Emergency Management Agency lists a hurricane strike on New Orleans as one of the most dire threats to the nation, up there with a large earthquake in California or a terrorist attack on New York City. Even the Red Cross no longer opens hurricane shelters in the city, claiming the risk to its workers is too great.

  33. 33.

    Luke's Dad

    September 1, 2005 at 11:04 pm

    Somebody (an elected official) should have realized that what we are seeing now, could have happened. The reality is they probably did, but figured the chances of it happening were remote… or electorally insignificant.

    They are your representitives… is dogma or reality more improtant?

  34. 34.

    Zifnab

    September 1, 2005 at 11:34 pm

    I don’t care why this sort of thing happens, I just can’t understand how it can go on for ANY extended period of time. I mean, how desperate does a guy have to be to take potshots at a Hospital? Whether this was an act of evil or tragic desperation, I can’t even begin to imagine. That this sort of thing could halt the hospital’s evactuation… this sort of thing shows a definative lack of manpower and management on the Guard’s end. How hard up is the situation down there that these people aren’t apprehended immediately?

  35. 35.

    Jess

    September 2, 2005 at 3:05 am

    John,
    Regarding the LTF piece: if you look at the comments of the posters on your own blog you’ll see many similar remarks from the red side of the fence, arguing that such disasters are the states’ problem, not a federal one, and that federal taxes should not be used to bail out NOLA. The writer you cite was making a valid counter-point that in this case, it would be blue states bailing out red states, presumably states dominated by voters that do not support such bail-outs. Just for the record, I don’t agree with leaving my fellow Americans to suffer such disasters w/o federal aid, and the author of the LTF piece decided he didn’t agree either. Maybe you should save your outrage for the anti-federal aid posters on your own site.

  36. 36.

    Kimmitt

    September 2, 2005 at 4:41 am

    Where does this come from?

    Dubya and his diety conspired to transform mere disaster into an unprecedented mega-catastrophe.

    Profound bitterness at having an extremist vision imposed on sensible people. It’s sad and wrong, and the person who posted it should have listened to his or her better nature and let it go, but I understand it. For a few fleeting seconds, I fricking felt it. “They’re a red state, they voted for this President, now they’re getting what they deserve.” Then I came to my senses, but I suppose that illustrates how deeply our President has squandered the goodwill of much of the American people.

  37. 37.

    Another Jeff

    September 2, 2005 at 7:44 am

    Actually, Kimmitt, the fact that you thought it even for a few seconds speaks volumes about what kind of person you are.

    Although, I’ll have to tell my dad, who was a cop in West Philly at the time, and my uncle, who was a fireman, that right after they got done risking their lives during the MOVE crisis here in PHilly back in ’85, they should’ve just walked up to the people who were all of a sudden homeless and said “hey, you voted for Wilson Goode and he’s the asshole who just approved dropping a bomb on your neighborhood and then letting the fire burn, so you deserved it”.

  38. 38.

    Scott Chaffin

    September 2, 2005 at 8:36 am

    I would rather have been wrong.

  39. 39.

    Jim Caputo

    September 2, 2005 at 8:48 am

    They don’t want the people they are rescuing shot.

    You missed the point… why is it okay for our soldiers to get shot in Iraq protecting Iraqis, but not in Louisiana protecting Americans?

  40. 40.

    BinkyBoy

    September 2, 2005 at 9:48 am

    Its just a good thing we’re fighting the looters over there before we have to fight them here.

    They are just foreign insurgents taking advantage of an opportunity to shoot at Americans.

    Al-Queda operatives have been in the New Orleans area for quite some time and we are smoking them out now.

  41. 41.

    DougJ

    September 2, 2005 at 1:39 pm

    I’m not surprised that this kind of thing has happened down there.I mean all I see on my TV screen is a bunch of young black men running around half naked; Looks like a bunch of animals to me…

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