Hurrican leaves trash in wake

(9/9/05)

Only in the current world political climate can hurricanes (which have periodically struck the gulf coast of the United States for thousands of years) be the fault of the President and his refusal to endorse a misguided treaty on global warming, the main purpose of which is to punish the United States for its hegemony.
This is the opinion wisely spoken by the environmental minister of Germany.
And while this statement of en vogue America- hating isn't even worthy of response, the Euros have had one valid observation regarding Hurricane Katrina and the subsequent events in New Orleans.
Europeans, and most other civilized people both here and abroad, have been horrified by the conduct of the denizens of the Big Easy. Nary do I agree with the Europeans and their foolhardy and idealistic worldview. However being a civilized man myself, this is where I fi nd my opinion mirroring that of those peace-loving wimps (how could a people who so nobly and ruthlessly colonized the rest of the world turn in to such cowards? But I digress).
I find the actions of these waterlogged citizens of New Orleans and the surrounding communities to be disgraceful and inappropriate. It's not like the size, fury, and probably consequences of this hurricane were not predicted well in advance.
With ample time to escape the wrath of this hurricane some of these intellectual giants decided to bunker down and ride out the approaching squall. I tire of hearing the exclamations of the foolish liberals who claim only those of means were able to elude this deluge. The last time I checked a major urban center is serviced by innumerable forms of transit. Many inexpensive and government subsidized forms of transportation are available to even those with the most limited fi scal wherewithal. I have no patience for these Superdome inhabitants who now cry to the government to bail them out of their own poor judgment.
All these rowdy victims and the bleeding heart armchair critics have done for the past week is whine about the allegedly poor relief efforts. The simple fact of the matter is that the victims? own uncivilized conduct has been the direct cause of a slowed relief effort. One cannot roam the streets in armed gangs or fi re upon the very helicopters trying to rescue one's neighbors or air-drop supplies and expect a seamless and efficient relief operation. Perhaps if those trapped in the Superdome and elsewhere managed to retain their composure and humanity, and acted in a dignified manner then the efforts of the Red Cross and the government would go much smoother than they have been.
Stampedes trying to reach evacuation transports are things that happen in third world countries such as Guatemala or Myanmar. It's only natural for Europeans and others to view the United States and conclude we're trash when deplorable actions such as these take place. I guarantee that if the metropolis of Utrecht in the Netherlands (which is also below sea level) were accosted by an inundation of this magnitude the citizens would certainly not respond in the same barbaric fashion as those in the Crescent City.
I understand that it is a basic human instinct to ensure one's survival, but I assure you that stealing a microwave from the local Wal-Mart does not fall under this innate mechanism. I had always believed that what set apart this country from the lesser nations of the world was its sound social organization and structure. As the level of civilization and its ability to ensure order declines right before our eyes I am left to wonder what will become of this country in the very near future.
Sadly, I'm forced to agree with cowardly Europeans in this instance in that this entire incident refl ects poorly on the nation as a whole.
The only consolation I can take is that perhaps another hurricane will race towards those areas already devastated and Mother Nature will take out the trash that we ourselves have been unable to deal with effectively.
Thanks to the perpetually tear-eyed liberals and their more than generous judges and lawmakers, this country has been unable to deal with the problem as we should because it has become a crime to hurt anyone's feelings or to suggest that people are responsible for improving their own lives. Instead they tell us that it is not their fault that these people can't successfully function in a civilized society. This problem will remain until we fashion a system to deal with these hoodlums as they should be dealt with. If we don't then we place ourselves in a rut that will not be easily overcome. We will slide further in to barbarism and burden our future generations with a growing number of irresponsible and incompetent leeches who will only drag down our once proud, civilized, and strong society.
Let Katrina be a warning to us all: it's not too late to take action. If we don't, the unfortunate events of the past week will soon become more commonplace in cities across the United States.