One of the tragedies of Katrina was that the federal government was not allowed to mobilize disaster support until the Dep't. of Homeland Security authorized it. That department, created in the frantic aftermath of 9/11, was asleep at the wheel and needless lives were lost. I am not a reflexive gummint hater like some here but sometimes it is pretty useless.

We were all chatting about movies a couple of days ago. Here is one I have mentioned before and want to mention again -- "When the Levees Broke", Spike Lee's documentary about Katrina. "Riveting" is not too strong a word. When Spike dies, and I hope that's a long time from now, I suspect this will be remembered as his best work.


>No this is a difference in the role of the government and the individual responsibility of its citizens. In most cases, the average American donates more to charity than any other country. We do not assume our government fills that responsibility but rather would prefer it not be forced on us by taxes but rather we be allowed to choose where our charitable dollars go. You can not fault the U.S. there. There are some citizens who would prefer that such support be primarily the responsibility of the federal government and have the monetary support for it automatically taken from them via taxes, but that is still not the majority - and hopefully never will be based on our history. That argument alone could take months and months.
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>We also have laws in place which prevent the U.S. federal government (and especially its military) from massing in any state inside its borders (to prevent a President from using his powers as commander in chief in order to form a military dictatorship) which most, even American citizens, forget. Federal troops cannot be used inside our borders without the explicit request of the governor. Since Katrina, there have been some changes in laws for that so that federal troops can be used for humantarian efforts without requiring the specific request from the state but many governors actually fought that change. We are a nation built around individual state rights and responsibilities and there are indeed some limitations and problems in it, but it is a different method, rather than a poorer one.
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>>>LOL. You and the rest of Europe would be sieg-heiling today if it werent' for the blood of our servicemen. Nice try. At least Americans try to do something unlike the Dutch. Their thumbs are not just in the dikes.
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>>Wrong again... Time to step out your american box. The dutch actually do things that americans refuse. Your blinded by your american box. Tip: The dutch navy was present in new orleans offering to help, something the americans were not able to..
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>>John, your'e on it again. Time to take a brake and look at reality. Step out of that american box and look at the world, try to understand it. It ain't pretty.
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>>>>>Its not that the US is any more criminal or not, its that we have a greater population, ergo more criminals. A price we pay for freedom.
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>>>>Since when do you have freedom ?? Huh, you know the president is tapping your phones..
>>>>I can't remember the day that the US had a free press?? Do you know what the word freedom means ?? Anyways the US as a far higher RATE of criminals than other western countries. It is a fact. Get over it, or else vote for a president that is willing to do something about it.
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>>>>Walter,
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>>>>>>>What do we do with them, then. We are running out of real estate to house all of our criminals. I do not know of any rehebilition (sp?) that has worked successfully for the ones that get the death penalty, the murderers.
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>>>>>>Do you know how much it costs to execute one in the US ?? You could prison someone for the rest of his life for less. A far better punishment anyways. Death often is a too easy way out.
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>>>>>>But on the other hand you're right. There are too many criminals in the US. If you compare it to any other western country, the US is far more criminal. It is time for a president who is focussing on that problem and try to lower crime rates. A president that has the courage to do something about it.
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>>>>>>Walter,
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>>>>>>>>Justice too often is about revenge rather than anything else..
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>>>>>>>>The death penalty is babaric regardless of the form. In that sense the US is totally backward to any other western country.
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>>>>>>>>"Thy shall not kill"
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>>>>>>>>>--Oh there were quite a few comments. The dutch vice premier, Zalm had some comments on the barbaric way hussein was punnished.
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>>>>>>>>>Most comments contained emotional pretexts and biases regarding the use of the death penalty.
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>>>>>>>>>I read some commentary about how it 'returned to the 18th century'....as far as the death penalty goes, I think maybe we need a little more of that.
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>>>>>>>>>There's too much concern about making it 'peaceful and painless', to the point where so-called civil rights activists scream their heads off when a condemned man suffers 10 minutes of pain because they can't get the needle in correctly.
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>>>>>>>>>Kevin