
 |
|
February 10, 2012
Lisa M. Krieger: Man with defibrillator demands access to his own heart's information
David G. Savage: Why activists may not be in a hurry to have High Court rule on alternative marriage
February 9, 2012
Laura McMullen: 10 Least Expensive Public Schools for Out-of-State Students
Kimberly Palmer: How to actually enjoy -- relaxing, financially -- your vacation
February 8, 2012
Warren Richey: Why momentous Prop. 8 ruling might not satisfy gay-rights groups
Menachem Wecker: Though Controversial, LL.M.'s Can Lead to Specialized Legal Jobs
The Kosher Gourmet byDana Velden: Going to the bother of making soup? You know it better be good. This CREAM OF TOMATO SOUP certainly is! And it's a cinch to make, too (Includes techinques and serving secrets)
February 7, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney, Jr.: Caught off-guard? President's Super Bowl interview with Matt Lauer gives those who need a reason not to vote for him, a darn good one
Suzanne Bohan: Leaping lizards! Tiny reptiles advancing robot design
February 6, 2012
Jonathan Tobin: Iran Threatens Israel With Destruction, But the New York Times Doesn't Hear It
Jeffrey Fleishman: In newly democratic Egypt, tens of democracy activists jailed, to stand trial; their groups are 'threatening the stability of the homeland'
Julie Deardorff : Researchers say antioxidants may not be that effective and could do more harm than good
Mark Clayton: How did Anonymous hackers eavesdrop on FBI and Scotland Yard?
February 3, 2012
Edmund Sanders : Israeli official says Iran is creating missile that could reach East Coast of US
Victoria Kim: Immigrant-smuggling ring used black drivers to avoid racial profiling
February 2, 2012
Jim Carney: Wrong number call may have saved her life
Reza Kahlili : Ex-CIA spy in Iran's Revolutionary Guard: What Obama doesn't grasp about striking deals with Tehran
Tina Susman: For woodchuck rescuer, every day is Groundhog Day
February 1, 2012
Brian Bennett: US officials see increasing threat of domestic attack from Iran
Emily Brandon: How to Take Advantage of New 401(k) Fee Disclosures
January 31, 2012
January 30, 2012
Paul Richter and Ramin Mostaghim: Misreading Teheran's limits -- deadly and economically devastating as they may be -- is a risk administration, Europe seem willing to take
Suzanne Bohan: Warning: Nap-deprived tots missing more than sleep, study finds
Meg Handley: Banks Revamping Rewards Programs to Woo Customers
January 27, 2012
Caroline B. Glick: Obama: Of course I intend to prevent a nuclear holocaust . . . in a few months
Yochonon Donn: In liberal New York City, fervently-Orthodox Jews may soon be getting a district to call their own
Jeannine Stein: An inflated ego and thinking you're 'all that' doesn't just make others sick of you, it can make you ill
Katy Hopkins: New budget rules may affect how much money you get for college
January 26, 2012
Ed Koch: To the New York Times, calling for the murder of Jews by those capable of having their incitement taken seriously isn't news
Jeannine Stein: Mental illness struck one in five U.S. adults in 2010: Report
January 25, 2012
Richard Simon: House passes two bills endorsing the use of religious symbols at military memorials
Fred Weir: Putin: Multiethnic Russia cannot survive as a US-style 'melting pot'; must find its own way
Susan Johnston: 5 Sneaky Coupon Strategies Consumers Should Watch Out For
January 24, 2012
Carol Clark: The price of your soul: How your brain decides whether to 'sell out'
Caroline B. Glick: America lost most in 'Arab Spring'. Sadly, many voters still don't grasp the extent
Warren Richey: Drug criminal scores win in GPS ruling from conservative-leaning high court
Erika Bolstad: Black conservatives gather to talk about gaining strength
January 23, 2012
Melissa Dribben: Jewish voters to play a key role in Florida's Republican primary
Jordan Rau: In quest to grow, Catholic hospital system will announce this morning its break from church
Ali Safi: U.S. envoy gives Taliban terms for peace talks
January 19, 2012
January 18, 2012
January 17, 2012
Frank J. Gaffney Jr.: No-kidding red lines: U.S. response to an Iranian nuke may be bluster, but Israel's won't be
David G. Savage: They sued their principals after slandering them online --- now the cases are headed to the Supreme Court
David Francis: Where to Invest in 2012: With stocks expected to rebound, opportunity abounds for investors
January 13, 2012
