Don’t be fooled into thinking that Bush and his cohort Gov. Blanco have actually done something to help the stranded people in New Orleans. Yes, help is finally arriving, but it is far from sufficient. Especially when it comes to maintaining law and order and protecting innocent people from thugs and other criminal elements (which by the way, are not the majority of people in NO, even though much of the news makes it sound that way. People who were muggers and thieves before this happened, will be muggers and thieves in the aftermath).

7:03 P.M. – CNN’s Barbara Starr reports that there is “no indication” the convention center in New Orleans is secure. She reports there is still much unrest.

What does it take to get the military in there and protect the people–who number between 10-25,000?

There is a great essay worth reading, about the total, unbelievable, event which is happening in Louisiana.

Image after image of unrelenting sorrow, layered one atop the other like a deck of haunting cards.

Here?

Yes, here. And now here’s a poignant question, one that maybe George Bush, or that numbskull governor Kathleen Blanco might attempt to answer:

But if a reporter can interview a man standing outside a looted drugstore, and record his reluctance at having to go inside and steal pads for incontinence, why couldn’t someone get medical supplies to the people huddled at the Superdome or the convention center in time, or the buses promised to evacuate them?

Gee, why is that?

Read the entire article at WWLTV.com.

And lest anyone think that the calvary has at long last arrived to save the multitudes, think again. If you thought the situation was pathetic before, and truly believed that George Bush was a man whose claim to fame is a having a double anus, well–you ain’t seen nothing yet. This is from the Katrina blog, which updates every few minutes. This one from this afternoon. Read it and weep.

6:26 P.M. – WASHINGTON (AP): Thousands of people stranded in two swamped parishes south of New Orleans are just as desperate for food, water and supplies as those trapped in the city, but they can’t get the attention of federal disaster relief officials, Rep. Charlie Melancon, D-La., said Friday.

Melancon said the communications problems that kept him from meeting with Bush are symptomatic of the problems that have plagued the slow-moving federal response to the devastation left behind by Hurricane Katrina.

My blog seems to have turned into a Katrina blog, but sorry, there is just so much to say on the subject that I find it difficult to turn to the more mundane subjects at hand. And anyway, this is a health related issue because Katrina, along with the ineptness of officials on the local, state and federal levels, have managed to turn this into a public health nightmare.

So please bear with me. I will be back to my regular broadcasting over the weekend. In the meantime, so much to say as the people down south sweat, die of thirst, and wonder if they have somehow been transported to a ramshackle third world nation.

And as they suffer, the politicians, ie the Bush thing, continue to smirk and deliver idiotic and meaningless sound-bytes. Bush’s pep talks are about to make me vomit.

If you would like to help pets that have been deserted or lost in New Orleans and Mississippi, a great organization is Noah’s Wish. Their sole focus is saving animals when disaster strikes, and they have been at it for about two decades. So they are legitimate, have experience, and channel all resources into this operation.

And no, I don’t have a financial stake in the organization or anything to do with it. I just love animals, and believe that their lives are also important. There are other organizations working down in the Gulf as well.

Animals are a major part of our lives, and for many people, they are the only family they have. Especially when their lives have been forever changed by this disaster, when their homes, valuables, keepsakes, etc, are gone–their pet may be the only thing they have left. Even if you don’t think that animals are important and that efforts should be focused on rescuing people–from a pragmatic view, there needs to animal rescue in NOLA because stray animals will be exposed to diseases like rabies, and that can affect the human population. Loose animals will suffer and die if not rescued, and more dead animals will also spread disease.

Some groups will will alleviate the suffering of people, but a few are there to alleviate the suffering of animals. One group is no better or worse than the other, and both are needed desperately. When you send aid to the Red Cross or other organization, send something to Noah, or the New Orleans Humane Society, or to any other organization that is working to reunite pets with their owners. You will be helping people as well as animals, when you do so.