Nola

My friend Kris, who has the same birthday I do and until Sunday lived in New Orleans, is fine. She's a little unsure of what's in store at the moment, as her ATM card doesn't work and she had to be out of her Alabama motel room this morning. She wrote that she had been eating at a mission, where she "was NOT mistaken for a homeless person." She is a gentle and genteel Southern lady, and I have no doubt of that, at all. Hearing from her leaves me more deeply relieved than I can say.

Since Sherri expressed an interest in my thoughts, I reckon I'll share them. What follows is somewhat edited, as many of my thoughts regarding the state of affairs in New Orleans are unprintable.

I don't like what this says about America. I am embarrassed that we have a segment of our population that is so angrily disenfranchized that at the first opportunity for immediate gun-totin' gratification, they're off to the races.

I understand that relief operations take time. I remember the complaints that came in the wake of Hugo and Andrew about how slow the Federal Government was to respond, and it's worth noting here that the citizenry of Charleston and Dade County never behaved so badly that the local constabulary felt compelled to barricade themselves in their precinct houses.

The people who rant about how long it's taking to get help into the disaster area don't seem to understand that if the police can't offer enough security to keep themselves safe in their own parking lot, then emergency medical personnel, fire fighters and Red Cross relief workers (regardless of where they come from) cannot get to those who need help. "Where is the military?" they cry. That seems to be their question whenever things deteriorate so badly that nearly everyone else has given up, yet they never seem to remember to find funding when the budget is up for review.

I have just three words for those who ask why President Bush hasn't fired up the 1st Marine Division to help get the New Orleans Police out of their offices and back at their posts: Posse. Comitatus. Act.

For those of you who slept through US History in high school, let's review: The Posse Comitatus Act makes it illegal for members of the Army, Navy, Air Force or Marines to assist in search, seizure, arrest, or similar activities involving citizens of the United States.

Granted, the armed anarchists who now own New Orleans aren't acting much like citizens, but it's a safe bet that the ones who get brought to trial will demand their Constitutional Rights. As embarrassing as it is to admit it, they are American citizens, and that makes containing them a law enforcement problem, something the military cannot participate in.

So, bring in the National Guard. Why has it taken so long to bring in the National Guard? First, let's reiterate that until Wednesday, no one imagined that the situation would deteriorate so badly. Everyone knew that there would be a few looters, but who could imagine that they'd actively impede rescue efforts? And that there'd be enough of them that they'd so thoroughly overwhelm the police? There could not possibly have been a plan for bringing in combat troops before serious relief efforts could get underway.

By the way, the National Guard has been there since Wednesday, just not in the kind of numbers that could be considered helpful for security. As of this morning, there were about 15,000 National Guard troops on the ground in New Orleans, and another 30,000 or so on the way. According to GlobalSecurity.org, the state of Louisiana has about 11,500 members of its National Guard. So, neighboring states are sending roughly 34,000 troops to assist in relief efforts...34,000 men and women who until Wednesday evening around dinner time were probably still grousing about last week's cuts in the National Guard budget but grateful that the cuts made it less likely they'd have to go do a tour in Iraq. Or in some cases, a second tour.

There has been one amusing aspect to this disaster: The politicians are revealing truly dizzying intellects. Shortly before Katrina hit, one of them actually claimed that all that hard partying made them tough enough to handle any storm. He's now screaming for combat troops to get control of the situation. Another, after viewing the damage from the air said, "It looks like Hiroshima after the atomic bomb was dropped." (Sure, if you don't consider that Hiroshima was flattened and burned as opposed to flattened and flooded. Also, there were something like 70,000 dead in Hiroshima.)

Quite honestly, I've been doing my best to avoid the bulk of the reporting from New Orleans. It's not that I feel less horrified, or that I am less concerned than I should be, it's just that there is only so much horror a body can take. And besides, I've long since opened my eyes to the way the media exploits information to sell commercial air time. "Rescue Workers Bypassing The Dead! But first, is your dog getting enough cheese?"

I'd like to be able to summarize my feelings in a tightly written and witty paragraph, but I'm still sorting them out. Maybe it's just this: An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure. Wherever you live, set yourself up with a disaster kit, and keep it maintained. And whenever you have an opportunity to give a little to an organization that helps the disenfranchized, take it, because that homeless guy outside McDonald's may someday be there dressed like Rambo.