Ben Lynfield: Israeli lawmakers move to annex Jewish Judea, one museum at a time
Alexia Elejalde-Ruiz: Thriving through touch: Gentle massage helps older people with low mobility improve in mind and body
January 12, 2012
Warren Richey: Landmark Supreme Court ruling a 'resounding win' for religious groups
Warren Richey: Supreme Court says no to new rule on eyewitness testimony
John Fauber : Statins found to raise diabetes risk in postmenopausal women
Katy Hopkins : Consider This Before You Pay for an Online Degree
The Kosher Gourmet by Joseph Erdos: This mushroom and barley soup has an intense -- almost nutty -- flavor that mixes robust with Middle East. It has creaminess without cream
January 11, 2012
Shari Roan: Millions of atrial fibrillation sufferers at risk for devastating, but preventable, stroke
Tom Hussain: Pakistan -- recipient of more than $21 billion in civilian and military aid -- speeds pursuit of Iranian pipeline, defying US
David G. Savage: High court signals it won't be loosening TV's 'indecency' rules
Stephen Ceasar: Oklahoma's Islamic law amendment can't go into effect, court rules
January 10, 2012
Reza Kahlili: From an ex-CIA spy: US must exploit new split in Iran's Revolutionary Guard
Karen Kaplan: Study: Nicotine replacement products ineffective when used in real-life situations
January 9, 2012
Michael Doyle: Put through legal hell over dream home, couple fought back hard --- all the way to Supreme Court
|
| |
Jewish World Review
Sept. 7, 2005
/ 3 Elul, 5765
The finger of blame is being pointed in the wrong direction
By
Jack Kelly
| >
|
|
|
|
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com |
Catastrophe brings out the best in good people, and the worst in bad people.
We've seen plenty of both among the victims of Hurricane Katrina and their
rescuers, and in the news coverage of the disaster.
An area the size of Idaho has been devastated. Shelter must be found for
more than a million people. The death toll may approach the nearly 8,000
killed by the hurricane that destroyed Galveston in 1900. Economic damage
figures to be north of $100 billion.
Katrina was a natural disaster, a reminder that environmentalists have their
principal thesis backwards. They fear we humans will destroy the planet.
Katrina showed yet again how easily the planet can destroy us.
Perhaps because pointing the finger at someone makes us feel more in control
than in fact we are, perhaps because it is hard for trial lawyers to sue
Mother Nature, there is a natural tendency to find some human villain to
blame. This is compounded by political opportunists who like looters
seek to profit from the misery of others.
There were two tragedies wrought by Katrina. The first was the devastation
the hurricane caused mostly on Mississippi's Gulf Coast when it came
ashore. There was nothing any mortal could have done to prevent this.
The second tragedy was the failure of the levees protecting New Orleans to
hold back the storm surge. There is no way a levee 15 feet high can protect
against a 22-foot storm surge.
If the levees had been higher and stronger, the damage Katrina inflicted on
New Orleans could have been minimized. Given that there were several CAT-IV
hurricanes in the Gulf in the early 20th Century, and the damage that would
be inflicted on New Orleans if it were hit by a storm like Katrina had long
been predicted, this is apparently a case of negligence. But since no
federal administration from the time of Franklin Roosevelt on has sought to
build levees strong enough to withstand a Katrina force hurricane,
finger-pointing is pointless.
It took nearly four days before meaningful help arrived for thousands who
gathered for shelter in New Orleans' Superdome, prompting many in the news
media to describe the federal relief effort as a "shame" and a "national
disgrace."
This says more about the ignorance and bias of journalists than it does
about the federal relief effort. Because the fundamental fact unreported
by any major media outlet is that the federal response to Katrina has
been much more swift than to any previous natural disaster, despite far
greater challenges.
Katrina made landfall at 6:10 a.m. Central time last Monday. The main levee
protecting New Orleans breached around 1:00 a.m. Tuesday. By Friday,
hundreds of tons of relief supplies were pouring into the area, despite the
fact that many of the roads and airports were covered with water or strewn
with debris.
