Again, I am all sorts of sure there have been numerous cock-ups by the city, the state, and the feds, and I am sure FEMA has done a number of dumb things (and for the love of God, no more emails about the fireman bit- when things calm down, I am sure there will be an honest accounting of everything that did and did not happen). But this kind of stupidity can’t be allowed to fester:
THE HELL III: The details are almost indescribable:
“Arkansas National Guardsman Mikel Brooks stepped through the food service entrance of the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center Monday, flipped on the light at the end of his machine gun, and started pointing out bodies. “Don’t step in that blood – it’s contaminated,” he said. “That one with his arm sticking up in the air, he’s an old man.”
Then he shined the light on the smaller human figure under the white sheet next to the elderly man.
“That’s a kid,” he said. “There’s another one in the freezer, a 7-year-old with her throat cut.”
He moved on, walking quickly through the darkness, pulling his camouflage shirt to his face to screen out the overwhelming odor.
“There’s an old woman,” he said, pointing to a wheelchair covered by a sheet. “I escorted her in myself. And that old man got bludgeoned to death,” he said of the body lying on the floor next to the wheelchair.
Note that these people were not killed by the force of a hurricane, but by the lack of response to it.
Yes- a delay in delivering food and water slit a 7 year old’s throat and bludgeoned an old man in a wheelchair. Thanks Andrew. That statement may be as irresponsible a statement from the press or a blogger that I have ever seen.
And yes, of course, I know I am nothing but a Bush shill for noting that neither Mayor Nagin, Governor Blanco, Michael Chertoff, Mike Brown, or President Bush are responsible for the animals who slit the throat of a 7 yeard old.
Beating The Failure Meme To Death- And Throwing Reason Out in the ProcessPost + Comments (137)