They are really hyping the "crime-looter-danger" thing way up.

[bribri16]

This is what they are obviously are going to tell the victims who are angry about receiving help so late. Don't let them get away with it. There simply is excuse for not getting food and water to the people at the Convention Center, the hospital, and the Superdome. NONE!!!

[Kni7es]

1. on crack

The violence exibited by looters in New Orleans was mainly the result of drug users who were cut off from their fix, like everything else in the city (food, water, electricity).

This crap about "Anarchy" in NO has got to stop. Have you seen the Yahoo! forums? They're abominable.

[skooooo]

11. agree to an extent...

The last time I was there, I was quite aware that there was a rough side to NO. Around the French Quarter, the police keep it quite safe fo the tourists. I find it quite believable that there was some criminal elements, gangs, whatever that took advantage of the situation. In that context, and the amount of stress everyone was under, I can imagine at least that it seemed quite a big problem. Maybe in reality, from our perspective it is hard to understand how these judgements were made.

At the same time, stories such as these are always picked up by the media. Maybe the truth is not at one extreme or the other?

[Webster Green]

2. Just watched a chopper pilot donning bulletproof vest on CNN...

They are acting like this is a war, not a rescue.

[Zynx]

3. Some down there are really dangerous. Most aren't.

[liberaliraqvet26]

4. yes that is exactly what they are doing....

yes there are dangerous hoodlums with guns walking aroung NO terrorizing people, this is true. Is it to the scale the media is playing it, I doubt it.

When would a MILITARY operation grind to a HALT because of a little small arms fire??? is that the most rediculas thing they are feeding us. The NG could handle a few criminals, if they are shot at or see unauthorized people carrying weapons they engage them. That is what they are trained to do. This is the ARMY, it doesn't stop functioning for a few nuts.

[Imagevision]

5. Sure! - Bush needs to use it for reasons for delays!!

http://downingstreetmemo.com/

[jimshoes]

6. The goverment

was and is not ready to handle this scale of emergency despite "Homeland Security" sucking billions of taxpyer dollars away from infrastructure programs and Katrina proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt. Woe is the next city to be hit with a catastrophy of any kind. Our capabilities are stretched very very thin it appears and our vulnerabilities are open for the world to see.

Edit to add they are using the looter scenario to cover their abysmal performance at the rescue of the people of New Orleans. IMHO

[miss_kitty]

7. I can only repost this link to a study

which backs up what you state in your subject line

HURRICANE GEORGES:
THE EXPERIENCE OF THE MEDIA AND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT ON THE MISSISSIPPI GULF COAST

Henry W. Fischer III
Department of Sociology
Millersville University of Pennsylvania
Millersville, Pennsylvania 17551

http://www.colorado.edu/IBS/hazards/qr/qr117.html

[mourningdove92]

8. They are DEMONIZING the victims in New Orleans.

this is part of the RW spin on this.

see thread
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=104&topic_id=4598512&mesg_id=4598512

[Cooley Hurd]

9. Every survivor they shoot is one less person suing the Fed for their...

...LACK of response. :grr:

Can this get more fucked up? :grr:

[Spazito]

10. Here is something very scary that ties in to your OP

She (Rita Cosby) just reported that she is at the airport in Baton Rouge, and that AG Gonzales has arrived along with scores of FBI sharpshooters. When asked why was Gonzales there and the sharpshooters, was there something that they can do in the recovery. She said that there is all kinds of lawlessness going on in NO and the recovery can't continue until the area is secure. WTF????

Link to the thread:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x4611167