The rapid federal response was made possible because President Bush declared
federal emergencies in Louisiana and Mississippi the Friday before Katrina
struck, permitting relief supplies to be prepositioned.
Much suffering might have been alleviated if authorities in Louisiana had
acted as promptly. Bush asked Friday that a mandatory evacuation be
ordered, but Gov. Kathleen Blanco took a day to think about it, and refused
Bush's request to put the Louisiana National Guard under federal control.
Mayor Ray Nagin didn't order a mandatory evacuation until Sunday morning.
New Orleans had a plan to use the city's buses to evacuate those who did not
have automobiles, but no effort was made to implement it.
Looting began shortly after the levee was breached early Tuesday, but Gov.
Blanco didn't authorize the National Guard to help enforce the law, or ask
for help from National Guard troops outside Louisiana until Wednesday.
Order broke down mostly because two thirds of the New Orleans police force
was AWOL, and some cops were among the looters. It's hard to see how this
is President Bush's fault. But Blanco and Nagin are blaming Bush for their
own shortcomings, and the news media are trumpeting their charges without
examining them.
Meanwhile, thousands of Americans are working 18-20 hours a day to help
Katrina's victims. More than 100,000 have been provided with food and
shelter.
Not all are as grateful as they might be. Jervis Bergeron complained that
he wasn't told he was being evacuated to Utah. Jervis has a future in
Democratic politics, or in journalism.
Every weekday JewishWorldReview.com publishes what many in in the media and Washington consider "must-reading". Sign up for the daily JWR update. It's free. Just click here.
JWR contributor Jack Kelly, a former Marine and Green Beret, was a
deputy assistant secretary of the Air Force in the Reagan
administration. Comment by clicking here.
Jack Kelly Archives
© 2005, Jack Kelly
|
|

Arnold Ahlert
Mitch Albom
Jay Ambrose
Michael Barone
Barrywood
Tony Blankley
Lori Borgman
Stratfor Briefing
Mona Charen
Linda Chavez
Richard Z. Chesnoff
Ann Coulter
Greg Crosby
Alan Douglas
Larry Elder
Suzanne Fields
Frank J. Gaffney
Bernie Goldberg
Jonah Goldberg
Julia Gorin
Jonathan Gurwitz
Paul Greenberg
Argus Hamilton
Victor Davis Hanson
Betsy Hart
Ron Hart
Nat Hentoff
Marybeth Hicks
David Horowitz
Jeff Jacoby
Renee James
Paul Johnson
Jack Kelly
Ed Koch
Ch. Krauthammer
Michael Ledeen
John Leo
David Limbaugh
Kathryn Lopez
Rich Lowry
Michelle Malkin
Jackie Mason
Ann McFeatters
Dale McFeatters
Dana Milbank
Jeanne Moos
Dick Morris
Jim Mullen
Deroy Murdock
Judge A. Napolitano
Bill O'Reilly
Kathleen Parker
Star Parker
Dennis Prager
Wesley Pruden
Tom Purcell
Sharon Randall
Robert Robb
Cokie & Steve Roberts
Heather Robinson
Pat Sajak
Debra J. Saunders
Martin Schram
Culture Shlock
David Shribman
Roger Simon
Michael Smerconish
Thomas Sowell
Ben Stein
Mark Steyn
John Stossel
Cal Thomas
Dan Thomasson
Bob Tyrrell
Ben Wattenberg
Diana West
Dave Weinbaum
George Will
Walter Williams
Byron York
ZeitGeist
Mort Zuckerman

Robert Arial
Chuck Asay
Baloo
Chip Bok
Dry Bones
Lisa Benson
John Branch
John Cole
J. D. Crowe
John Deering
Brian Duffy
Everything's Relative
Mallard Fillmore
Glenn Foden
Jake Fuller
Bob Gorrel
Joe Heller
David Hitch
Jerry Holbert
Lee Judge
Steve Kelley
Jeff Koterba
Dick Locher
Jimmy Margulies
Rick McKee
Michael Ramirez
Kevin Siers
Jeff Stahler
Ed Stein
Danna Summers
John Trever
Gary Varvel
Kirk Walters

Mr. Know-It-All
Dr. Peter Gott
GET A JOB! by Marty Nemko
Richard Lederer
Frugal Living
Tech Maven
On Nutrition
Bookmark These
Bruce Williams
|