Hi Mark
I think I am only now, I mean this evening, coming to terms with this u.s.
problem with internal catastrophes... And I don't think that I had grasped
that your constitution makes any central planning very difficult. But
planning of any kind doesn't seem a major skill - that "more power" that I
once picked up from a sitcom does seem the major approach
I remember paying a little attention to the world outside when I heard that
people were told to evacuate New Orleans - hurricanes seem to me a fact of
USA life but I'd never heard *that before. And it did cross my mind that
there seemed to be no advice as to *how they were going to evacuate. Where
to? How?
The Evacuation (of children in 1939) was a long time ago, infinitely so for
someone my age, but it seems to have been accompanied with a system. Apart
from that... nowadays we have a plan for getting people home on New Years
Day morning. I believe we have a plan for *when the Thames Barrier becomes
inadequate to deal with the tide.
I have no doubt that a few nukes would soon put paid to anything short of
callous martial law here, but I have semi faith that the police would kick
up a fuss if anyone wanted to call for the evacuation of a city without an
attempt at a system.
It was suggested a while ago - to uk govt silence - that the plan for war
here is to advise everyone to stay at home, possibly with paper bags over
their heads. No evacuation.
Quite sensible in a country this size; but I wonder how many really grasp -
not sure I do - how collectively stuffed we are if even one hydrogen bomb
goes off here
I don't know... When I read Stephen's post I realised how much in one day my
attitude had changed from concern that so many people were suffering with
the beginnings of irritation with claims that this is the greatest
catastrophe in the history of the world; to a sense that it really is pretty
awful and quite avoidably so with no hyperbole
Thanks for the response. You've educated me with a few words
L
----- Original Message -----
From: "Mark Weiss" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Friday, September 02, 2005 12:57 AM
Subject: Re: Hurricane Katrina / some thoughts
> 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
>
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