I have no problem at all with the term we. I can own what's happening there (here). When I read the piece though, I honestly couldn't figure out what he was trying to tell me.

Finally in his comment he said, "it's a culture problem, not a race problem." I would say it's a human problem and what we're seeing in our country today is who we really are. It ought to make us rethink (metanoia-- turn around, in other words, and to employ an oft misunderstood word, repent) who we are, each of us. And when we're done rethinking, to act.

And, of course, we're powerless to change who we are, without some Outside Assistance.

But of course.

Thanks for the link.

What keeps coming to my mind is the huge reaction difference between this and 9/11. The only thing I can think of is the "who to blame" factor is central.

After 9/11 we had a clear culprit at whom we could direct our anger - 20 specific people: Osama bin Laden, 19 hijackers, and in a larger sense Al Qaeda.

There's no one to blame for this natural disaster and so people are blaming whomever is next to them - the President, the Governors, the Mayors, the police, the military, etc.

Actually, Jen, I can think of a number of differences between this and 9/11 that could be contributing to what we're seeing. But, you know, as Jim put it, they're all just excuses -- or symptoms -- of humanity in its fallen state.

We should be pleased when we occasionally manage to rise above ourselves, but not surprised when we vastly more often cannot. That probably sounds cynical, but I'm not really a cynic at heart...just a realist. If there's any cynicism it's reserved for those who think that there's a solution to our self-made predicaments that doesn't involve God changing hearts.

So, what exactly is a pingback death spiral? Does such a think exist? When I saw your trackback I wondered about that. Will the entire inernet now crash because we've tracked each other back? The horror!

Sorry to be so flip on such a serious post, but the technical inner-workings of the web really fascinate me.

Will the entire inernet now crash because we've tracked each other back?

No, I think we're safe because you managed to use the secret spelling of the word "internet" that is the only known protective incantation against the mutual trackback feedback loop. ;-)

Eric, and others ... I'm sorry to have been absent for so long this week ... I have visted and enjoyed all that you've ben posting, here and on other sites of the blogosphere ... but time for posting of my own? ... that's something else.

But I have had time to think in the midst of the thousands of words, photos, videoclips and links I have published - so far - this week, and you have given me much to think about ... and for that, I am grateful, for it has had some effect upon what, when and how I publish.

I am also thinking back more than thirty years, standing on the banks of the Susquehanna, desperately raising the the level of the dikes that were so hard-pressed by the floods that accompanied Tropical Storm Agnes ...

I remember the odd mixture of excitement and exhaustion as thousands of us labored at sandbagging ... the shock and incredible sadness when air raid sirens filled the air with their mournful wail ... telling us that the engineers had determined a break was imminent, and that we had to leave ... NOW ...

I remember being overwhelmed by the site of a river three miles wide, after the dikes burst on both sides of the river, flooding the communities of the Wyoming Valley ...

Thank God, we were spared the horrors being visted upon New Orleans and other communities smashed by Katrina ...

The flooding was confined to our valley ... relief in the form of volunteer fire companies and ambulance squads, emergency shelters and fully-functional hospitals ... communities untouched by the ravages of Agnes ... were just ten miles away, on the other side of the mountains that lined the valley ...

We had effective leadership that had prepared for such an event (previous floods in 1936 and 1902), we had a plan that incorporated policemen firefighters, stat police, even Boy Scouts (that's how I ended up on the dikes).

We had effective communications that survived Agnes' rampage and enabled us to identify and address emergencies as they came up ... a fire, for example, in Wilkes-Barre's flooded downtown district ... that was extinguished after a forefighting boat was airlifted to the valley ... but also sending a couple of people out in some guy's little motorboat to pull someone off the top of their house.

And we weren't alone ... the National Guard and the regulars of the U.S. Armed Forces turned out in force ... and for the first few days after the waters of the Susquehanna receded, something like martial law was imposed and traffic in and out of the valley was severely curtailed as the damage and the death toll was assessed. They also choppered supplies and medical personnel back and forth across the valley before the bridges were repaired, and trucked supplies to shelters that were established in neighboring communities.

I've thought a lot about our National Guard in the last few days. That most effective of forces for tackling emergencies and restoring order is stretched to the limit ... and beyond ...

For these reasons, and more, I never felt the absolute desperation people are feeling - and rightfully so! - in the streets of New Orleans tonight ... God bless them and comfort them, strengthen their spirits, and the spirits of those rushing to their aid

Jeff, I think you just created a post! ;-)

One lesson I drew from your description of the aftermath of Agnes is that this is not the first time that "we" have been through something like this, though certainly not in this magnitude. But it is the magnitude -- the sheer mind-numbing scope -- of the destruction that makes people feel so hopeless and desperate. As you pointed out, with Agnes, you could walk 10 miles and find a semblance of normalcy. Here, you can't walk 10 miles, period, but even if you could, you'd just find more of the same desolation and desperation that you hoped to escape.

Thanks for sharing with us.

What "we" are seeing is the inevitable results of New Orleans' moral culture.

New Orleans has been proudly hosting events like the annual (and I quote) Southern Decadence celebration (check the events schedule if you have a strong stomach) and "we" are seeing it reflected in the way its citizens behave towards each other during a crisis.

A while back, this blog reviewed John Steakley's book "Armor". The book was introduced by a small epigram that's relevant to what "we" are seeing in New Orleans:

You are
What you do
When it counts.

Does anyone here believe such selfish and self-destructive behavior would happen if a natural disaster struck Salt Lake City, Utah?

The people of New Orleans don't reflect everyone in this country. Not by a long shot.