The Flood Disaster in Iowa

[lord_feldon]

Have you all noticed that Cedar Rapids is under 10 feet of water.
Thousands upon thousands of people are displaced?

Have you noticed that nobody is looting every empty property in sight ?

Have you noticed that nobody is shooting at rescuers?

Have you noticed any victims on TV wondering where the federal
government is to 'take care of them'?

Or, have you noticed victims, who have lost everything, make comments
like 'life goes on', 'we'll just need to pick up the pieces and start
over', and 'at least we still have our life'.

Maybe Government could help make "victims" of these survivors as well,
convince them that they aren't strong enough to take care of themselves,
they're not smart enough to survive. Maybe we should subsidize their
lives for the next 2+ years, free housing, $2000/month to not work....
Just food for thought

Have you noticed that the media does not make nearly as big a deal of
this as they did of Katrina in New Orleans?
Maybe if they could find an angle that says: "Bush doesn't care about
minorities" they would give the kind of coverage they did in New Orleans.

But wait, the water will eventually break through and make its way down
river to New Orleans. Then we will see the coverage change. Then it will
be a moral tragedy and evidence that Republicans don't care about
minorities. Then you will see Obama and Sharpton on the scene. The news
will explain why the people are frustrated and that is why they shoot at
the rescue helicopters and loot and steal.

[Mickey Blue]

Have you all noticed that Cedar Rapids is under 10 feet of water.
Thousands upon thousands of people are displaced?

I will have to check but I wonder if there is an economic difference here, not to mention a social one. One group is from an extremely poor city, odds are they did not have cars and relied on public transit to get around which was of course down. I have no doubt there are many poor people in Cedar Rapids and elsewhere in Iowa but I'm just curious if its to the same degree.

Have you noticed that nobody is looting every empty property in sight ?

Well of course, they are mostly white so they were simply searching and recovering, not looting..

Have you noticed that nobody is shooting at rescuers?

I was under the impression this was a myth.

Have you noticed any victims on TV wondering where the federal
government is to 'take care of them'?

Maybe because the government showed up this time? I have family out there by the river and they have said for a while not national guard troops have been there helping people shore up dams to stop or at least slow the water, I have little doubt that the government has assisted in other ways.

Besides which thats what we pay the government for, taxes aren't all just for wars and teaching kids that sex is evil. And finally the flooding in Katrina was mostly a result of the governments delays and lack of funding of the levy system, so one could make the argument (though I personally would not) that its partly their fault in the first place.

Or, have you noticed victims, who have lost everything, make comments
like 'life goes on', 'we'll just need to pick up the pieces and start
over', and 'at least we still have our life'.

And many have their houses (even if there is damage), many of their more valued possessions and bank accounts and such.. Where as many of the poor in New Orleans did not.

Maybe Government could help make "victims" of these survivors as well,
convince them that they aren't strong enough to take care of themselves,
they're not smart enough to survive.

I like how so many conservitives try to turn the actions of helping people into treating them like children.. I mean think, all those people I helped while I was working for state supported fire/rescue, if only I told them to figure it out for themselves because it would make them a much more well rounded person.

Maybe we should subsidize their
lives for the next 2+ years, free housing, $2000/month to not work....
Just food for thought

I am not aware of the specific benifits awarded to Katrina survivors, though based on the houseing I've heard calling most of what they had "housing" is stretching it.

Have you noticed that the media does not make nearly as big a deal of
this as they did of Katrina in New Orleans?

Death Toll in Iowa Rises to Five..

Death Toll in Katrina Placed at 1836..

I just grabbed those off Google, I may be wrong on specific numbers, but if they are even near accurate it doesn't take a genius to figure out why nearly two thousand people killed got more notice then less then ten.

Maybe if they could find an angle that says: "Bush doesn't care about
minorities" they would give the kind of coverage they did in New Orleans.

They could say Bush doesn't care about farm workers or some such thing.. But then as I said the government is helping out.

But wait, the water will eventually break through and make its way down
river to New Orleans. Then we will see the coverage change. Then it will
be a moral tragedy and evidence that Republicans don't care about
minorities. Then you will see Obama and Sharpton on the scene. The news
will explain why the people are frustrated and that is why they shoot at
the rescue helicopters and loot and steal.

Seriously though I did hear Rush Limbaugh say something similar to this, not sure if this is derived from him (he included more things of course).

-MB

[mags]

Was anyone looting when New Orleans was still under ten feet of water? I would think it would make the process a little more difficult.

[Natalie]

Originally Posted by lord_feldon

Have you all noticed that Cedar Rapids is under 10 feet of water.
Thousands upon thousands of people are displaced?

Population of Cedar Rapids metro area: 246,412
Population of New Orleans metro area (post-Katrina): 1,030,363

Have you noticed that nobody is looting every empty property in sight ?

