<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"> <html> <head> <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html;charset=ISO-8859-1"> <title></title> </head> <body> A friend writes: It's interesting how little imagination the major news agencies <blockquote type="cite" cite="mid5.2.1.1.2.20050831154927.02334c90@calmail.berkeley.edu"> <blockquote type="cite" class="cite" cite=""></blockquote> 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.  </blockquote> </body> </html>