Why Violence in New Orleans?

by MegaDude 14 Replies latest jw friends

• 

  LyinEyes

  You are so right Andi, and I can tell you first hand what they will do when they need a fix. I have someone in my family who is an addict. He is trying so hard to get off on his own, but he is not winning the battle.

  They will do ANYTHING to get their drug. They steal from their own Mama's , selling whatever they can get for a $10 rock. They come to your house late at night to bum money, if you tell them no, I don't have any to give, they keep begging for even a few dollars. And they do this to everyone they know until they get enough. There is nothing a crack addict will not do when the withdrawals hit.

  It just makes me sick. I do feel sorry for them, but it is just disgusting, they are disgusting, dirty and the person they once where is gone. The longer they are on the drug, it is more likely they will never get off of it and they burn their brain up, literally. They are like drug zombies walking around without a heart, soul or mind.
• 

  Sara Annie

  Yes, the people are immediately at fault, but what kind of society creates such an underclass with such poverty and inequality? Why are they put in that state and kept in that state so that when something happens it all kicks off so badly?

  
  

  
  Simply put, they are "put" in that state by well-meaning social programs that provide for all the basic necessities (food, shelter, medical care, etc) with the hope that utilizing these programs will be a temporary condition and that the 'leg up' that is being provided will allow them to, through their own initiative and by taking advantage of educational and vocational opportunities available, allow them to transition from total dependence on state aid to taking control of their own lives and gradually becoming independent earners in society. That is what has 'put' them in that state.

  What has 'kept' them in that state is far more complex. A certain portion of the population will never be able to exist independent of state sponsored welfare programs. But a far larger portion of people choose not to take control of their own lives and make the transition from the welfare to independence. That may be unpleasant to hear, the truth often is, but the fact remains: When you are given the opportunity to make something better of your life and you do not take it, your actions (or inaction) have had a direct effect on the unsatisfactory condition of your life. The reasons that people do not seek to make their lives better than they are are numerous and complex, and it seems like when anyone tries to say them out loud--either from outside of the community involved or from within it--the most immediate action many people take is to clamp their hands over their ears and refuse to listen, and brand the speaker as a bigot.

  The problem never goes away though because IMO the root underlying cause is inequality and this can be the immediate wealth difference between the haves and have-nots (and Bush's have-mores) but also inequality of opportunity - there has to be a way open to escape the slums and crime riddled parts of society and incentives to do so

  I agree with you 100% that the answer to the problems inequality in the U.S.A. absolutely lies in closing the gap between the 'haves' and the 'have nots'. But I also believe that the 'way open to escape the slums and crime riddled parts of society' often already exists but will never be taken advantage of in any significant number until people within the affected populations stand up and declare that the to pursue success educationally and through personal achievement does not equal treason to their own people or a desire to distance themselves from their roots. Until the idea takes hold that personal responsibility is preferable to the existing culture of entitlement, not much is going to change.

  Surely the solution lies somewhere in the middle, don't you think? Even more readily available opportunities to improve one's lot in life coupled with a cultural shift in perspective on those opportunities and the implications of taking them.
• 

  MegaDude

  Troops begin combat operations in New Orleans By Joseph R. Chenelly
  Times staff writer
  

  NEW ORLEANS — Combat operations are underway on the streets “to take this city back” in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

  “This place is going to look like Little Somalia,” Brig. Gen. Gary Jones, commander of the Louisiana National Guard’s Joint Task Force told Army Times Friday as hundreds of armed troops under his charge prepared to launch a massive citywide security mission from a staging area outside the Louisiana Superdome. “We’re going to go out and take this city back. This will be a combat operation to get this city under control.”

  Jones said the military first needs to establish security throughout the city. Military and police officials have said there are several large areas of the city are in a full state of anarchy.

  Dozens of military trucks and up-armored Humvees left the staging area just after 11 a.m. Friday, while hundreds more troops arrived at the same staging area in the city via Black Hawk and Chinook helicopters.

  “We’re here to do whatever they need us to do,” Sgt. 1st Class Ron Dixon, of the Oklahoma National Guard’s 1345th Transportation Company. “We packed to stay as long as it takes.”

  While some fight the insurgency in the city, other carry on with rescue and evacuation operations. Helicopters are still pulling hundreds of stranded people from rooftops of flooded homes.

  Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard and police helicopters filled the city sky Friday morning. Most had armed soldiers manning the doors. According to Petty Officer 3rd Class Jeremy Grishamn, a spokesman for the amphibious assault ship Bataan, the vessel kept its helicopters at sea Thursday night after several military helicopters reported being shot at from the ground.

  Numerous soldiers also told Army Times that they have been shot at by armed civilians in New Orleans. Spokesmen for the Joint Task Force Headquarters at the Superdome were unaware of any servicemen being wounded in the streets, although one soldier is recovering from a gunshot wound sustained during a struggle with a civilian in the dome Wednesday night.

  “I never thought that at a National Guardsman I would be shot at by other Americans,” said Spc. Philip Baccus of the 527th Engineer Battalion. “And I never thought I’d have to carry a rifle when on a hurricane relief mission. This is a disgrace.”

  Spc. Cliff Ferguson of the 527th Engineer Battalion pointed out that he knows there are plenty of decent people in New Orleans, but he said it is hard to stay motivated considering the circumstances.

  “This is making a lot of us think about not reenlisting.” Ferguson said. “You have to think about whether it is worth risking your neck for someone who will turn around and shoot at you. We didn’t come here to fight a war. We came here to help.”
• 

  MegaDude

  Until the idea that personal responsibility is preferable to the existing culture of entitlement, not much is going to change.

  Great post, Sara.
• 

  Tigerman

  Because it's FUN !