Have you noticed any victims on TV wondering where the federal
government is to 'take care of them'?

Median income of Cedar Rapids as of 1999: $43,704
Median income of New Orleans as of 1999: $27,133

Median home value of Cedar Rapids as of 2000: $95,200
Median home value of New Orleans as of 2000: $87,300

Rate of home ownership in Cedar Rapids: 69.0%
Rate of home ownership in New Orleans: 46.5%

Are we seeing a pattern here yet, ****nuts?

(Source: The Census Bureau's USA Quickfacts)

Then you will see Obama and Sharpton on the scene.

Ahem. Someone is painting a little broadly with their racist brush:

U.S. Senator and Presidential hopeful Barack Obama (D-IL) visited Quincy, Illinois to help with the sandbagging efforts and to observe the river.

(Cite)

[Astra]

There was some squabbling at a flood aid center here last week. I admit that I was a little amused at how the local news made it out to sound like Katrina-esque mobs were about to overrun the the office.

The situations in both Iowa and Louisiana sucked, but the variety of suckage isn't quite the same in both cases to me.

[RichardM]

RE: Shooting at rescuers in New Orleans. I have a friend who is an EMT in our town. He went into Louisiana as an official meaning in uniform. He claims he made a sheriff give more ammunition to replenish his stock depeleted by returning fire. He also brought back photos of ambulances with bullet holes in them.

[Dr. Winston O'Boogie]

Originally Posted by mags

Was anyone looting when New Orleans was still under ten feet of water? I would think it would make the process a little more difficult.

Don't you remember footage of people wading chest-deep in water with supplies? The viedeos that got the most play were the ones where the "supplies" were TVs and such.

[snopes]

Another version:

"Where are all of the Hollywood celebrities holding telethons asking for
help in restoring Iowa and helping the folks affected by the floods?

Where is all the media asking the tough questions about why the federal
government hasn't solved the problem? Asking where the FEMA trucks (and
trailers) are?

Why isn't the Federal Government relocating Iowa people to free hotels in
Chicago ?

When will Spike Lee say that the Federal Government blew up the levees
that failed in Des Moines ?

Where are Sean Penn and the Dixie Chicks?

Where are all the looters stealing high-end tennis shoes and big screen
television sets?

When will we hear Governor Chet Culver say that he wants to rebuild a
"vanilla" Iowa, because that's the way God wants it?

Where is the hysterical 24/7 media coverage complete with reports of
cannibalism?

Where are the people declaring that George Bush hates white, rural people?

In 6 months you probably wont hear much about the Iowa flooding
again..........."

[Mickey Blue]

Originally Posted by RichardM

RE: Shooting at rescuers in New Orleans. I have a friend who is an EMT in our town. He went into Louisiana as an official meaning in uniform. He claims he made a sheriff give more ammunition to replenish his stock depeleted by returning fire. He also brought back photos of ambulances with bullet holes in them.

I need actual citations that there were actual gunfights between EMTs and civilians and that ambulances were fired upon.

I mean, its not even like I don't think it could happen, EMTs are attacked all the time (including myself) without people being under the added stress of a disaster, but still, snopes being what it is, "its true, it happened to a friend of mine.." is not good enough.

Originally Posted by Dr. Winston O'Boogie

Don't you remember footage of people wading chest-deep in water with supplies? The viedeos that got the most play were the ones where the "supplies" were TVs and such.

Indeed, looting certainly happened. I'm sure I could offer up some more acceptable reasoning people might have gone through but I'm sure a great percentage of it was "Wow, I can get that [high end electronics] free! I mean everybody else is!".

None of that changes that comparing Iowa's storm(s) and Katrina are comparing apples and skateboards.

-MB

[RichardM]

Mickey,
Just reporting what a person who was really there said. He gave 3 or 4 talks around town complete with photos he took. I don't doubt his veracity although he may be given to exaggeration. And I don't think he knows enough to photo shop bullet holes through the windshied. I will see if his story got posted on the net some where so you can judge for yourself.
Richard

[RichardM]

Sorry Mickey, I can't find a repeat of the story along with its pictures on the web. I suppose I could have James e-mail you directly if you want to hear the same thing I heard. He is a LT in our fire rescue service and I have worked with him in both CERT and RACES. I tend to believe him more than I would believe some of the other EMTs. You guys can be a shifty lot.

And just to note, I did not say it was true because I heard it from a friend. I said a friend who was there as an EMT claimed it happened to him and he brought back a photo of an ambulance with bullet holes in it.
Richard

[lord_feldon]

Have you seen the pictures from Iowa of all the people looting the liquor stores, stealing TVs, sitting on roof tops begging for someone to take care of them, and sitting in a football stadium complaining about the food and shelter being provided?


Yeah, neither did I.

[snopes]

FEMA-chow