From their elbows

Submitted by rufferto on Sun, 09/04/2005 - 09:34

I’ve heard the news media calling parishes in Louisiana counties. It seems to me that if you are going to claim that your profession is “journalist” then you should at least do your homework. But then again, expecting due diligence from journalists is really asking a lot, isn’t it? No, let me rephrase that. Can we expect journalists to make any sense at all?

Now I am beginning to hear the inevitable comparisons between September 11th and Hurricane Katrina. At first it made some sense to the discussion of our nation’s preparedness for disaster. But as usual with the media the comparisons have gone beyond meaningful. Yesterday I heard someone say that Hurricane Katrina was not as bad as September 11th because not as many people died. How can anyone make such a statement? First of all, there is certainly a big difference between the slow suffering of a million people and the quick death of thousands. The death toll for Katrina is still an unknown. But I would not even go so far as to compare the two on that basis. Many lives were affected by the losses on September 11th, but how many more lives will be affected by Hurricane Katrina?

And I have heard the statement made that we reacted much more quickly to the events of September 11th. It has been said that New York Mayor Giuliani guided his citizens through the disaster whereas New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has been ineffective. First of all, we knew Hurricane Katrina was coming. (Although there is certainly plenty of evidence to suggest that someone in the government knew about the impending events of September 11th as well.) But it is especially damning to think that hurricane preparedness drills were conducted by FEMA and then when the real thing happens, we are caught with our pants down. Secondly, in defense of Mayor Nagin, there is a difference between having a building or two fall down and having your city wiped out.

Sorry journalistic pundits, but as usual you can’t find the truth (or your asses) in the dark with a flashlight and both hands.

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