"I thought this was a sophisticated city. I guess not."

That's kind of a dumb quote, the sort of a thing a liberal would say. There are some people who just don't appreciate civilization and order, and how swiftly either can be swept away.

And it also reveals a pretty solid ignorance of what New Orleans is like. I love it, and I've had the time of my life there, but it is definitely a rough town, and even "good" neighborhoods can be an excellent place to get mugged. The projects in the Ninth Ward and near Louis Armstrong Park are extremely dangerous places, and the famous cemetaries come with the recommendation to never, ever go there alone, only in groups.

I don't really begrudge the looters some food, drinks and diapers from the supermarket and the Walgreen's in a situation like this. It'd be nice of them to pay it back later when the emergency's over, but I wouldn't really sweat it much if they "forgot."

The folks breaking into clothing and jewelry stores to get themselves some Air Jordans and "bling," on the other hand, are in large part some of the utter dregs of humanity. It would be pretty poetic justice if they drowned in the process. Not necessarily poetic justice for the looting, as such, but the folks with the mentality to loot jewelry stores instead of helping out people who are in danger are largely the same people who have been making life miserable for their neighbors for years.

I finally heard from my friend who evacuated town to Covington, across the lake. Cell phone coverage is fucked, but she got my "Are you OK?" text message several hours after I sent it and let me know that she and her family are all right, but they had to cut their way out of the house they were staying in.

I realize the instinct is to see a disaster like this and want to do something -- anything -- to help, but I would suggest that the aid agencies listed are pretty flush and undoubtedly do NOT need a huge influx of cash at this moment. More cash is simply not going to equal more aid on the ground right now. I know this is not Indonesia and giant wads of international sympathy dough aren't going to end up in the pockets of locals, but they aren't going to help any, either. Keep your powder dry. In the weeks to come, it may be that particular and underfunded needs will turn up.

And for chrissakes, unless you're a PETA-loving mooncalf, do NOT give money to the Humane Society of the US ever. They are in no way affiliated with your friendly local humane society. They're a nutball animal rights org with smarter PR. According to ActivistC*ash.com:

HSUS is big, rich, and powerful, a “humane society” in name only. And while most local animal shelters are under-funded and unsung, HSUS has accumulated $113 million in assets and built a recognizable brand by capitalizing on the confusion its very name provokes. This misdirection results in an irony of which most animal lovers are unaware: HSUS raises enough money to finance animal shelters in every single state, with money to spare, yet it doesn’t operate a single one anywhere.

Instead, HSUS spends millions on programs that seek to economically cripple meat and dairy producers; eliminate the use of animals in biomedical research labs; phase out pet breeding, zoos, and circus animal acts; and demonize hunters as crazed lunatics. HSUS spends $2 million each year on travel expenses alone, just keeping its multi-national agenda going.
Eh. The filter didn't like the link to the above. Here's the URL: http://www.activistc*ash.com/organization_overview.cfm/oid/136 Take the asterisk out.

Oh, and I heard from my friends in NO, too. They made it to Baton Rouge in good time.

Huh. Pardon my formatting. Didn't look like that at preview.

We should just pull our troops out of New Orleans. Since their culture is so different from our English-based society, it's obvious that the people there can't handle democracy. It's a quagmire that we'll be in for years. We should declare victory and go home, before any more good Americans die.