Below are two emails forwarded from Louisiana residents. Their actual dates are unknown, but most likely are around the 16th of September, 2005. Details regarding the writers are unknown: age, race, ethnic background, economic status, political affiliation, etc. No matter because they seem to have little use for either the Mayor of New Orleans ("NO"), or the Governor of LA, both of whom are Democrats. ================================================================= Those of us in LA know who screwed up this disaster. Our Governor, the levee board, the Corps of Engineers and the New Orleans Mayor are primarily to blame with the incompetence of FEMA being secondary. By the way, things have improved significantly. We give credit to our armed forces who have taken the pressure off of local law enforcement allowing them to regain control of our cities. I've often wondered why New Orleans police have a reputation for being tough, no nonsense guys -- I now understand. The looting here has been bad. You won't see it on TV, since we're not even close to being newsworthy considering all the deprivation, death and suffering being reported. Our parish took in the first 600 evacuees, and put them up in one of our brand new high schools located next to I-10. In l0 hours they had trashed the school, torn out urinals, ripped the bleachers out of the gym and trashed the classrooms and computers. We moved them, plus 600 more to a place across the Interstate at an expo center. By Tuesday night, there were 3 car jackings and 3 armed robberies. So we had to call in our deputies, police and Nat'l Guard troops to guard the evacuees. Most of our law enforcement had been down in NO working the rescue mission. The same stories apply to Baton Rouge ("BR"), only multiply the numbers 10 fold. My godson/nephew is the chief of the K-9 Department in Shreveport, 250 miles north of BR. He had been in NO working on the rescue till now, except he has been called back to Shreveport tonight to protect against the looting there. Mandy works for a doctor in a clinic next to our small hospital in Gonzales. It's situated across the Interstate from the evacuee center. At 11 AM yesterday (Thursday), the police locked down the hospital and the clinic to protect them from looters. The clinic closed down at 2 PM and the medical staff got escorts out of the vicinity. The national news seems to carry a constant theme of Louisiana politicians crying "shame, shame America". "Where's the government?" It's the mantra du jour. Our governor had the power to declare martial law and commandeer school buses to evacuate the NO folks. She did not. Her news conferences are unscheduled, unformatted ramblings, punctuated with tears and calls for help and prayers......but not much information or direction. She has been noticeably absent from sight since the President toured. Maybe I can't see the forest for the trees here, but I don't want any of you "Americans out there" to accept any blame for the lack of immediate response when it was clearly the responsibility of local and state government officials. Frank K. Baton Rouge, La. 70806 ====================================================================== >From a New Orleans observer: What I have seen since Katrina: The poor and the wealthy hurt by the storm. Black, white, Hispanic, Oriental and Indian all hurt by the storm. Christian people giving, giving, giving. Churches going all out to minister in Jesus' name. Neighbors going door to door helping one another. Thugs and hoodlums going door to door looking for someone vulnerable. Ice and water being fought over as police tried to keep the peace. People coming up from New Orleans taking over empty houses because shelters are full. Out of town volunteers coming with food and staying for now a week still serving it. The Churches all over this part of the country doing what Christians do in a crisis. The Red Cross doing a great job in the shelters. The Salvation Army doing a great job in the community. Four Hundred crewman from everywhere bring back the power to our homes, churches and businesses. Lines at service stations a block to a mile long. National Guardsman patrolling the streets of McComb along with Kentucky policemen protecting us from the hoodlums and thugs of McComb, Pike County and New Orleans (the most dangerous city in the world before Katrina.) Drug dealers working outside shelters. Doctors, nurses and other hospital personnel working tirelessly, even sleeping in the hospital to do the job God called them to do. --- WHAT I HAVE NOT SEEN: ----- The ACLU setting up a feeding line. People for the American Way helping in the shelters. The NAACP doing any work whatsoever. The American Atheist organization serving meals in the shelters. Jesse Jackson directing traffic at the gas stations. I could go on but you get my message. Its the Christian people with love and compassion who do the work. The gripers in Congress should come on down and get in line to pass the water and the ice. Are you listening Hillary, Chuck, Teddy and all the sorry loafers we call Senators and Congressmen. They don't have a clue as to what this life is all about here on the Gulf Coast. Have to remember all this at VOTING time ======================================================================