The Media's Magic Eight Ball

Angry? Damn right I'm angry.

How is it that the news media could correctly predict what was Hurricane Katrina was going to do to New Orleans days in advance, yet our government was taken by surprise?

Instead of Associated Press cameras taking pictures of looters, why were there no National Guard troops there to stop them? The freaking Weather Channel managed to get multiple people on the scene. THE WEATHER CHANNEL. Why couldn't the National Guard?

Instead of embedding reporters with American armed forces, maybe it's time to embed armed forces with American reporters. After all, our reporters were on the scene whereas our armed forces were not.

I don't blame our men in uniform. I blame our leaders.

While the Bush administration opted to wait and see, CNN was on the scene. I say it's about time we utilize brainpower regardless of where it comes from. Get Wolf Blitzer from CNN. Hook him up with a battalion or two. He'll shout while they shoot. No more looters. Get Geraldo. Give him a regiment and a raft, and he'll lay down the law.

Get Real.

The real issue is not looting. It's safety and security. The situation in New Orleans is so bad that the mayor had to order most of the police to halt the rescue effort today and focus on trying to restore law and order instead. The city - or, what's left of it - had simply become too dangerous.

And that's why I'm angry.

We knew this was coming. Katrina was no surprise.

>>> Friday's Headlines.

• "Forecasters say Hurricane Katrina now threatens Louisiana"
  
• "New Information Puts New Orleans On Alert"
  
• "As Hurricane Katrina moves closer to La. gov. declares state of emergency"

>>> Saturday's Headlines.

• "Katrina on path to bring disaster to New Orleans"
  
• "The storm New Orleans has feared these many years"
  
• "New Orleans could be facing its Waterloo"

>>> Sunday's Headlines.

• "New Orleans orders mandatory evacuation"
  
• "Katrina Threatens New Orleans With Catastrophe"
  
• "Experts expect Katrina to turn New Orleans into Atlantis"

I am angry that the news media accurately predicted what was going to happen to New Orleans days before Katrina struck, yet the government is only now calling up more of the National Guard.

The Gulf Coast's fate was sealed on Saturday. New Orleans' fate was sealed on Sunday. Why were troops not arriving as early as Monday night to maintain order and assist with the rescue?

I wonder how many will have died because we didn't have the manpower to get the job done.

Manpower is on the way, but for thousands, 'on the way' is far too late. The timing sure did work out for the looters though.

Consider this: Nearly a thousand people were killed in Baghdad today in one giant stampede caused by the rumor of a suicide bomber. So much for our ability to secure Baghdad. But New Orleans isn't Baghdad. It's a city in our own country. How are we ever supposed to secure Iraq if we can't even keep our own country secure?

It's not as if Katrina didn't give plenty of notice for an impending security nightmare.

The news media saw this one coming, but our government didn't.

And I'm angry about that.