It's interesting how little imagination the major news agencies
> displayed in the early reporting of the hurricane. I don't think
> it's a problem of individual news professionals, but the way
> they are trained and conditioned to report disaster news.
>
> The pattern is to low-ball the extent and duration of the damage,
> and combine the main story with feel-good rescue anecdotes,
> the aim being to avoid disturbing the public or raising questions
> of social responsibility and preparedness. For example, a church
> roof collapses, crushing 200 of the faithful, but equal time is given
> to one small child who survives, which proves that God is merciful.
> Never mind the other 30 small children killed or maimed; they
> are God's collateral damage and one doesn't dwell on it.
>
> As the scale and duration of the current disaster rises, some of
> the routine reporting has changed. Even high-level politicians,
> such as the governors of Louisiana and Mississippi, are
> obviously shaken and have no reason to put a soothing spin
> on any of this. On the contrary, they and their constituencies
> are desperate. Many people are becoming aware of the scope
> of the disaster. The more savvy politicians and analysts
> realize that basic infrastructure has been destroyed or
> severely damaged: highways, bridges, power lines, waterways,
> major machinery and supplies, entire community structures,
> along with personal homes, apartment complexes, buildings
> that housed business, hospitals, schools, industry, etc. This
> infrastructure took decades to develop, in an entirely different
> kind of era and without the economic burden of a worldwide
> military empire, an ongoing war and deep reliance on foreign
> production and resources.
>
> In the jargon of disaster planning, it's called a compound
> disaster. Emergency vehicles and personnel can be brought
> in, but they have to bring their own food, water, gas, shelter,
> and traverse broken or flooded transportation networks, and
> cope with devastation on a scale beyond their capabilities.
> The New Orleans situation is even worse due to the flooding
> and public health crisis. Nationwide gas shortages and
> profiteering (I hear that gas is over $5 a gallon in Atlanta)
> add to the crisis in a country whose entire economy is
> based on cheap gas and widely transported goods.
>
> The Bush administration is making a great show of leading
> some kind of rescue and recovery effort. Rescues will occur
> (although the public health system may collapse), but
> recovery will require more than the ideology of America's
> political elites (of both parties). The "market" won't do it
> because businesses depend on a preexisting infrastructure
> built over decades at public expense. Our political and
> economic elites are accustomed to profiteering (often
> bordering on outright looting) at the public expense rather
> than supporting massive public needs.
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