Lawrence: The quality of the present crew at the top aside, remember that
Americans tend to be culturally opposed to cooperation beyond the local and
immediate. And our constitution makes any central planning very difficult,
except in military ansd foreign affairs matters, which are specifically
assigned to the central government. Even absent what you point out we tend
to be pretty helpless in internal catastrophes. It took four years before
the central government could react to the great depression, for instance,
which affected a lot more of the population.

Mark


At 07:44 PM 9/1/2005, you wrote:
>It's quite extraordinary. I have no tv and have only today been listening to
>the radio at all closely
>
>And over the day it has started to grow on me how clueless the us govt is
>
>What a gift to Bush to become the saviour; but it seems there just isnt the
>organisation there and possibly not the awareness of the opportunity
>
>As at WTC and the Pentagon, and more recently with the bombs in London, one
>gets a glimpse of what would happen if the war first prepared for USSR were
>ever fought
>
>And many of the failures and derelictions which have seemed (to me)
>institutionally racist in Iraq now seem to be happening in the US itself. It
>isnt that the powers dont care about Iraqis; they dont care (effectively)
>about anyone
>
>I know that the UK is administered by tossers but... well the comparison
>doesn't matter once it falls below functional
>
>I have listened with astonishment and growing pain as I have heard this
>evening's broadcasts on BBC Radio. Change the accents and it could be
>anywhere in the poorer parts of the world. Yet here one doesnt even have to
>think Can I afford to give? because money isnt the problem.
>
>There will be great pleasure among those who see USA as an enemy to be
>fought; and there will be exhilaration that for all the country's resources
>it can't or isn't interested in helping its own citizens
>
>I was thinking, probably not that appropriately, of occasions when I have
>watched people doing high tech camping, spending hours unpacking, more hours
>assembling and more hours still debugging all their shelter and cooking
>arrangements, clueless about where to site themselves, what to do when
>something goes wrong etc
>
>The advantage of many who survived the big tsunami was that they didn't
>expect to be helped. I heard bewilderment approaching despair today as
>USAmericans realised that there are no plans as such to help them and that
>it won't be fixed except in a ramshackle way - presumably while anything
>that can be creamed off will be as it has been in Iraq, regardless of the
>importance of whatever is stolen to the intended recipients
>
>
>L
>
>----- Original Message -----
>From: "Stephen Vincent" <[log in to unmask]>
>To: <[log in to unmask]>
>Sent: Thursday, September 01, 2005 11:23 PM
>Subject: Hurricane Katrina / some thoughts